COST
MATTERS
WHY DOES ALMOST EVERY SINGLE EXPORTER HIDE COST UNTIL YOU PAY THEM?
LET'S SHARE AN EXAMPLE
This is a case study using a car from CarSensor, you see the price to pay (total payment) for the car itself.
Same Car - We quote local freight to bring it from A to B. This will depend on if you want it to go to our office, or direct to the port. For this example, let's include it going to our office.
Transport to SushiCars Japan
Many customers like to have a car go to our office first, and we like it too! We film for YouTube which subsidizes exporting cars. We check local carriers in Japan to get pricing on car delivery to us and you enjoy our cost on this. Each car varies based on distance from the car to us. With our office being close to Tokyo, the central/eastern side of Japan is typically $500-$700 delivery CAD. The western sides of Japan can be closer to $1200-$1300. This makes it important to pick a car in the central/Eastern side of Japan.
Inspection & video call
Any car going through our office has an inhouse inspection and video call with you to see it live once delivered to us, so yes, you can inspect it prior to shipping, helping to give you "an out" if needed, before you pay shipping. In addition to our inspection, we can send it for a 100 point inspection at a local independent shop, this is actually preferred by us as any comments are made by a licensed mechanic who is inherently familiar with these cars.
Transport to Port (Nagoya or other)
This is the cost of taking the car from us to the port, as charged by the ocean carrier and their network. Yes, it is true to think that you are paying local transport twice, however the price from dealer direct to port is almost always more than us to the port. So the net dollar difference is usually only $150-$300 for the benefit of having us review the car prior to export.
Ocean Freight JP>VAN (or other)
This is where we really over-estimate due to global fuel prices, strikes, and other issues. We put a very safe buffer in here to ensure you don't get charged more later on freight, since we "sell" this service, you are protected from any increase here. If there is a final difference of more than $100 we refund the difference.
Local Permit/Degreg/Other
Japan is filled with red tape, for better or worse, it is what it is. This covers visits to JAF, DHL document mailing to get your export certificate prepared, and other various admin related expenses.
Tax?
Tax is paid in most countries based on the vehicle purchase price, not the total invoice. In Canada you will typically pay GST at the border when clearing customs, and an AC Levy on vehicles equipped with AC.