Terms and Conditions - JapanImport Ltd.
Company No: 06177960


1.) “We” (and related expressions like “us” and “ours”) refer to JapanImport Ltd. Our registered office is at 2nd Floor, 145-157 St. John Street, London , EC1V 4PY

2.) “You” (and related expressions like “your”) refers to you the customer who has approached JapanImport Ltd. for the purposes of purchasing a vehicle using our services.

3.) Through our website http://japanimport.co.uk you have access to car auction listings information which include: specification and an auction report of all cars offered for sale through Tokyo and Yokohama USS auctions, pictures of the cars offered for sale, historical auction price data in Japanese Yen, details of car specifications, calculators to estimate a UK landed price and the deposit payable prior to bidding.

4.) Deposit is £500 per vehicle made payable to JapanImport Ltd. The deposit is refundable at any time, until you are successful in winning a bid at auction. If you are successful at winning a bid at auction the deposit becomes the £500 agency fee for JapanImport Ltd. services.

5.) On confirmation of receipt of £500 deposit, you are able to bid on vehicles at Tokyo and Yokohama USS auctions. If you decide to put in a bid for a car you must convey to us in writing, by email, your maximum bid, the vehicle lot number and a brief description. We will then translate the auction grade sheet and inspect the vehicle before the auction. If in our opinion the vehicle is mechanically flawed or in any other way unsuitable for purchase, we reserve the right to refuse your bid at our discretion.

6.) If your bid is successful, you will have to transfer the auction cost of the vehicle and FOB costs to our Japanese bank account within 5 days of receipt of our invoice, by bank international telegraphic transfer. Your initial £500 deposit will at this time be transferred to us to pay our agency fee. If your bid is unsuccessful you can either bid on further cars until you have a successful bid or have your deposit refunded.

7.) We will confirm your successful bid by sending you a confirmation email with all the vehicle details as well as our sales invoice in Japanese Yen (\) and a purchasing document. Details on the purchasing document will include anticipated UK price including all taxes and preparation, our sourcing fee and the FOB price in Japanese Yen (\). Successful bidders will also be given member access to a unique webpage online– wherein they will see pictures of car (usually within 5 days) and general tracking information for transparency.

8.) We will only be responsible for the vehicle as specified by you in our email correspondence or on the online order form. Please ensure that the vehicle you are requesting and pricing details are correct, as they will form the basis of the transaction in which you will be entering.

9.) Once the auction bid has been accepted, the bid is a legally binding contract between you and us.

10.) The estimated final price stated on the purchasing document will include calculated import duty, import VAT, and shipment of the vehicle to the UK mainland (Southampton or other pre agreed port), MOT, first registration fee, road tax, number plates, SVA/ESVA test and renting of model report if applicable and warranty if requested. Any compliance work will also be estimated, please note however that we cannot be held responsible for variable costs incurred due to MOT failure or changes in legislation that would require further expense to legally register the vehicle.

11.) Payment to Japan is due strictly within 5 days – payment is to be made by telegraphic transfer in Japanese Yen upon receipt of our invoice. Payment in £ sterling can also be arranged if required (please consult us further for details of exchange rates.) Failure to pay under these terms will result in storage charges of £10 per day to cover the storage charges accruing in Japan. After 30 days from the invoice date, the daily charge increases to £15 per calendar day until payment is made.

12.) Invoice “B” is payable as soon as the car has landed in Southampton. This invoice is payable in £ sterling and covers the shipping agent charges for customs clearance and terminal handling, freight costs, import duty and VAT. The vehicle cannot be released from the port until this invoice is paid. Failure to pay may result in demurrage and administration charges from the port authority charged on a daily basis which are your liability should they result from your failure to pay the invoice.

13.) Invoice “C” is payable in £ sterling upon completion of all necessary compliance work, ESVA testing, renting of model report, MOT testing and any work required to pass the MOT should a re-test be required. We will email you a copy invoice and send you the original by registered post. Upon payment of this invoice the car will be transferred into your ownership.


14.) If you do not pay any amount owed to us on its due date, we will give you written notice of non – payment. If you do not pay this amount within 7 days of this notice, we will be entitled to terminate this agreement. We will be entitled to sell the vehicle to recover our losses. You will not be entitled to a refund of your deposit. We reserve the right to seek any and all losses caused by clients bidding and subsequently declining payment of any of the above mentioned invoices. Further, in all cases, title is not deemed to have passed to client until all payments due have been made in full.

15.) The vehicle delivery involves shipping of the vehicle from Japan to the UK using an experienced and reputable shipping company; we therefore cannot accept responsibility for late deliveries. We will not be liable for economic loss, including any loss of bargain and additional costs of purchasing an alternative car, nor for the cost of alternative transport you may incur between the date of placing the order and the final delivery, even in cases where the delivery date has changed. Delays in delivery are no reason for cancellation.

16.) Your car is insured during shipment for basic cover (insurance excess applies). We will not be held in any way responsible for any damage caused in transit. Responsibility rests entirely with you to request further cover if required for complete peace of mind. Please contact the shipping company for details.

17.) We will register the car in the name and address that you have supplied us on the online order form or via email or any other name/address that you provide in writing. You agree to provide us with a valid certificate of insurance based on the chassis number of the car and any other documentation required by the DVLA at point of registration. You may request that we register the car for you in our own name to simplify matters; this can be done for you at an additional cost of £ 50 + VAT payable before collection.

18.) JapanImport Ltd. arranges all our clients’ vehicles for handling and preparation as required, depending on the age and type of vehicle. All work is conducted by 3rd party VOSA approved technicians and testing houses.

19.) We take every effort in ensuring that the information presented on the website, in our emails and any other communication is correct and accurate. However we are dependent for this information on third parties and as such cannot assume responsibility for any errors and or omissions.

20.) If we do not fulfill our contractual obligations to you we will pay you a full refund of our agency fee. In all cases our liability will not exceed the agency fee paid.

21.) We will not be responsible for the legal consequences of you entering into contracts with third parties and we do not accept liability for any loss, damage or costs.

22.) We will not be liable for any changes in legislation (including but not limited to DVLA regulations, SVA and ESVA changes) after the point of purchase.

23.) Any extended delays in collecting your vehicle beyond 7 days of our contacting you to advise collection will accrue storage charges of £ 10 per calendar day.

24.) If any clause herein described is later deemed unenforceable, the contractual terms will apply as if the latter had been omitted.

25.) This contract is governed by English law and is subject to the jurisdiction of the English courts.

NOTES

Our agency fee is payment for the administration costs involved with sourcing and organizing a complete package for the importation and registration in the UK of a vehicle originally purchased in Japan. We will arrange on your behalf and charge you at cost for all fees incurred to import and register a Japanese vehicle in the UK. MOT preparation and test, and any fees incurred for labor, parts and retest should it be required, and where relevant ESVA test, the renting of a model report and any compliance work required, DVLA registration, 6 months road fund license, number plates and a full valet will be charged directly to the customer prior to collection. All fees must be paid in full prior to collection or delivery of the vehicle.

*Vehicles from 10/1998 onwards require a VSIB CAT 2 immobiliser installed – this can be fitted during ESVA prep for approx. £150 + VAT