OBTAINING BIDDING RIGHTS

1)　You must be an SAS Member to have access to the SAS Auction Site.

2)　A deposit will be required in advance to obtain bidding rights. The deposit is necessary to confirm that you are serious about purchasing a car from the auction. A minimum deposit of 100,000 yen (or US$1,000) or 10% of the estimated FOB value of the vehicle you wish to purchase, whichever is greater, will be necessary.

3)　When a Member is ready to send a deposit and buy a car from the auction, please request for an invoice and SAS will send you an auction deposit invoice via email with full bank details. We accept payment via International Telegraphic Transfer (TT) only.

4)　Once SAS has confirmed the receipt of your deposit, we will provide a written confirmation by email. Your status on the SAS Auction Site will change and you will be able to place a bid on any car you are interested in. Please keep in mind that international TTs can take 2-3 business days after you have transferred the funds to reflect into our account in Japan.

5)　If SAS is unable to purchase a car at the auctions within the agreed upon time, the deposit can be refunded to you. Bank charges will be deducted from the deposit. The Member can also use the deposit to purchase any available SAS stock cars.

PLACING A BID

1)　SAS will accept only one purchase per SAS Member, unless multiple purchases are approved in writing prior to bidding.

2)　Through the SAS Auction Site, all Members will have access to the auction sheets and photos of the cars provided by the auction. The auction sheets, showing the condition of the cars, are filled in by the seller and inspectors at each auction and are usually in Japanese. Please note that the cars seen through the SAS Auction Site are not part of SAS stock.

3)　Translations of the auction sheets are available for Members who have paid a deposit. If there are any uncertainties regarding the information on the auction sheet, please contact an SAS representative in advance and we will be happy to assist.

4)　Once you have identified the car you want to bid on, send us a bid and clearly show the maximum bid price. If you are going to pay for the freight at the destination (freight collect), then give us an FOB price for your bid. If you want SAS to pay for the freight (freight prepaid), give us a C&F or CIF price for your bid.

Please note that certain destinations such as most African ports, do not accept freight collect. In these circumstances, you will have to provide us with a C&F or CIF bid price. For more information on FOB/C&F/CIF prices, please see the “BREAKDOWN OF COSTS” section below.

5)　If a Member with the eligibility to purchase only one car sends us bids on multiple cars, SAS will bid on the cars in the order they come up at the auctions until one car is purchased. No further cars on the bid list will be bid on after SAS has purchased the maximum number of cars the Member is eligible to purchase.

6)　Before SAS bids on the cars at the auctions, all bids will be confirmed in writing. All bids must be submitted on the SAS Auction Site before 8AM Japan time of the day of the auction to ensure that our staff have enough time to confirm your bid. We cannot guarantee that we can confirm bids placed after 8AM Japan time on the same day of the auction. Bids will be confirmed either by email or whatsapp.

BIDDING RESULTS

1)　SAS will inform the Member of the result of the bidding by the end of the auction date. If SAS wins the bid at or below the Member’s target price, SAS will calculate the total price and email you an invoice. If SAS buys the vehicle for less than your bid price, the savings will be passed on to you.

2)　SAS will guarantee that the Member will NEVER pay more than the maximum bid price provided to us. Almost all the auctions in Japan are computerized and when several bidders are bidding on the same car, the auction system can automatically push the price of the last bid above the Member’s bid price. Unlike most other exporters, if SAS buys the car at a price higher than the Member’s bid price, we will not charge the Member anything extra.

3)　The car will be immediately transported to our yard in Kobe. Depending on how far the auction is from our yard, it can take anywhere from 2 business days to two weeks for the car to arrive into our yard.

4)　Once the car arrives into our yard, we will conduct an inspection to confirm its mechanical and physical condition. Detailed photos will be taken and a link will be emailed to you.

5)　In the case of an unsuccessful bid, SAS will inform you of the bid status. SAS will not charge any fees for unsuccessful bids

BREAKDOWN OF COSTS

1)　If the Member is paying for the ocean freight at the destination (freight collect), the invoice will show FOB price. FOB price is basically all the costs until the car is loaded onto the vessel. It includes the following…

a) Auction price of the car
b) Auction fees (10,000 – 30,000 yen)
b) Transportation to get the car from the auction to the port (5,000 – 50,000 yen)
c) Export custom clearing and all documentation fees (20,000 yen)
d) SAS commission (see below)

The auction fee and transportation charges will vary depending on which auction the car was purchased from and where the car is located.

2)　If SAS is paying for the ocean freight (freight prepaid), your invoice will show C&F or CIF price. C&F price includes all the above FOB costs plus ocean freight from Japan to the destination.

3)　CIF price is the C&F price plus marine insurance. If a Member wants marine insurance, it is the responsibility of the Member to tell us so before bidding.

4)　Basic SAS commission for cars with auction price of max 1,000,000 yen is 50,000 yen + 5% of the auction price. SAS will waive the “5% of the auction price” fee if full payment of FOB value is made prior to bidding. The quicker you make payment, the less you pay. See below chart for our commission structure.

SAS COMMISSION STRUCTURE

5)　All fees and charges after the car clears export customs in Japan and is loaded on to the vessel is the responsibility of the Member. We recommend Members to consult a custom clearing agent at the destination to confirm the fees/charges at the receiving port.

PAYMENT & SHIPMENT

1)　If you are making payment in JPY, full payment is required within one week from the day the car is purchased at the auction. If you are making payment in US$, you may be requested to pay the balance immediately to avoid any excess exchange rate losses. Failure to make payment or delayed payment can result in the loss of your deposit. Your deposit can be applied to your payment or you can keep the deposit in the SAS account for future purchases.

2)　Payment for all auction purchases shall be made in Japanese yen or US$. For US$ payments, we will convert the yen amount based on the exchange rate of the invoice date.

3)　All bank charges are the responsibility of the buyer. SAS will credit the Member’s account the exact amount that we receive into our account after all charges have been deducted.

4)　For cars with FOB value of less than 1,000,000 yen, SAS will consider payment terms such as 50% within one week of purchase and the remaining 50% due immediately after we email you a copy of the Bill of Lading (BL) as proof of shipment. This payment term is aimed to offer some protection for the buyer and to create a business relationship based on mutual trust. For specific terms of the 50-50 payment and whether you qualify, please contact an SAS staff before bidding.

5)　Your car will be shipped on the earliest possible vessel after your payment is confirmed.

6)　If the Member requires any changes to the original Bill of Lading (BL), amendment fees charged by the shipping company (ranging from 5,000 yen to 10,000 yen per BL) will be passed on to the Member.

7)　All original documents will be DHL’d to the buyer after full payment is confirmed.

SAS’ COMMITMENT TO OUR MEMBERS

1)　SAS staff have been buying cars at auctions since the early 1990s and we will use our experience and expertise to minimize the risks involved in buying a car at the auctions. Generally, we will not bid on any cars with known defects or other issues that will not allow the car to pass pre-shipment inspection. We will provide the Member with our professional opinion about the car based on facts known about the unit. We will also provide our Members with our advice based on knowledge and instincts accrued over 25+ years experience of buying from the auctions.

2)　When purchasing a car through the SAS Auction Site, SAS is acting on behalf of the Member at the Member’s request. It is SAS’s responsibility and commitment to provide the Member with all the information available to us so that the Member can make an educated decision on whether to bid on the car. Since cars at the auctions are not part of SAS’ stock, ultimately, it is the Member’s responsibility to understand the information provided by the auctions prior to placing a bid on the car.

3)　SAS will guarantee to ship your car in the same condition you see it in the photos we provide you after the car has reached our yard, with all the options and accessories described. The car will be shipped in the exact condition shown in the photos unless specific modifications and/or additions are agreed upon prior to shipment.

CLAIMS

1)　After purchasing the car, if SAS or the Member notices any discrepancy between the car’s condition compared to the information provided to us by the auction, SAS will make an official claim with the auction on behalf of the Member. However, SAS can only offer the Member the same claim terms that the auction house offers SAS.

2)　Please note that cars at auctions cannot be test driven. So, it is impossible to determine the quality of wear and tear items such as shocks, bushes, brake pads, etc. aside from what is mentioned on the auction sheet. SAS cannot be liable for any damages or defects that occurred prior to the bidding but was not disclosed by the seller or auction house. The auctions generally do a good job of evaluating each car and providing honest information regarding the condition of the cars.

3)　SAS will be responsible for any damages or defects caused while the car is in our possession – from the point we collect the car at the auction until the point the car is loaded on to the vessel.

4)　SAS is not liable for any possible damage, loss, theft, wear and tear or other occurrences that may happen after the car is loaded on to the vessel.

5)　If a car purchased through the SAS Auction Site on behalf of a Member does not pass pre-shipment inspection (e.g., JEVIC, QISJ, JAAI, EAA, INTERTEK, etc.), the Member will be responsible for any charges incurred to repair the car to allow it to pass inspection. Prior to bidding, SAS can provide our professional opinion on whether the car will or will not pass pre-shipment inspection.