This will give you an idea of what it costs to import a mini truck from Japan. Paid $990.00 for shipping to the seller in Japan. Once the the truck arrived at the port, the shipper required another $116.70 + $45.00 bank transfer fee. What the charge is for? Don't know, never did get an answer. I do know that the freight company wouldn't release it without being paid. Customs broker charges were as follows: $250.00 for preparing and filing entry. Import duty on vehicle was $66.93, U.S. customs bond $50.00, document handling $65.00, Import security filing $35.00, Messenger fees/Fax/Telephone $30.00. Close to $1650.00 and will be more by the time I'm done, which is more than I paid for the vehicle. All ports now require that you hire an escort in order pick up the vehicle, don't know the cost yet since I haven't picked it up. If you live near a port you may try to do this without a broker, but trying to get all the information from the CBP website is a nightmare. Initially I thought that only two forms would be required, 3520-1 & HS-7. Not the case, like anything that has to do with the government, what is actually required isn't easily found. No where is there a step by step on what needs to be done to make clearing through customs anything close to simple. Even with a broker it was a long process. This information should make the dealers on this site happy since none were willing to offer any information when asked.
It is really a very high charge and this is not only in this matter, if you can do things by yourself, then only it would be cheaper else if broker is involved, then you have to pay more than normal fee and this is what it is and we cannot do anything.
In the first place, as I stated, if you lived close enough to a port of entry you may be able to pull this off yourself. The point being is there is no easy way to do this since our government chooses not to put out the information in such a way that there is a reasonable way to find what is actually required to process it through customs. If you look at customs website and are searching how to import a vehicle (through the search function) you will be led to think two forms are required, nothing more is said about any other requirements. To find more information you basically have to search other areas & no clear information is put out about all the rules and forms needed, and the order they have to be submitted. It goes without saying that anytime you hire someone to do anything it will cost more. You should be able to find the information you need in a way that is reasonably in a common sense order so you don't have to hire someone else.
This ,like all our govt.,is composed of pompous bureaucrats appointed by sleazy politicians who intentionally create this maze so they can hide from we the people.There is no need for this other than a smoke screen to hide bureaucratic lackeys.
Good information, importing mini trucks is actually a LOT more complicated than that, if you did get this one through just by doing what you described you got very, very lucky and could still be subject to fines in excess of 30,000.00 if you get inspected. Mini trucks MUST have current model year (2013) destructible emissions labels on the chassis, wind shield emissions labels, approved speed limiter, and low permeability fuel lines installed in JP before they ever reach the US. If you do get inspected and they find these violations you will have the option of paying for the truck to be sent back to Japan or crushed and disposed of here in the states. If it did slip through customs you got lucky but could still see hefty fines if caught, if you are still waiting for it to clear you need to be aware of your options once it is inspected because without the items I named it is illegal to import.
It has cleared and is ready to be picked up. The truck is 25 years old and is exempt from emissions. How is it I got lucky by doing what I described? Is it luck that the information required is more than difficult to obtain? You must be a dealer, and if that is the case I am lucky. Lucky that I didn't buy from you or someone like you.
You are correct, you didn't say in your original post that the truck was 25yrs old, so yes it is exempt from all emissions standards and it's good you clarified that. If someone was reading that and tried importing a truck that wasn't ancient they could incur enormous penalties, thus the reason for my post.
I think your post sounds more like you want discourage anyone from trying to import a vehicle on there own because you are a dealer. The reason for all the doom & gloom about fines etc. No one is going pay money to a dealer in Japan and have a vehicle sent here without doing some research, and the first thing they will find is about the restrictions the government has placed on them. They are all over this forum and the internet in general. So I don't think your reason for posting has anything to do with wanting people to avoid $30,000 fines, having there vehicle crushed or disposed of. That just doesn't hold water. as far as "Ancient" goes, yes it is old. But it also has less than 9K miles on it and is not limited to 25 mph. I didn't mention the age of the vehicle in the first post because it has absolutely nothing to do with what I was posting about.
My post was not to discourage anyone, I have no fears of mini truck imports suddenly flooding the market. Believe what you want, importing is something we get asked about a lot and if someone read that and decided to import a truck that was newer than 25yrs they would not only loose the vehicle but could potentially be fined heavily. Congratulations finding a 25yr old truck with 9K actual miles.
Your right about that, there will be no flood these into the US with current laws. And I can't see any laws changing for the better of people or small business.
I did the same thing. What is needed; Invoice or bill of sale. Japan De-Registration, or Export Certificate. (I had Export Certificate) The bill of Lading, you will be sent a set of originals. Form 3520-1 EPA Box "E" Form HS-7 DOT Box "1" CBP filled out an informal entry form for me. or use Form 7501 short. I paid $570 for shipping Japan to east coast. $90 Facility fee on US side (Landing charges and parking) I also paid $9 to have the truck driven off of the ship (ramp charge) $50 for an escort. & I paid $125 in duty because the Customs officer refused to believe I paid such a low price for the truck. He would not believe the invoice. So I had to also pay on a deposit that was left in Japan on my next truck. (he used my bank wire transfer receipt!! argh!) I could have fought it, but I will need to deal with him or one of his partners again... Everyone I called for info gave me wrong info, this was my 1st time and I learned a lot and not to believe anything anyone tells you. Just read the law. The State even told me that the state law was wrong, that when they wrote the state law they were not supposed to write the law allowing mini trucks! good ole DMV, I did get plates and put it on the road. $570 shipping + $90 landing+ $9 ramp+ $50 escort+ $125 tax= $844 total Your $116 were your landing fees and ramp charges, had you done it yourself you would have received notice of the ships arrival about a week ahead of time and could have sent them a money order or bank check. Since you had a broker they did not tell you and it was a last minute deal, so the money had to be wired. If you had a broker you should NOT have needed an escort, that is their job! they should have a TWIC pass! I am new to Mini Trucks but not new to US Customs having lived on both sides of the Detroit river and the Rio Bravo side of the Rio Grande (Mexican side) I am about to do it again. I hope this info was helpful albeit late.
A guide for someone would be a bit difficult because it has so many variables with the law, US Customs, EPA, DOT, State (state is the least important) where or who you are buying from, Shipping or Shipping line, etc. A guide would require a person by person and truck by truck approach. My post above gives you the basic info needed for importing. but again depends..... beyond that.... I tried to send you a PM but you either have it blocked or you are not allowed to receive PMs.
I would say that depends on how close to the port it will be shipped. If you are close you can do it your self by filling out EPA 3520-1 & DOT HS-7. As stated in previous post he had customs fill out an informal entry form. Also, and I don't know if it is the same thing (informal entry) as a security filing or not. That was where I questioned everything required, and since I'm 120 miles from the port of entry, I then decided to hire an import broker. If you end up getting a broker I suggest you re-read these posts and put a list of questions (his fee, ramp fees, will he act as the escort, etc.) together to ask the broker before you commit to him. Good luck, hope this helps.
Didn't see srmoose post before I just made the previous post, so I'm sure I didn't offer any more of an insight to the best way get it done.
I did not use a Broker, so I do not know if they would have included these extra's in their quotes to me. Now after reading this I am thinking NOT. I did get quotes around $250 + $50 each to fill out forms HS-7 & 3520-1. I just assumed they would pick up vehicle and I would get it from them in their parking lot.... Now I am pretty sure that is not the case. So I would ask about all the fees as Siberhusky says. Documents fees, Ramp, (if any) Dock fees, Parking or how many days are free. Escort (make sure you can take it out yourself, my brother had to hire a tow truck in Long beach and an escort, even though he had a trailer) (I did not in Jacksonville) Any office fees, fax, wire transfers (not sure why...) etc. Ask if there is any possible other charge. Or do some yourself and broker for other parts. You would need to have broker before it is loaded in Japan for them to file electronically with US Customs. Arrange for your own shipping, and only use the broker for the filing and entry paperwork. You do the rest. To be truthful mine was not stress free, when I got to the port, DHS called the guy at Customs who had been checking my Acty, he said he would come out to get me. 20 minutes later DHS called him again and Customs guy said he came out but did not see me. a total of 90 minutes later and close to closing time, DHS called again and another Customs said the guy went home because I was not there. Customs then said they were downtown. Me and DHS were at the port! I was able to complete everything with 3 minutes to spare. I was not able to strap down Acty on trailer in port due to time, I did it outside of gate. My heart and stomach were spinning. So that is the other half of my simple story above.... I live 360 miles from port.
My first mistake was not knowing that it should have been filed with customs before it left Japan. The ship was halfway here & I was still trying to research everything needed once it got to port. Had read somewhere about this filing with customs BEFORE being put on a ship in Japan, then decided to go with a broker & let him fix it. The two forms HS-7 & 3520-1, can be downloaded & easily filled out your self. I did mine, faxed them to the broker & he probably charged me anyway. On one of the forms (don't remember which one) wants the month and year of manufacture. There in nothing in the export certificate or any documents from the seller that has the month. The form doesn't let you leave it blank, so I picked a random month & it wasn't questioned. As far as fees, I was quoted $250.00 + filing, import fee, etc. Not till it was time to pay did all the misc. fees came up. Knowing what I now know, if I was to do it again, I would contact a broker prior to putting out cash to a seller. Once you pay for the truck, it's going to be on a boat in a short time. I would tell him exactly what I was doing, that I would supply him with customs & DOT forms, give him the name of the shipper, inform him when it is suppose to be put on the ship, the E.T.D. from Japan, the E.T.A. at the port where your at. Ask if his fee includes being the escort once it's ready for pick up. Contact the port, same thing - tell them what your doing, what fees required to get it out the gate. The port I used was Tacoma, WA. and they shut down at 12 - 1pm, gone at 4pm, closed weekends. The escort I used was a retired longshoremen, does 10 -12 escorts a week (mostly new drivers) The $50.00 fee for the 20 + - minutes included a small speech. "These guys, where your vehicle is, are from an old school of thought." "They think this port is here because they are here, not the other way around". "Can't say I disagree either". "Anyway, they say what they want, to who they want." Keep that in mind if they happen have a colorful remark about your vehicle, would be best for you to not be offended, or at least keep your mouth shut till you have it strapped to the trailer." As it turned out, only thing said was, "well, go get and see if the keys are still in it". "Maybe it has some kind of god d***n motor in it that will f*****g run long enough to get out of my warehouse!" Thankfully it fired up & out I went.
Yep I totally agree that American vehicle import must be the toughest nut to crack in the world. I've been exporting vehicles from Japan for a number of years now, but a total of zero to the States thus far. One of the Japan side forwarders was even hesitant when I spoke with them as some of the vehicles they sent didn't actually get into the country, and were either crushed or sent back. This big 25 year loophole has to be the way to go. I see that syberhusky0 got a good condition 25+ year old truck. You would be surprised at the hundreds of 25+ year old trucks that go thru the auctions every month. 9k miles is extremely low, but many of them have 30k or less. If you want more details on the process this side please let me know.
Yes, I wouldn't hesitate on a vehicle 25 years old. I know I got lucky on the extremely low mileage one I bought. But as with any vehicle, I think that the overall condition is as important as the odometer. The best thing about them being 25 years+ is their is no ridiculous 25 mph limit mandated by the new world order of America. Import 25 years old & give them the finger, one truck at a time.
Doing what is needed for less than 25 years and then having it at 25 MPH max is just not for me. As far as filing of getting the forms to the broker or filing them out yourself, you CANT! Broker must file HS-7 & 3520-1 electronically with US Customs which is why they have to file before the ship leaves Japan. If you send them the form they still have to do one themselves thru their intranet with Customs so I am not sure you will save there. It really is not that hard to do it yourself. Yes there is stress, but I do think you take a middleman stress factor out of the picture. (1 less stress factor). I think less as you get used to it, I am a bit more ready this time. Siber you do seem to know what you are doing, I got it done and I think you could too without a broker. On the Japan side..... Wow, the stories I have heard about US law and why I cannot be sold a truck even if it is more than 25 years old. No trying to explain the law. Looking to get another Acty or maybe a Sambar now. Honda Japan gave me the Manufacture dates for some HA1s & HA2s for 1988 I am going to try and get them for Jan 1989 as well since the ship to FL is slow. For importing to the US, brokers and the US government does make it so it looks like a nightmare, and they can make it one if they want. But if you have your papers in order, you should be good to go. It is a "your papers please" country nowadays. All of that was IMO
If anyone would like a password for http://jpcenter.ru/ please let me know. On this site you can view all the vehicles at the over 100 Japanese dealer auctions every week and search for the production year and month. As srmoose says, the 1989 January or even February built units will soon be good to go!
I did download & fill out HS-7 & 3520-1. I could not find what what was needed for a "security filing", and had read that it needed to be filed prior the ship leaving port. It was then I had decided on a broker. I ended up faxing him the HS-7 & 3520-1. The ship had left port 5 days prior to this, so whatever needed to be filed before leaving port didn't happen. I did not want a broker but could not be sure I could get everything in order. HS-7 & 3520-1 can be filed with customs in person.
I think the security filing is only done by brokers and individuals do not need to file one. I am sure a broker would say it was needed and have no idea a person would not need it. I did not. US Customs would not allow me to file anything until the ship arrived. I did learn before it got here my truck, had been selected for a Department of Agriculture examination for dirt on the undercarriage, but then I learned that all of the used vehicles were selected.
how much do the trucks cost in Japan? I am interested. Maybe we can do a group buy and save on shipping a full container. I live near Newport News, VA.....Ships from Japan pull into port here everyday.
Prices on trucks from auction in Japan vary widely depending on the year, condition and mileage. You can take a look around at http://jpcenter.ru/ and by going to the Statistics Sales section you can see the winning bids over the past 3 months. On top of the winning bid the auction fee, delivery to the port, customs clearance/loading, freight and the exporter's fee are added on top to get it to the destination port. I'm not sure of the exact freight cost for a 40ft high cube container to Newport but probably near $5000. My Yokohama forwarder can load 7 in one container so it brings the freight down to about $715/kei. PM me if you would like a password for the JPCenter site.
On the agriculture inspection... If you import a truck it is important that it be cleaned prior to leaving port. I'm not sure what customs may do, but I was told by the exporter that they steam clean every vehicle so it wont be sent back due to "foreign dirt". Understandable requirement.
Mine went RORO My truck toured Newport News on its way to Jacksonville, ship route was Kawasaki Japan > Lazaro Cardenas Mex, > Kingston Jamaica, > Galveston, > NYC, > Baltimore, > Newport News, > Jacksonville, > Beirut. and on and on. Cleaning, Do it! When I was told mine was on hold for the AG inspection, I knew I had is cleaned in Japan so I was not worried about it, except 1st time worries. After I was at the port and paying my taxes etc. I found out if I had not had it washed and they found dirt they would have pulled it to the side and sent to the a decontamination company and I would have had to pay them directly for the decontamination of the truck. Well, I paid as part of the agent fees / commission in Japan about $100 for cleaning & detail, US Customs added $25 for taxes because it was not shipping and therefore part of the purchase price. The decontamination company charges $66.00 and no fees from the Dept of AG or US Customs... (This was in Jacksonville) So about 1/2 the cost or if no dirt no cost... All of that said, I had also read about a person importing trucks in Cal. and dirt had been found and then truck was impounded, they were fined $1500 and truck was sent back at owners expense. I will still have it cleaned in Japan and pay twice as much. On a side note, look on Google maps at Namie-Machi in Japan you will find plenty of mini trucks in town. But the Mayor wanted people to see that not much is being done to recover. It is a ghost town with ghost mini trucks. Not many words for it.
