How to avoid JDM import scams

Importing involves sending a significant sum to people you have never met, often in another country, for a car you have never seen. That is a lot of trust, and it attracts a small number of people who abuse it.

The genuine horror stories are rarely outright theft. They are much more often delay, fee creep and silence: a car that takes five months instead of two, charges that appear after you have paid, and an agent who stops replying when you ask why.

Nine warning signs

1. The quote has no breakdown

A single landed figure with no detail is where hidden margin lives. You should be able to see the car, the agent fee, the freight, the duty, the VAT, the UK charges and the broker fee as separate lines. If someone will not break it down, ask why.

2. Costs that appear later

Port storage, "documentation fees", cleaning charges and handling fees that were never mentioned. Some genuine charges do arise, such as storage caused by a customs inspection, but a good agent warns you these exist up front and shows you the evidence when they occur.

3. Pressure to decide today

Auctions do have deadlines, and that is real. What is not real is pressure to send a deposit before you have seen the auction sheet, or being told a car will vanish unless you commit in the next hour.

4. No auction sheet, or a sheet you cannot verify

Every car at a Japanese auction has an inspection sheet. If you cannot see it, ask why. If you can see it but nobody will translate the handwritten notes, that is where the bad news usually hides. Learn to read one yourself and you remove most of the risk in this business.

5. Vague answers about the maximum bid

You should agree a maximum bid in writing before any auction. If an agent is cagey about this, or bids without confirming, you have lost control of what you are about to be committed to.

6. Payment to a personal account

Business payments should go to a business account. A request to pay an individual, or to use an unusual payment method, deserves hard questions.

7. They go quiet

This is the biggest one, and the hardest to spot in advance. Test it before you commit: ask a detailed question and see how long the answer takes and how complete it is. Someone who answers properly before they have your money will usually answer properly afterwards.

8. No UK presence and no accountability

Dealing directly with an overseas exporter can work and can be cheaper. But if something goes wrong, you have very little practical recourse across that distance. A UK company gives you someone with a name, an address, a company number and consumer law behind them.

9. Promises that are too clean

Four-week delivery. Guaranteed condition. A car that will definitely pass its MOT untouched. Nobody can promise these things honestly, and someone who does is either inexperienced or telling you what you want to hear.

Questions worth asking before you pay anyone

• Can I see a full cost breakdown with every line itemised?
• Will you send me the translated auction sheet before I commit?
• What happens to my deposit if you do not win a car for me?
• What is the maximum bid, and will you confirm it in writing?
• Which costs could still change, and by how much?
• Who clears the car through customs, and are they claiming any duty relief?
• What is your company number?

None of these are unreasonable, and the reaction you get tells you more than the answers do.

How we do it

Every cost is itemised before you commit, including our own fee. You can work out your own landed figure on our calculator without speaking to us at all. We agree a maximum bid in writing, we send you the translated sheet before you decide, and if we do not like what the sheet says we tell you and find you another car.

We are a UK limited company with a registered address and a company number, and our import terms are published on this site so you can read exactly what we commit to before you contact us.

Common questions

How do I know if a Japanese car importer is legitimate?

Ask for a full itemised cost breakdown, a translated auction sheet before you commit, and a written maximum bid. Check they are a registered company with a real address and company number. The willingness to answer detailed questions before taking your money is the strongest signal you will get.

Is it safe to import a car from Japan?

Yes, when done properly. The auction grading system is independent and reliable, and thousands of cars come to the UK every year without incident. The risk is not usually the car, it is choosing an agent who disappears when something goes wrong.

What should I do if my importer stops replying?

Put your concerns in writing with dates and amounts, and keep every message. If you paid a UK company by card or through a finance agreement you may have routes to recover money. Dealing with a UK-registered business from the start gives you considerably more protection than dealing directly with an overseas exporter.

Should I import directly from Japan or use a UK broker?

Direct can be cheaper, but if anything goes wrong you have little practical recourse across that distance, and you carry the auction sheet assessment, customs and DVLA work yourself. A UK broker costs more and gives you someone accountable under UK law.