Honest Pricing, Plain and Simple
Nobody likes scams or sneaky policies — and unfortunately, the used car import industry has its fair share of both.
At Robust Auto, we believe you deserve to know exactly what you’re paying for, with no hidden fees, no inflated invoices, and no surprises once your vehicle is on its way. Every cost — from the vehicle price to auction fees, shipping, and any optional services — is laid out clearly before you commit.
We built our business on trust, and we intend to keep it that way. If something doesn’t make sense, ask us. We’ll always give you a straight answer.
When buying from Japan, most exporters know far more about the process than the average customer. This knowledge gap makes it easy for exporters to take advantage of buyers — often without those buyers ever realizing it.
Below is a list of common tactics some exporters use to increase their profit margins at the buyer’s expense—along with how Robust Auto protects you from them.
Be aware: these practices represent a significant portion of revenue for many exporters. This is also why our pricing may appear slightly higher upfront; in most cases, we’re actually more affordable once all costs are properly accounted for.
I personally take a strong stand against these tactics and will never permit them within my company.
Deceptively Low Service Fees Accompanied by Numerous Additional Charges
Exporters advertising unusually low service fees must nonetheless generate a profit. That profit usually comes from somewhere else — extra fees, inflated freight, or markups you don’t see.
Here are the most common ways exporters quietly make extra money.
Think you might be a victim? Reach out and send us a copy of your invoice—we’ll take a look and let you know if everything checks out.
Lying About What the Car Really Cost
How the Scheme Operates:
- The setup: You bid on a car up to ¥700,000.
- The lie: Exporter says you won for ¥650,000.
- The truth: The winning bid was ¥550,000.
- The profit: Exporter silently pockets ¥100,000.
- Your loss: ¥100,000 over what you should have paid.
This scam has become very popular since USS stopped third parties from showing public sale prices.
How Robust Auto protects you:
We show any customer the original auction/dealer invoice upon request. No hidden margin on the vehicle price.
Deceptively Low Service Fees Accompanied by Numerous Additional Charges
Exporters advertising unusually low service fees must nonetheless generate a profit. That profit usually comes from somewhere else — extra fees, inflated freight, or markups you don’t see.
Here are the most common ways exporters quietly make extra money.
Think you might be a victim? Reach out and send us a copy of your invoice—we’ll take a look and let you know if everything checks out.
Adding Sales Tax to Your Invoice
A popular trick, but easy to catch.
Japan charges 10% sales tax on purchases, like cars.
However, this tax is not supposed to be charged on exported goods. Japanese exporters receive a refund of this tax from the government. Charging it on exports is illegal, yet many exporters still include it on their invoices.
Robust Auto will never charge you tax on vehicle purchases, mechanical work, or parts. We receive the refund directly and pass the benefit on to you with zero hidden tax charges.
Charging Hidden Costs or Fabricated Fees
Recycle Ticket Fee:
Exporters pay this when buying a vehicle, but the full amount is refunded. Depending on the car, it usually runs between 5,000 and 22,000 yen.
Road Tax (Weight Tax Refund):
If a vehicle still has valid registration plates, the exporter must pay the previous owner for the remaining registration period. This amount is fully refunded once the vehicle is de-registered for export. The cost typically ranges from 5,000 to 70,000 yen, depending on the remaining registration time.
De-Registration Fee:
You’ll sometimes see this on invoices, but the real cost to de-register a car is only about 350–1,500 yen, and it’s usually included in the standard service fee. At Robust Auto, it’s already covered—no surprise billing.
Document Postage:
This cost is typically included in the standard service fee, though some exporters charge extra for it. Postage generally ranges from 1,200 to 5,000 yen, depending on package weight. Robust Auto includes this in our standard fee.
It’s also worth noting that some exporters intentionally discard the owner’s manual or vehicle records to reduce package weight.
Other Fees
Certain exporters include fabricated or meaningless line items under the heading “other fees.” Such charges can amount to several hundred dollars and are imposed expressly to inflate the exporter’s profit without explanation.
Robust Auto policy: All costs are clearly itemised and correspond to actual services or third‑party charges. We do not include undefined or invented fees of any kind.
Send us your old invoices—Robust Auto will go through them and point out which charges are legit and which ones are sneaky fees.
Undisclosed Markup of Expenses
Robust Auto maintains that fees for standard export services should not carry any hidden markup. However, this principle is not universally shared; certain exporters seek concealed means of generating additional profit from the buyer. Our policy remains full transparency and cost pass-through.
Inland Transport:
Every vehicle must be transported from the auction to the port or the exporter’s lot. Because exporters can purchase from any auction location nationwide, costs vary. For “direct to port” shipments, expect to pay roughly 5,000 to 60,000 yen, while routing through an exporter’s lot usually adds around 20,000 yen. It’s common for some exporters to inflate these transport fees and mark them up on your invoice.
Ocean Freight:
This is a big one. Many exporters—including some of the biggest names—quietly add 10,000 to 80,000 yen or more on top of the real ocean freight cost.
Robust Auto never marks up ocean freight. If the exchange rate shifts and the overcharge is over 5,000 yen, we refund the difference. Want proof? We’ll show you the shipping invoice anytime.
A Quick Note:
Shipping and transport costs are invoiced before the exporter knows the exact final amounts, and incidental costs are pretty normal. So we add a small buffer based on the real average cost of these fees—that way, we don’t have to hit you with surprise extra charges later.