What are the Japanese vehicle auctions?

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The Japanese vehicle auction is a platform where various dealers around Japan can trade (sell or buy vehicles) amongst each other without knowing who the buyer or seller is. It is a flexible platform that has various selling and buying options. To become a member of a Japanese auction, the process is lengthy and very complicated which makes it very difficult for a private person to get a membership if they don't have an established company. 

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NOTE that the auction system is all automated and IT-based. The old classic oral auction no longer exists. 

There are various auction groups and the largest one is the USS auction. Others are JU, TAA, CAA, MIRIVE, JAA, HAA, and Honda. 

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Auctions are held at a venue in big halls with hundreds of tables available for members to bid on. Each table is equipped with monitors that allow the buyer to view the details of the vehicle being auctioned, images of the vehicle, and other necessary information. Each auction house is held once a week. With over 200 auctions in japan, there are many auctions being held in a single day and more than thousands of vehicles (used and brand-new - but mostly used) being sold. USS Tokyo, being the largest auction in　japan, at a point in time during the auction day, they have the infrastructure to sell eight cars in a single point of time (within a few seconds). There is also no break for lunch or dinner and the auction sometimes is held till 8 pm. In the worst case scenario, till the next day. 

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Auction inspection sheet

Each vehicle exhibited by the seller gets inspected by a staff member from the auction, independent of the seller, allowing the buyer to know the vehicle's condition. Many parties say that the inspection is accurate in determining the condition of the vehicle, in the view of JPN, it is a fallacy. We have bought vehicles in the past, unquestioning the inspection sheet, and it has caused us a lot of issues; therefore we recommend our customers to opt for the service that we provide - a personal JPN inspection.

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How does it work?

The whole idea behind the auction is the bidding system. You can either register a bid or bid while the vehicle is being auctioned (which approximately lasts for less than 20 seconds. In some cases, it can last more than a minute depending on the bidding status. The form of bidding is very similar to a war of attrition - when buyers are at the venue, they constantly press the button that allows them to bid until the other buyers have stopped bidding - basically when the price is above their limit. The car is bought at the highest price displayed. Buyers who register their bids online, at their office, or from the venue are also taken into account which automatically raises the price according to the registered bids.

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Why buy from the auction?

To put it in simple words - Auction is the primary distribution of new and used vehicles. Buying from such a platform means that it is possible to obtain a vehicle for a very low price. Although there may be some obstacles, JPN is here to overcome these obstacles by providing various services to our valuable customers.

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