How to Buy Mini Trucks From Japan

An increasing number of people across the United States are realizing the boundless reasons to buy mini trucks from Japan. You can always get your mini truck from the dealer shop around you but that is only if you are going there with a sack of cash to spend. Many people are realizing that they could save a lot by importing the trucks by themselves, which in reality isn’t as lengthy process as many would think. It could however get hectic if one fails to follow the right procedure.

In this write-up, we will cover some of the things that you need to keep in mind when you are looking to buy mini trucks from Japan.

What You Need To Know Before Importing Your Mini Truck From Japan

You may have read or heard about stories of vehicles being seized and not ending up in the hands of the owners because of one reason or the other. You also don’t want a surprise charges that breaks that ends up blowing your initial budget. There are processes and expectations that a vehicle or an importer is expected to meet. Below is all you need to know before you even think about shopping for a mini truck from Japan:

The Process Of Importing To The U.S

For anything to be imported to the United States, one will have to file for a special requirement called an “Entry”. The entry is meant to notify the state that you are importing cargo from another county to the united states.

Under the Entry, one will also have to specify what the import item is, when it will be shipped in, where it is from and the particular place where it is headed to. After filling the Entry, it is then submitted to the CBP for analysis and approval is usually an easy process.

Usually, there are two kinds of Entries that one should fill depending on the cost of the vehicle being imported. If the cost of the vehicle excluding insurance is $2499.99 or less, then one will fill a normal entry. Otherwise, for any vehicle that is above this figure, there another special kind of Entry which demands more details.

Understanding The United States Import Laws

The U.S congress has passed laws that restrict the import of vehicles from other countries unless they meet the environmental safety standards. The standards are set under EPA (Environmental Protection Agency and DOT (Department Of Transport). This is the most common reason for vehicles been seized when they enter the United States. Thee is however an exception to this restriction where a vehicle that is 25 years old from the date of manufacture (classic vehicle) can be imported without any issues.

The imported vehicle also goes through customs where it is inspected for other things such as vehicle’s authenticity of the parts.

Understand the Terminologies

buy mini truck from JapanAnother thing that you don’t want to be caught up with and one that could end up blowing your budget if you are not keen with are the terminologies that are used in the vehicle import arena. Here are the terminologies that you should be conversant with:

Importer – This is the party that is responsible for shipping the vehicle, paying for customs and filling the Entry.

Consignee – This is you, the owner of the vehicle being imported.

Duties – This is the custom charges such as tax and is applicable to every vehicle that enters the United States.

Port of Entry– This is the port at which the imported vehicle is received into the United States.

Date of import – This refers to the time when the shipment arrives at the United States port.

Date of Entry – This is simply the date when you filed to get an entry for the vehicle being imported.

Date of export – This is when the vehicle left the country where it is imported from.

HTS Code – This stands for Harmonized Tariff Code and it is classification in which particular imports are put into since each import cluster attracts a certain duty charge. In order to know what duty charges your imported truck will attract, you should check the HTS code from hts.usitc.gov where you will also find the rates.
Importer Security Filings – ISF is a protocol that requires the importers of cargo that is filed under formal entries to submit all cargo and freight information to the CBP before the cargo arrives.

Custom bonds – These are formal entry bonds which are meant to act as insurance for the customs and that they will be paid for. This could be ISF (Importer Security Filing) bonds, DOT and Entry bonds.

Harbor Maintenance Fee – HMF as it is commonly known is a fee that is charged for the maintenance of the port. This is however dependent on the Port and not applicable to all ports. The fee is normally 0.125% of the import value.

Custom Ruling – Sometimes classifying a vehicle depending on its condition, or the condition of its parts doesn’t fit well in its rightful class. If one intends to use the vehicle for off-road purposes they still can since custom ruling will classify the vehicle under a dump class.

Merchandise Processing Fee – This is the processing fee that is charged on all imports whether under formal or informal entries. Formal entries attract higher charges where one is required to pay 0.3464% of the total cost of the imports. It is however capped at $485. Informal entries on the other end attracts a flat rate $2 for automated entries, $6 for manual entries and $9 when the entry is handled under the CBP.

Conclusion:

If you want to buy mini trucks from Japan, it could turn out to be a hectic process if you don’t know most of the import procedures. Hopefully this guide has shed some light on how to go about buying your mini truck from Japan.

You can always have a look at our listings and you could surely find an affordable mini truck that suits your needs. Should you have any questions or need help knowing how your mini truck will be imported, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

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