Car passed. Negotiation, what to do?

The whole realm of “negotiation” after a car has passed in the Japanese used cars auctions not many bidders seem to understand the whole process. Some of them want to:

  1. Offer a bid under the passed bid price! (No sorry that will not work, (the auction will not even receive such an offer)).
  2. Offer a bid AT the passed price. Getting closer now, BUT, every Japanese car auction has set RULES that state at what price negotiation can start from.
  3. Ask to negotiate the next day or even the next, next day after the auction. The Japanese used car auctions have set rules on exactly what time limits you can negotiate from.
  4. Some customers would like to negotiate through the auctions and then perhaps withdraw their offer if they “change their mind” afterwards. Sorry not possible, negotiation purchased cars, unlike normal purchasing through the auctions, can not even be cancelled!!

Here are the basic rules.

After a car has passed in the auctions, you are allowed to negotiate, however, you must negotiate according to the rules of the auctions. This means in USS auctions you must negotiate at least 30,000 above the pass price. Other auctions, we ring and ask what price the seller wants to start negotiation from. Other auctions it is 10,000yen above the pass price. Every Japanese used car auction has it’s rules, and there is no compromise from those rules.

Order of negotiation. You may be willing to negotiate higher than another bidder. However, if the other bidder has their negotiation in BEFORE you, they have buying rights OVER you.

Time limits. Some auctions allow up until 12pm the following day for negotiation. However, if the auction can not contact the seller, there is no negotiation. Other auctions in Japan only allow until the end of the auction and others only a certain amount of time since the car passed.

Contract.

Unlike most purchases in the Japanese used car auctions, where you can cancel a car purchased within the first hour of purchase or sometimes before the auction closes, for a large fee, negotiated cars can not be cancelled. You negotiate, you own, period.