Beginner

Auction Sheet Explanation

Introduction:

An auto auction sheet is like a label of ingredients in food products. If you are allergic to nuts, you MUST CHECK THE INGREDIENTS TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!! It is the same when it comes to auto auction sheets. Although it won’t kill you, checking the sheet can save you from a nervous breakdown. An auction sheet contains the most essential information. You can familiarise yourself to the auto auction inspection sheet here.

What does the auction sheet look like?

Thanks to technological advancements, you can now check Japanese auto auctions online, even from your country! But how do we make sure the car is legitimate when you can’t see it with your own eyes? This is when you use the auction sheet. Someone has already checked the car thoroughly for you with their eyes and made a report sheet. So it’s so important to not skip this information!
The following is what the auction sheet looks like in TAA auction. Don’t worry about not being able to read Japanese and not understanding! We will discuss that soon too….
What an auction sheet looks like:

TAA Auction sheet :

What information do you get on the auction sheet?

Just looking at the pretty (or horrific!) pictures of the vehicle you’re interested in won’t give you information about the car's history, the year of manufacture, mileage, emission types, engine issues or model codes and other information. Yet, you need this information to determine whether the car you are interested in is importable.

Information you get from the auction sheet:

• Overall inspection grades
• Interior condition
• Exterior condition
• Year of manufacture/ Registration date
• Vehicle Model code
• Car History
• Chassis number
• Drivetrain (2WD, 4WD)
• Engine Capacity
• Number of doors/ seating capacity
• Colour number
• Fuel type
• Transmission
• Mileage
• Air Conditioning
• Wheel handle position (LHD or RHD)
• The accessories (Navigation, alloy wheels set, etc)
• Sales point 
• Problems and warnings 
• The vehicle diagram and exterior marks 

Although the auction sheet itself looks different between USS, TAA or JU auctions, you can almost always expect to find this information in the auction sheets.

What is the most critical information in the auction sheet?

The key details you should focus on in an auction sheet, can vary depending on the country you're importing to. Take New Zealand, for example—it has strict rules about rust under the vehicle. So if you see rust mentioned on the sheet, it's definitely a red flag!
In contrast, Australia tends to be more lenient with rust, but there’s another catch: the vehicle’s make, model, and manufacturing date must match the SEVs import scheme. – Don’t worry too much about this; at Provide Cars, we have agents specialising in each country’s regulations, ensuring the car you’re bidding on can be imported hassle-free.
But no matter where you're importing to, there are a few things you should always check: the inspector’s report, the vehicle diagram, and any marks on the sheet. These highlight potential defects, issues, or warnings that buyers need to know before bidding.
We won’t go into too much detail of all the symbols for now. If you’d like to learn more, you can check out our next article for auction inspection sheet here.

Are these auto Auction inspection reports reliable?

The quick answer is NO; often, it is not. Reliability depends on the auction company and the context of the vehicle, but you should be suspicious.

Some auction houses seem consistent with their rigorous and accurate inspector’s reports, like the TAA auction house (you can learn why this is our favourite auction house here). But sadly, this is not the case for all auction companies, even the renowned USS auctions. Even in the same auction company, different locations could also affect the reliability of the inspection sheet, assuming there are slight differences in each inspector’s work style.

You should also remember that these inspectors are human and they complete their tasks manually. Since thousands of vehicles are listed in auctions daily and no one is perfect, it is wise to consider the potential for human error.

Then how on earth can you ever trust to bid on or purchase a car at an auction? Well, we have our way, too.

Firstly, By experience. For example, Grade 5 or 6 cars, with young in registration date and low mileage, are pretty safe to assume they come with little to no concerns.

The next level down, grade 4.5, also are fairly safe vehicles to bid. If there are issues, they are minor.

Down another level to level 4 or lower. There can be a large variation in these levels. Anything grade 4 in a maker auction (TAA, Honda, Nissan) is usually a very good car, though you should pay attention to other details written on the auction sheet as well as the map of the car. Grade 4 in a non-maker auction could be good or could have issues. Caution.

Another way we can check is by getting a report from a third-party inspection company to check for us. We call this a shitami service (下見 in Japanese). It is not free and costs a low fee (20-30 USD), but it is worth the value if you consider bidding for an expensive car. The shitami service company can check for specific concerns you may have or more information, and even record a video for you (to check on the engine sounds, etc). We’ve written a whole article around this service, and why we don’t check the vehicle ourselves! Click here to know why.

There are many other factors we take into account to insure the car you bid is worthy for your payment. Using JCHC https://japancarhistorycheck.com/ is one example, and we can now check the undercarriage of the vehicle through pictures like the one below! There is never “too much detail” when it comes to information, and at Provide Cars, you can trust us on thoroughness and sensible approach to bidding!

Translation service for Japanese auction report sheets

I am sure by the time you are reading this, you are starting to understand that you should be spending most of your time looking at auction sheets! But we know what you’re thinking – But how on earth am I supposed to read Japanese?!

How about you use our Translation Service? This is FREE. Some companies charge for translations or have limited requests for this, but we don’t charge or limit the numbers of requests (to a degree!). Why do we do this? Because we believe that every customer has every right to know critical information about the goods they are interested in.

Consider this for a second: Would you sign a contract with an insurance company without going through the policy? If your answer is No (hopefully…!), then the same should be applied when buying used cars from the auction. We also think you shouldn’t have to pay to access the information you need for a thoughtful purchase. Some of our customers have been receiving free translations for over 15 years… and we hope for many more years!

We're offering you a four-week free trial at Provide Cars to access cars from the Japanese auctions and get free translations. Why not give it a try, You may find your dream car today at the auctions!

“ The customer service is outstanding and I feel very comfortable and assured dealing with the company. You can trust Provide Cars to get you the best deal possible. I highly recommend them for all your JDM Car Auction Business! ” – Colin B, Canada

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