FAQ

General Questions

What are your office hours?

Our office is open Monday to Saturday, from 9AM to 6PM, Japan standard time.

Please notice that we close
Sunday
Japanese public holidays
Summer & New year's holidays

The date and length of holiday will differ in each year.
We will inform on the website before each holiday starts.

What languages do you do business in?

Generally we do business in English, French and Japanese. Ours staffs speak English, French, Spanish, Kiswahili, and Japanese.

About Your Account

How to register

Please register here.

I forgot my password

Your password can be reissued from the "Log in" button.
"Log in" >> "Forgot password?"

Buying and Credit

How I can buy a car through 8Gear?

1. Sign into your 8Gear account.
2.Ask for availability of the vehicle from the vehicle information page, or from the favorites list in my page if you have added the vehicle to your favorites.
3.When you have agreed on all conditions, ask for Proforma Invoice and the payment procedure.

What is included in the price?

The price is presented at FOB -Free On Board-. Choose your nearest port and country to calcuate the total cost including shipment charges.

I like to know about the car.

Please send inquiries for more information.

Is the FOB price negotiable?

Please ask for the possibilites.

How can I make a payment?

Payment is accepted via TT remittance. Zambia customers can make payment via Zampost.

Can I pay with credit card?

Please note we only accept bank wire transfer (Telegraphic Transfer) to our beneficiary accounts in Japan.

Can I pay in different currency aside from US Dollars?

You can pay by US Dollar or Japan Yen. Please ask from the negotiation page.

What will happen if I could not pay by the due date?

When the payment is not done by the due date, the vehicle will be on sale again. Please make another Invoice issue request. If there is another buyer in the waiting list, it is possible you may not

Who will pay the transfer fee?

You have to pay. Please note if there is a shortage of cash, the vehicle will not be shipping.

Can I cancel?

It can not be canceled of customer convenience.

Shipping

How can I find out the shipping price for the car?

Please choose the nearby port when you look up for vehicles. Then the shipment cost will be added to the FOB price. Howerever, please refer to the Invoice for the total cost.

which delivery company will deliver my car?

We select the most ideal shipping company referring to the vehicle type, destination, and vessel schedule. 8Gear cooperate with major shipping companies of the world.

What is consolidation?

Consolidation is when you only have one car to ship but you do not want to pay for the whole 40 feet container. Most of shipping company will consolidate your car to several of popular destinations.
For example, if your car is consolidated with 2 other cars in a 40 feet container, you are ending up paying only 1/3 from the price of 40 feet container. If there is no consolidation to your port, the shipping company can ship a car in 20 dedicated container.

From which ports cars are shipped?

The vehicles are shipped from major port in Japan such as Yokohama, Kobe, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka.

How long does sea delivery take after the ship has taken off?

Depending on the location of the delivery port, the time could vary. You can track the estimated arrival dates of your shipment online.

Picking up your vehicle

Which documents are essential for receiving my car at the destination port?

After the vessel has departed from Japan, you will be sent the original title for the car along with its bill of sale and other transport documents.
These documents will be enough to pick up your car.

How do I get my car after it has arrived at the port?

Your port agent will organize the process of unloading the vehicles and will provide additional documents if required.

Country Regulations

*Information may update without notification. Please be sure to confirm by yourself for your country's import regulations.

Botswana

Destination Port : Durban (South Africa)
Age Restriction : No age restriction
Regulation : No pre-import inspection required
Import tax rates :
・Duties 30 -65% if the car is for outside SADEC region
・VAT 12%, Excise Tax 5-35%

Burundi

Destination Port : Dar es salaam (Tanzania), Mombasa (Kenya)
Age Restriction : No age restriction
Regulation : No pre-import inspection required
Import tax rates :
・Diplomat- 1% handling charge, Vehicle more than 10 passengers- 15% CIF
・Tourism vehicle between 40% and 100% CIF
・Handling- 4% CIF value
・Transactional tax- 17% of (CIF + duties + handling)

Congo (DRC)

Destination Port : Dar es salaam (Tanzania)
Age Restriction :
・Used passenger cars, minibuses (less than 10 seats) and trucks less than 10 years from first registration only.
・Commercial motor vehicles and Buses (more than 10 seats) less than 7 years from first registration only.
Regulation : No pre-import inspection required
Import tax rates :
・Diplomat- 1% handling charge, Vehicle more than 10 passengers- 15% CIF
・Tourism vehicle between 40% and 100% CIF, Handling- 4% CIF value
・Transactional tax- 17% of (CIF + duties + handling)

Australia

Destination Port : Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Fremantle, Melbourne, Sydney
Age Restriction : Please refer to here.
Regulation : Please refer to here.
Import tax rates :
Vehicles over 30 years old and motorcycles　Duty:0% GST:10%
New and used vehicles up to 30 years old　Duty:10% GST:10%
Four wheel drive off road / commercial vehicles　Duty:5% GST:10%
Luxuary car tax :
GST inclusive value of $57,466 or more (as of 2011), it will be subject to Luxury Car Tax (LCT). 33% of the value above the $57,466 threshold.

Canada

Destination Port : Vancover, New Westminster, Halifax
Age Restriction :
When importing used vehicle from Japan to Canada:
the vehicle is a regulated class of vehicle 15 years old or older as determined by the month and year the vehicle was manufactured.
the vehicle is a bus manufactured before January 1, 1971.
Regulation : No pre-import inspection required
Import tax rates : Please refer to here.

Bahamas

Destination Port : Freeport, Nassau
Age Restriction : No age restrictions
Regulation : No pre-import inspection required
Import tax rates :
A vehicle that costs less than $10,000 45% of the full value
A vehicle that costs between $10,000 and $20,000 50% of the full value
A vehicle that costs above $20,000 to $25,000 65% of the full value
Above $2500 75% of the full value
>For more information

Antigua

Destination Port : St. Johns
Age Restriction : No age restrictions
Regulation : No pre-import inspection required
Import tax rates :
Duty: 60% of CIF price
Plus Environmental levy etc.
>For more information

Bangladesh

Destination Port : Chittagong
Age Restriction : Vehicles must be a maximum of four years old from date of manufacture.
Regulation : Vehicles must have a JAAI Certificate to confirm the mileage on the vehicle.
Import tax rates :
Please refer to here.

Grenada

Destination Port : St. Georges
Age Restriction : No age restriction but tax for vehicles under 4 years from manufacture is less.
Regulation : No pre-import inspection required.
Import tax rates :
<Used cars 1-4 years>
CET: Common External Tariff 25% of the CIF price
EVL: Environmental Levy 2% of the CIF price
CSC: Customs Service Charge 5% of the CIF price
Excise Tax 40% Calculated on CIF + CET + EVL + CSC added together
VAT Calculated as 15% of all these other taxes (CIF + CET + EVL + CSC + Excise)

<Used cars 5 years or more>
CET: Common External Tariff 25% of the CIF price
EVL: Environmental Levy 30% of the CIF price
CSC: Customs Service Charge 5% of the CIF price
Excise Tax 40% Calculated on CIF + CET + EVL + CSC added together
VAT Calculated as 15% of all these other taxes (CIF + CET + EVL + CSC + Excise)

CIF = Cost, Insurance, Freight: is the total cost to get a Car onto the Grenada Port

>For more information

Pakistan

Destination Port : Karachi
Age Restriction : Not more than three years old model (year of manufacturer)
Regulation : No pre-import inspection required.
Import tax rates :
Please refer to here.

Costa Rica

Destination Port : Puerto Caldera, Puerto Limon, San Jose
Age Restriction : No Age ristriction.
Regulation : No pre-import inspection required. Left hand drive only.
Import tax rates :
Please refer to here.

Cyprus

Destination Port : Larnaca, Limassol
Age Restriction :
・Age of the vehicle must be less than 5 years.
・Small trucks upto 3 tons must be less than 4 years old.
Regulation : Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) certificate is required.
Import tax rates :
Please refer to here.

Myanmar

Destination Port : Yangon
Age Restriction :
・Vehicles must be manufactured after 2007.
・Permit holders still Still Import a vehicles between 1996 and 2006.
Regulation :
Government issues a very specific import licence for a vehicle of a certain age and type. This license will state all vehicle details.
Cars that can be imported to Myanmar (Burma) are Toyota Harrier, Toyota Mark II, Toyota Mark X, Toyota Hilux Surf, Toyota Probox, Toyota Belta, Toyota Lancruiser, Honda Insight, name a few.
Import tax rates :
Please refer to here.

Jamaica

Destination Port : Kingston
Age Restriction :
・For Light Commercial Vehicles (Pick-ups, Panel/Window Vans, Trucks with seating capacity of 9-14, and unladen weight less than 3000 kg or 3 tones) - 6 years
・For motor cars or motor cycles - 5 years
・For Buses used for the transportation of passengers
seating capacity 15-29 - 12 years
seating capacity 30-44 - 14 years
seating capacity 45 & over - 20 years
・For Trucks used for the transportation of cargo
3,000 - 4000 kg - 15 years
40001 - 8000 kg - 14 years
over 8000 kg - 25 years
For other heavy duty commercial equipment - 30 years
Regulation :
・Importer must apply to the Trade Board for an Import Licence.
・No pre-import inspection required.
Import tax rates :
REVISED INDIVIDUAL RATE SHEET - May 2014
REVISED DEALER RATE SHEET - May 2014
>For more information

Kenya

Destination Port : Mombasa
Age Restriction :
The vehicle shall be less than 8 years from the year of first registration. The difference between the year of manufacture and the year of first registration shall be not more than one year.
Regulation :
Road worthiness Inspection : JEVIC or QISJ or ATJ
<Radioactive contamination inspection>
This inspection was initiated in response to the nuclear accident that took place in Fukushima Japan in 2011.The purpose of this inspection is to safeguard the health of users of imported vehicles from radioactive contamination. Radioactive contamination may exist on surfaces or in volumes of material or air. As the radioactive material decays, it releases energy that can be harmful to health depending on the level of exposure. For passengers in a contaminated vehicle, exposure can either be external through the skin or internal by inhaling contaminated air, especially if the air circulation system of the car is contaminated. Some of radioactive materials have a very long half life which means that vehicle users may still be exposed to danger even after many years. It is therefore very important to ensure vehicles coming from Japan and United Arab Emirates are subjected to this inspection.
Only vehicles whose level of contamination is below the safe exposure limits are certified for importation into the country.

<Odometer Tampering Verification>
In addition to verifying the roadworthiness of vehicles in accordance with KS 1515:2000, the companies also undertake verification of the odometer for tampering. Any discrepancies established between the regulatory/supporting documents e.g. export certificates, registration documents, de-registration documents, regulatory periodic inspection documents, auction sheets etc., and the actual odometer reading at the time of inspection, constitute a failure and such vehicles are be issued with a Non- Conformity Report.
The Drive – This shall be Right Hand Drive – (RHD).

Import tax rates :
・Import Duty: 25% of the CIF value of the vehicle
・Excise Duty: 20% of the (CIF value + Import Duty)
・VAT: 16% of the (CIF value + Import Duty + Excise Duty)
・IDF: 2.25% of the CIF value or Ksh. 5,000, whichever is higher, is payable.
CIF- This is the customs value of the vehicle i.e. the Cost, Insurance & Freight paid for the vehicle.
The CIF value of the vehicle is also deducted from the Current Retail Selling Price (CRSP) of the vehicle.

Important Terms

VIN/Chasis Number

VIN (the car's vehicle identification number) is the identifying code for a SPECIFIC automobile.

T/T Copy

T/T (Telegraphic Transfer) is how to send money by wire, you have to send it's copy to us.

B/L (Bill of lading)

A bill of lading (sometimes abbreviated as B/L or BoL) is a document issued by acarrier which details a shipment of merchandise and gives title of that shipment to a specified party.

FOB price

FOB (Free on board) price includes transportation of the goods to the port of shipment, plus loading costs but not include matine freight. The buyer pays cost of marine freight transport,insurance, unloading, and transportation from the arrival port to the final destination. The passing of risks occurs when the goods are loaded on board at the port of shipment.

CIF price

CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) - Seller must pay the costs, freight and insurance to bring the goods to the port of destination. However, risk is transferred to the buyer once the goods are loaded on the vessel.

C&F Price

C&F (Cost & Freight) - Seller must pay the costs and freight to bring the goods to the port of destination. However, risk is transferred to the buyer once the goods are loaded on the vessel. Insurance for the goods is NOT included.