YAHOO! JAPAN AUCTION FAQ

YAHOO! JAPAN AUCTION

What's the Yahoo! Japan Auction?

The Yahoo! Japan Auction is Japan's largest online auction started by internet giant Yahoo! in 1999.

There are now usually over 1 million automotive related listings at any time. Most listings last for a week and there is a 5 minute extension option for last minute bidding.

Buyers post a bid limit which is hidden from the seller and other buyers. As a buyer you can often buy at less than your bid limit. Sellers range from private individuals to large corporations. Sellers and buyers are evaluated with an online feedback system, so buyers can avoid buying from sellers with a poor record. The auction is conducted in the Japanese language and most sellers will not ship internationally. However, we are licenced exporters based in Japan and can purchase it and ship items on your behalf.

Who are the sellers on the Yahoo! Japan Auction?

Sellers are manufacturers, retailers, dealers, wholesalers, vehicle dismantlers and end users throughout Japan.

How do I know if the seller is OK?

You can check the seller appraisals by clicking on the Sellers Appraisal Rating link on the top right hand side of each listing. The best sellers have many transactions with no negative appraisals. If you see a lot of black clouds its usually best to leave the seller alone. There are usually a lot of highly evaluated sellers for you to source from.

We only deal with sellers with a substantial selling history and no negative comments or where the negative comments suggest that the buyer was to blame, not the seller.

Who are the buyers on the Yahoo! Japan Auction?

Buyers are companies and individuals throughout Japan. Buyers require a Japanese bank account and all communication needs to be in the Japanese language. It's not possible to participate directly in the Yahoo! Japan Auction if you're based overseas.

Overseas buyers need to use the services of a person or company based in Japan to place bids, pay the seller and organise domestic freight from the seller to a location within Japan. The goods can then be shipped to you by that person or company. This is the service that we provide.

Does the Yahoo! Japan Auction operate on weekends and public holidays?

Yes. The Yahoo! Japan Auction operates 24 hours, 365 days of the year.

Is the Yahoo! Japan Auction Service available out of normal office hours?

Yes. We work extended hours in order to process your orders and enquiries. Our email system is monitored through the evening (Japan time) and on weekends.

The item I want says Seller will not ship internationally. Does this mean I can't buy it?

No. All this means is that the seller will not ship the item themselves. However, we are licenced exporters based in Japan and can purchase it and export it to you.

Why do some exporters say to not source from the Yahoo! Japan Auction?

These are some of the reasons:

1. Different Business Model. These exporters are wanting to promote their own database of listings, such as their stock list or wholesale vehicle auction listings, rather than wanting to offer all of the available stock available in Japan.


2. No Experience. Even though it's the largest online database of used product in Japan, some exporters still have no experience with the Yahoo! Japan Auction. Knowing how to safely source and export from the Yahoo! Auction requires experience.


3. No Yahoo! Auction System. Building a good Yahoo! Japan Auction System which takes the original Japanese language Yahoo! Japan Auction and displays it in English and other languages and multiple currencies is technically difficult. Yahoo! are constantantly updating their auction which requires continual recoding. Many exporters don't have the technical or financial capacity to do this.

LISTINGS

How can I view the Yahoo! Japan Auction listings?

You can view the listings in English and other languages either from our Yahoo! Japan Auction System or a third party system or in the Japanese language on the Yahoo! Japan website. If you go to the page of the stock category that you're interested in on our website you can view the Yahoo! Japan Auction listings in combination with the other databases for that stock category.

Why are Yahoo! Japan Auction listings on the stock lists of other exporters?

Some exporters will import the Yahoo! Japan Auction listings into their "Stock" listings, giving the impression that they own and hold the stock when in reality they don't. There'll often be a big markup on the real price.

TIPS

• Always check the Yahoo! Japan Auction before you buy anything in Japan.


• Always work with an exporter who clearly (and truthfully) delineates between what is stock they actually own and hold and what is stock available from other sources.


• Always ask the exporter to clearly identify what is the base price of the stock, i.e. what they paid to the seller, and what is the exporter's service fee or margin. Only by doing this will you know whether what you are being charged is fair.

I can't find what I'm looking for. Can you help?

Yes. The Yahoo! Japan Auction is Japan's largest online auction and the largest marketplace in Japan for used products. This means that sometimes finding what you're looking for through the menus can be difficult.

But there's also another way to search for what you're looking for. This is by using the special filtered links on our website that take you straight to certain products. These filters are built around keywords in the listing title.

If what you're looking for is available and has the right keywords in the listing titles.

How do I know if the listing has a reserve price?

If the listing has a reserve that has not been reached you will see The item has not yet reached the reserve price immediately above the Current Price. If you don't see this then either the listing doesn't have a reserve price, or the reserve price has already been exceeded and the listing will sell at the close of auction.

How much is the seller's reserve price?

Sellers normally won't disclose their reserve price on the Yahoo! Japan Auction. However, if the listing is a dealer listing and there's a link to the company website you can get an idea of the likely reserve price by viewing the listed price on the company website.

What is "Advanced Time Left"?

If you look at a Yahoo! Japan Auction listing it will show you the "Remaining Time", "Start day and time" and the "Finish day and time".

However, towards the end of the auction the finish time will sometimes change if the seller has selected that the auction be extended in the closing hour as new bids keep coming in. To view the new finish time you can either keep refreshing your browser from the listing page, or just select the "Advanced Time Left" function from "Remaining time" and a new window will open. This shows you a countdown to the close of auction which you don't need to refresh.

Do the auctions always finish at the scheduled time?

No. There are 2 common reasons:

1. Extensions. If the seller has enabled extensions the auction will continue until the cessation of bidding. In some cases this can be several hours after the scheduled closing time.


2. Cancellation. Sometimes the seller will cancel the auction prior to the closing time.

What does the "Current Price" mean?

The Yahoo! Auction runs for an extended period, normally a week. If no bids have been placed the "Current price" will be the starting price set by the seller.

Once bidding starts the "Current price" will be one increment over the bid limit of the second highest bid limit. The bid limits are hidden from the seller and other bidders.

Once the auction finishes, if the listing shows the number of bids that were placed then it was sold at the "Current price" shown.

For listings that didn't meet the reserve price at the close of auction the number of bids will show as "0" or "Zero" (even if bids were placed during the auction) and the displayed price will be the starting price of the auction (even if it was higher during the auction).

All the listings are in Japanese Yen. What's the cost in other currencies?

The Yahoo! Japan Auction is for the Japanese domestic market - which we make available to you throughout the world - and the prices displayed are the actual prices in Japanese Yen. We bill at actual cost, so the costs in your Trading Account are also in Japanese Yen.

However, to view the listings in other currencies you simply click on "Select Currency" dropdown box on the top right above the listings. These currency conversions are based on Google Finance data and reflect the current market rates.

I have a question for the seller. Can you send it through?

Yes. The Yahoo! system allows us to contact the seller while-ever they have a listing running on the auction. We suggest that you send your question through well ahead of the closure of the auction to allow the seller sufficient time to respond.

How can I check for new listings?

OPTION 1 - BOOKMARKS
Open the listing category that you wish to follow.
Bookmark it - add it to Favorites - in your browser.
Drag the Favorite to your Desktop.
Open it every day or so... listings usually run for one week.

OPTION 2 - RSS READER
This option displays all listings in your selected category in a RSS reader.

Click Here for a list of RSS Feed Readers

Then open up the Yahoo! Japan Auction listing category. Go to Original Source at the bottom of the page. You're now in the original Japanese version of the Yahoo! Japan Auction.

Now click the orange RSS feed logo on the top right of the Yahoo! Auction page that you wish to follow. This will open a new page with the RSS feeds for the page that you've selected. You just need to add this feed into the RSS reader that you're using. This is normally done by just copying and pasting the URL of the feed into your reader.

OPTION 3 - RSS NOTIFIER
This option displays the next listing to finish in your selected category in a RSS notifier in your system tray.

Click Here to download the Feed Notifier.

Install Feed Notifier (double click the downloaded installer)

Run Feed Notifier from your Start Menu. A new RSS icon (orange color) is added in your system tray.
Then open up the Yahoo! Japan Auction listing category. Make sure the category is untranslated i.e. the original Japanese language page by clicking View original web page from the white Google Language Tools frame at the top of the page.

Go to Original Source at the bottom of the page then scroll down and click the orange RSS feed logo. This will open a new page. Then right click on the URL then left click to copy.

Then right click the new Feed Notifier RSS icon in the system tray and click Add Feed menu item. Paste the copied link earlier in the Feed URL field. Adjust the Polling Interval depending on how often you wanted to be notified of new messages.

Click OK button.

To ensure that you will be notified everytime you use your computer, place Feed Notifier shortcut under your Startup folder in your Start Menu.

The listings generally display in closing order. That is, the next listing to close will be the listing you are notified of, though "Featured Listings" will sometimes take precedence.

The listings appear in the notifier in Japanese. To view them in English go to Translate on your Google Toolbar, if you have it installed. This will translate the listings into English or another language you select.

BIDDING

Where do I register to bid?

You can Register Here and we can set up a Trading Account for you. The Account will need to be funded before you can place a bid.

How do I place a bid on the Yahoo! Japan Auction?

Once you have a funded account with us you can start placing bids up to the value of the funds held in your account.

1. Send Link. You give us the links to the listings you're interested in in Skype Chat.


2. Move Link into Bid Tracker. From there we enter the listings you're interested in into your Bid Tracker inside your client portal. Your Bid Tracker puts all your buy orders from different auctions in one place in reverse chronological order. This means You can easily see what bids you've placed, the sale prices and which listings you've been successful on.


3. Send Questions to Seller. If you have any questions for the seller please let us know and we'll put the questions and answers from the seller.


4. Blace Bid Limits. In the Yahoo! Japan Auction the bid limits are hidden from the seller and other bidders - with automatic bidding - so you only need to place your bid limit once. In fact you gain an advantage with placing your bid limit up front, as opposed to small incremental bids. With your ultimate bid limit in place competing bidders putting in small incremental bids against you may become discouraged and stop bidding, whereas a prolonged single increment bidding battle only encourages them to keep bidding.


5. View Result. If you're successful you only pay one increment over the highest bid against you, not your bid limit. There are usually 5 minute automatic extensions at the end of the auction for bids placed in the closing minutes of the auction, so there is no sniping like in eBay.
   You are only charged at the actual sale price, not the bid limit you set. Because the bid limit is hidden from the seller you can place your bid requests at your maximum figure with confidence that you may be successful at a lower figure.
   With Buy Now listings anyone can buy it at any time, so once there are bids close to the Buy Now price other bidders will often use Buy Now.

Can I cancel my bid?

If you're currently the highest bidder then you can only cancel your bid with the agreement of the seller.

Does it cost anything to place a bid on the Yahoo! Japan Auction?

No. No fee is charged by Yahoo! and no TS service fee is payable to place a bid. If you're successful Yahoo! doesn't charge a fee to the buyer.

Do other bidders and the seller know my bid limit?

No. The Yahoo! Japan Auction has blind bidding. That is, the other bidders and the seller don't know what bid limit you've set. Bidding is automated by Yahoo! and if you're successful it will often be for less than the bid limit that you set.

How do I increase my bid limit?

If you've already placed a bid then simply email back the bid confirmation you received after your first bid with your new increased bid limit.

If we've already given the item a title and placed a bid then use this email to send through your increased bid. This saves confusion and ensures your bid history is easy to follow.

However, since your bid limit is hidden from both the seller and other bidders we suggest you send through your real bid limit in the first instance. If other buyers competing with you repeatedly see their bid as the highest bid this sends a message that your bid limit has nearly been reached which may encourage them to keep bidding against you. Conversely, if they repeatedly place bids only to have them be unsuccessful they may give up, even if they are close to your bid limit.

How soon before the close of auction should I place my bid?

We recommend that you send through your bid no later than 24 hours prior to the close of the auction. We will do everything we can to process bids inside this window though can't guarantee we can place all bids given at short notice.

How can I place a bid at the last second so I can win the auction?

Most sellers in Yahoo! enable automatic time extensions, so that new bids in the closing minutes of the auction automatically trigger automatic extensions. These extensions are endless until all bids are exhausted. This prevents the practice of "sniping" in the Yahoo! Japan Auctions.

If I'm successful do I have to buy at my bid limit?

Usually not. The amount that you submit that you're willing to pay for a listing is a limit. If you're successful you only pay one increment higher than the next highest bid limit. This is normally less than your bid limit.

How do I know if my bid has been successful?

You can check the results after the auction closes by clicking on the listing URL in your Bid Tracker.

This will show the sale price and the buyer ID of the successful bidder. If you're unsure of the buyer ID we're using for you please ask us.

Why do you process bids manually?

For your protection. We've been active in the Yahoo! Japan Auction for over a decade. Though frauds are rare - with the seller offering stock for sale, accepting payment but not providing the item - they do occasionally take place.

By placing your bid manually we can thoroughly research the sellers record in the original Japanese and see if there are any unusual conditions on the listing which may not be obvious in the English translation. This is done by a native Japanese speaker. Our advice is to avoid the do it yourself services and never place bids directly on the Yahoo! Auction by yourself unless you have native-level proficiency in the Japanese language.

By using our system you can check the sellers appraisal history by yourself in English and have it checked again by us in Japanese once you have posted your bid request.

If I only want one car can I bid on more than one?

Yes. Normally in this instance we will only bid on the listing that closes first and then if you are unsuccessful bid on the next listing to close and so on. Bids usually can't be withdrawn once we place them, so if you place multiple bid requests but have a preference for a particular listing you need to let us know at the time you place the bids how you would like us to process them.

How do I Buy Now?

For listings with a Buy Now price you can purchase at the Buy Now price by putting the Buy Now price in the price box and the words Buy Now in the Comments box. If you put Buy Now in the Comments box we'll give your request priority as we process the pending bid requests. Otherwise your bid requests will be processed in the order that you submit them. The good listings with a Buy Now price can disappear really quickly sometimes!

COSTS

Does Yahoo! charge fees to the buyer?

No. Generally Yahoo! only charges the seller when you buy on the Yahoo! Japan Auction. If other fees or charges on top of the successful sale price are payable, the seller is required to disclose those as part of the listing information.

Do you know the cost of domestic freight for parts to your Export Centre?

Sometimes the seller will include it in the listing and other times we won't know until the item has arrived at the Export Centre. We can ask the seller though the seller will not necessarily reply. We have a Domestic Freight Estimator guide to assist registered clients.

Do you know the cost of transporting cars to your Export Centre?

CARS

Where do I find Race Cars?

Where do I find Left Hand Drive cars?

PARTS

Where do I find Parts?

Parts are available in both the parts category and the salvage vehicle category of the Yahoo! Japan Auction. Some of the vehicle listings in the salvage vehicle category allow individual parts to be bought from the vehicles offered.

TECHNICAL

I have a problem with getting the auction to work properly. What should I do?

Contact us straight away and we will do our best to guide you through the solution. The easiest way to assist you is on Skype where we can talk, use text chat and share links.

I'm not getting my confirmation emails. What should I do?

Look in your Junk Folder. If you find the emails there mark them as safe. You can then test the system by pretending to place a bid but with a Bid Price of "0" and the words "SYSTEM TEST ONLY" in the Comments box.

JAPAN GOVERNMENT AUCTIONS

What are the Japan Government Auctions?

The Japan Government Auctions are an aggregated database of local and prefectural government auctions in Japan which until 2021 operated within the Yahoo! Japan Auction.