Terms of service

1. Who we are and what these terms cover

These terms are an agreement between you and Advanced Imports LLC (“we”, “us”), based in Cypress, Texas. They apply when you use japanimports.net, your customer portal, or ask us to find, bid on, import, buy or sell a car. If we agree something different with you in writing for a particular car, that written agreement wins.

2. Our services

• Import service. We search Japanese auctions for the car you want, translate and review auction sheets, bid on your behalf, and arrange export, shipping, US customs clearance and delivery in Texas.
• Cars in stock. We sell cars we already own. Listings can sell at any time; a car is yours only once we confirm the sale in writing.
• Buying your car. Offers we make for your car are valid only once we’ve seen it and confirmed in writing.

3. Your account and portal

We create a portal for you once we agree to look for a car. You sign in with a one-time link sent to your email, or with Google. Keep access to your email secure: anyone who can open your sign-in links can act in your portal, including authorizing bids. Tell us right away at team@japanimports.net if you think someone else has used your account.

Give us accurate information. You must be 18 or older to use the portal or authorize a bid.

4. Estimates, translations and listings

• Estimates. All-in estimates (on the website and in your portal) add our current fee schedule to the car price at today’s exchange rate. The final cost can differ, for example because of the exchange rate on the day you pay, auction-house charges, freight surcharges, port and storage fees, or changes to US duties and fees. Your invoice shows the actual amounts.
• Auction sheets. Grades, condition marks and notes on an auction sheet are the auction house inspector’s opinion, not ours. We translate them carefully, sometimes with help from AI that our staff then check, but a translation is our best reading and can miss things. If something matters to you, ask us or order an inspection.
• Photos and details. We show what the auction or seller provides. Colors, mileage and options can differ from photos or descriptions.

5. Bidding on your behalf

• When you authorize a bid in your portal, you set the maximum you’ll pay, all in. We work out the highest auction bid that keeps the total within that amount, and we never bid above it.
• We aim to win for less, but we can’t promise to win. Good cars often sell for more than buyers expect.
• Your authorization is a binding instruction: if the car sells to us at or below your maximum, you’ve agreed to buy it.
• You can withdraw or change your maximum in your portal until 24 hours before the auction starts (Japan time). After that, we may not be able to stop the bid.
• We only bid once your deposit is arranged. See the deposit policy.
• Japanese auctions have their own rules, and those rules apply to every purchase we make for you. A car won at auction can’t be returned or cancelled.

6. After we win

• We’ll send you an invoice. Your deposit counts toward it. The balance is due within 3 business days, because the auction house requires prompt payment.
• If you don’t pay on time, we may cancel the purchase, and the deposit policy explains what happens to your deposit. You’re also responsible for any auction cancellation penalties and costs beyond it.
• We arrange export, ocean shipping with marine insurance as shown in your estimate, US customs clearance, and transport to our location in Cypress or the Port of Houston, as we agree with you. Shipping times are estimates; delays at ports, customs or sea are outside our control.
• The car becomes yours once you’ve paid in full. We then give you the import and title documents you need to title and register it in Texas. Registration, Texas inspection, and any sales tax or title fees are your responsibility unless we agree otherwise.

7. Import eligibility

Most cars must be at least 25 years old (to the month of manufacture) to be imported to the US without modification. We check a car’s build date before we bid and won’t knowingly bid on a car that can’t be imported. Final admission is decided by US Customs and other agencies, not by us. If a car we buy for you is refused entry, we’ll work with you on the options; any extra costs are shared as we agree in writing at the time, unless the refusal was caused by our mistake.

8. Condition and inspections

Auction cars are used vehicles bought as is. We don’t give a warranty on any car unless we put one in writing. Optional inspections in Japan reduce surprises but can’t find everything. We confirm inspection prices with you before we order one. Cars sold from our stock come with the FTC Buyers Guide and the disclosures Texas law requires.

9. Our responsibility

We’ll do our work carefully and honestly. We’re not responsible for things outside our control, such as auction outcomes, the condition of a car beyond what was disclosed to us, exchange-rate moves, shipping delays, weather, port strikes or government action. As far as the law allows, our total responsibility for any claim about a car is limited to the fees you paid us for that car. Nothing in these terms limits rights you have under Texas or US law that can’t be limited.

10. Using this website

Don’t misuse the site: no attempts to access other people’s portals, no automated scraping, and no uploading files that aren’t yours to share or that contain malware. We may suspend accounts that break these rules. Our privacy policy explains how we handle your information.

11. Disputes

If something goes wrong, email us first at team@japanimports.net and we’ll try to sort it out. These terms are governed by the laws of Texas. Any court case will be in the state or federal courts for Harris County, Texas.

12. Changes

We may update these terms. The version in effect when you authorize a bid applies to that car. If we make a significant change, we’ll tell customers by email or in their portal.