FOB Calculator for Japanese Used Car Exports

FOB (Free On Board) is the trade term exporters quote most often, and it is also the term new exporters most often price incorrectly. FOB is not the hammer price. It is the hammer price plus every fee required to get that specific vehicle loaded onto the vessel at a Japanese port: the auction house's buyer fee, the recycling deposit, inland transport from the auction site to the port, formal deregistration at the Land Transport Office, the export customs declaration, port handling, and — if you use one — your buying agent's service fee.

Exporters who quote FOB using only the hammer price consistently under-price their own margin. On a mid-range vehicle, Japan-side fees typically add 10–20% on top of the winning bid, and that gap only shows up once the final invoice from the auction house, transport company, and agent lands — usually after the buyer has already been quoted. Running the full total before you bid, not after, is what keeps that markup inside your margin instead of eating it.

FOB is also the number your buyer needs to compare offers cleanly. If you quote FOB and a competitor quotes CIF (which adds ocean freight and insurance on top), the two numbers are not comparable — and a buyer who doesn't understand the difference will assume the CIF quote is worse value when it may actually be complete. Always label your quote clearly as FOB or CIF, and use the same basis every competitor is using before comparing.