Motors from japan, who needs one ?

[Pblesh85]

Ok im posting for a friend of mine who is in japan. He wants to start importing motors, parts, and anything else that people might want to buy for there cars.

So he wants to know what there is a demand for and what you are willing to pay. So if anyone is interested in something like this please write down what you would be interested in buying and what you would be willing to pay. Now seeing as how it needs to be cost effective, no $2.00 items.

My friend is not some guy that is fresh out of high school. He owned a networking company and is currently in japan teaching english as part of his digree.

Once again this is a feeler to see if this would be cost effective. If he get the response he is looking for than this will be a business veture he will be taking.

Thank you for your time.

[Sileighty_85]

So this guys not military? Better expect to pay more than the Engine set it self then. or hell anything if hes gonna send it through the Japanese Post office, if they will even let him.

Japan is strict with all their shit.
My wife just mailed me about 60 lbs of her english books
Japanese post office want $240 from Okinawa to
Louisiana. When she mailed them from the base it was like 40 bucks or somthin.

Shits Expencive, I dont think they have Fed Ex offices around there? I never saw any In Okinawa when I mailed my engine home (From Base)

[florante rea]

how about sti and evo brake calipers? lmk, highly interested.

[fliprayzin240sx]

So this guys not military? Better expect to pay more than the Engine set it self then. or hell anything if hes gonna send it through the Japanese Post office, if they will even let him.

Japan is strict with all their shit.
My wife just mailed me about 60 lbs of her english books
Japanese post office want $240 from Okinawa to
Louisiana. When she mailed them from the base it was like 40 bucks or somthin.

Shits Expencive, I dont think they have Fed Ex offices around there? I never saw any In Okinawa when I mailed my engine home (From Base)


Probably thru containers...the only thing is hope he has an export/importing license. If you get caught by the nazi's at the port without a license, expect to pay the tax fees and fines that will make you wish you sent that shit back to japan...

[Pblesh85]

If he does this it be with the help of someone that has all the proper paper work.

[fliprayzin240sx]

I know somebody in the mainland who shipped back a container full of stuff who got pinched at port cuz he used wooden pallets that werent treated properly. Then they slapped him a nice fine for importing "illegal engines"

[benjim]

The market is already saturdated and its highly unlikely you will be able to step into the industry without having any reputation or shop as a starting point.

Let alone using Zilvia of all places to base your market on.

[cinnadrift]

So this guys not military? Better expect to pay more than the Engine set it self then. or hell anything if hes gonna send it through the Japanese Post office, if they will even let him.

Japan is strict with all their shit.
My wife just mailed me about 60 lbs of her english books
Japanese post office want $240 from Okinawa to
Louisiana. When she mailed them from the base it was like 40 bucks or somthin.

Shits Expencive, I dont think they have Fed Ex offices around there? I never saw any In Okinawa when I mailed my engine home (From Base)


you mentioned the military, how do you go about that the cheap way?

i know bumb question, but you seem like you would know

[mrmephistopheles]

I don't think so.


1. This would be commercial, so I have to lock it.
2. This is speculation. There is interest, always - bring the product and make the money, but be prepared to eat your hat.

[Sileighty_85]

you mentioned the military, how do you go about that the cheap way?

i know bumb question, but you seem like you would know

well trying to send shit by the military from Oki is very hard. (With house hold goods)
1.
There was only one company that didnt care what they packed up.
I had a buddy who had planned to bring his RB25 with him but the shipper refused to pack his stuff so he had to leave it all behind, the only thing he was able to pack were his R32 Tail lights. But you were even at risk of shit dissappearing thought some of these guys if they packed it.

2. Container still risky importing and a nice heft fine if caught, also espensive is doing alone

3.Post office from BASE (FTW) Cheap and reliable
From Okinawa shipping from the Base Post Office is Free until it reaches CA so you only pay from CA to wherever.

I bought a 180SX for $500 ripped out the engine and drive train and shipped everything but the chassis through the Post office
I only payed $600 for shipping everything (engine was only $300ish, the rest was all my accessories (Rims, intercooler, Coil Overs, Spare Parts, exhaust, turbos ect.)

The secret is breaking everything down into less than 70 lbs incrememnts, Thank God the SR block is only 65lbs :P Lable all packages "Car Parts"

Transmission was tricky though had to break the casing apart.

Obliviously it can be done I did it
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2431168
http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=178498

[cgtdream]

well trying to send shit by the military from Oki is very hard. (With house hold goods)
1.
There was only one company that didnt care what they packed up.
I had a buddy who had planned to bring his RB25 with him but the shipper refused to pack his stuff so he had to leave it all behind, the only thing he was able to pack were his R32 Tail lights. But you were even at risk of shit dissappearing thought some of these guys if they packed it.

2. Container still risky importing and a nice heft fine if caught, also espensive is doing alone

3.Post office from BASE (FTW) Cheap and reliable
From Okinawa shipping from the Base Post Office is Free until it reaches CA so you only pay from CA to wherever.

I bought a 180SX for $500 ripped out the engine and drive train and shipped everything but the chassis through the Post office
I only payed $600 for shipping everything (engine was only $300ish, the rest was all my accessories (Rims, intercooler, Coil Overs, Spare Parts, exhaust, turbos ect.)

The secret is breaking everything down into less than 70 lbs incrememnts, Thank God the SR block is only 65lbs :P Lable all packages "Car Parts"

Transmission was tricky though had to break the casing apart.

Obliviously it can be done I did it
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2431168
http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=178498


Man has a point...back when i left oki, i was lucky enough to have the one company pack my stuff since they really didnt care.. But even then i heard stories of packers refusing to pack car parts such as engines.

But to be on topic, if your friend is trying to ship thorugh an okinawan post office then good luck. Best bet, they do have some sort of UPS like ocmpany on oki, but i dont know the name of it, and also not familiar with their prices.....anywho GL with that...

[CursedGTR]

So this guys not military? Better expect to pay more than the Engine set it self then. or hell anything if hes gonna send it through the Japanese Post office, if they will even let him.

Japan is strict with all their shit.
My wife just mailed me about 60 lbs of her english books
Japanese post office want $240 from Okinawa to
Louisiana. When she mailed them from the base it was like 40 bucks or somthin.

Shits Expencive, I dont think they have Fed Ex offices around there? I never saw any In Okinawa when I mailed my engine home (From Base)

THere is FEDEX on Okinawa but it only has international priority available. I have a corporate account with them and it cost me 845.00 to mail a crank, pistons and oil pump to Australia. Really cool because it got there fast and they come to the house to pick it all up, but sucks ass when you pay 845.00 for shipping on 110 pounds worth the shit.

[CursedGTR]

you mentioned the military, how do you go about that the cheap way?

i know bumb question, but you seem like you would know

The way you do it through the military is the fact that an FPO address in the military is considered a states side address and therefore you are charged as if you are sending it from San Francisco. The way you get in on that is to join the military and get stationed Okinawa or any other overseas location for that matter. You would be hard pressed to find a military guy to help you out if you lived off base and were not military because it takes away from his time off for little or no return and it is illegal for him to do so.

To the Topic Starter -

Not to be an asshole but not being able to spell kind of makes your friend and you look shady at the same time. I would be weary of doing business with anyone that associates himself with someone that comes off as illiterate as you do and allows them to represent a possible business venture that people will potentially spend thousands of dollars on. Such portrayals scream S H A D Y to me, but I could be wrong and you guys could be just unable to type. From what you posted I think this is just a half assed attempt to make money without taking your buyer into consideration.

There are some companies on Okinawa and throughout Japan that will ship a motor for you, if you do not know how to do it and your friend does not know how to do it, then you need not be in any kind of business for you have not done your research and asking these kinds of questions proves it. But again, I could be wrong, but I don't think I am considering I have been here for 8 years and seen and heard it all about people coming over here and wanting to make their millions shipping shit back to the U.S. Problem with that concept is the fact that you barely break even and most of us that do ship things back, barely break even and usually do it just to unload the parts we have on hand. SO unless your boy has about 40K to front to make a shipment happen without any guarantee I would venture to say that this is a lost cause and unless he is a self made millionaire he is probably barely able to afford to eat let alone go into something like this on a teacher salary for gaijin, which tells me this could end up being a pay for shit you have no guarantee on type venture.

He should probably go ahead and try to hook up with an established shop that would pay him a finders fee to find quality motors and parts in an established timeframe with an established quality control criteria with an established customer base and proven track record of success, but that is just me and the way I would go abotu doing something like this.

[fliprayzin240sx]

Cursed, in his defense, the only way you can make money off importing used car parts nowadays in the states is when you have really good junkyard connections , thats willing to sell you the parts literally for dirt cheap. We dont have that luxury in Okinawa since parts are scarce enough on this tiny ass island. The catch now is that in the mainland, most junkyard already knows the amount of demand there is for these engines (SR20s in particular) so nobody is willing to just give away engines for the price that they used to go for. I remember when I used to be able to get a full SR block for $500, nowadays, you'd be hard pressed to find a good SR block with good compression for $1k in the states. Hell I remember when I used to have access to $1300 swaps. Im basically given a full clip and have to pull everything myself, a clip back then used to fetch $2200. Hell, I couldnt find any redtop S13s when i left the states, all that kept coming in are S13 blacktops...

[CursedGTR]

Cursed, in his defense, the only way you can make money off importing used car parts nowadays in the states is when you have really good junkyard connections , thats willing to sell you the parts literally for dirt cheap. We dont have that luxury in Okinawa since parts are scarce enough on this tiny ass island. The catch now is that in the mainland, most junkyard already knows the amount of demand there is for these engines (SR20s in particular) so nobody is willing to just give away engines for the price that they used to go for. I remember when I used to be able to get a full SR block for $500, nowadays, you'd be hard pressed to find a good SR block with good compression for $1k in the states. Hell I remember when I used to have access to $1300 swaps. Im basically given a full clip and have to pull everything myself, a clip back then used to fetch $2200. Hell, I couldnt find any redtop S13s when i left the states, all that kept coming in are S13 blacktops...

Agreed.... I know exactly what you are saying. Even though I mainly mess with RB26's I am feeling the price crunch based on demand in Japan alone. So bad so that I am buying parts from The States. I will have the worlds first USDM Spec S15.

Mainland prices are going to be the same or maybe a bit better than Okinawa but one thing remains the same, they know you are making money from it and anyone that has the shit you are looking for is usually going to price gouge you or just hook up with someone that is there to buy in bulk up front cash in hand.

[exitspeed]

I don't think so.


1. This would be commercial, so I have to lock it.
2. This is speculation. There is interest, always - bring the product and make the money, but be prepared to eat your hat.

Musta forgot to lock it. I gotchya.