Review of online parts from Japan? (3 Viewers)

[Kernal]

IMHO all this tariff stuff will straighten out in weeks or a few months and in the end will be better for everyone (except maybe Chynuh). The sky isn't falling, it's just politics, wheeling and dealing, until we (the US and the World) get better trade deals with other countries, especially Chynuh. We just need to lay back and let it play out. Worst case scenario is some of us may have to put a project or two on the back burner until everything settles down, which it will, IMO.

FWIW for many years I had been using my local dealer who gave me a fair discount, still maybe 10-15% above some US discount dealerships, but it was convenient to order the parts one day and pick them up the next for the most part.

But then that local dealership was sold to a larger group and they replaced all the managers including the Parts manager with a new young guy from a Lexus dealership who apparently didn't know that the Internet existed, he immediately canceled all discounts and increased prices. After that the parts prices went to 20+% above Toyota suggested retail. I haven't been back to that dealership for a couple of years since.

Point is, we all can adjust and find another way.

 

[NeverFinis]

My experiences...

PartSouq, IMPEX and others are buying services, which I am fine with.

PartSouq ships within a few days and packs everything with extreme care. For example, gaskets are put on lightweight boards to prevent them from being crushed or bent. No one else I have ordered from does that.

Impex takes weeks to ship, but they are very cheap due to the current YEN <-> US exchange rate. They don't pack as well as PartSouq. I picked up a new 105 steering box from Impex for a steal, but took 6+ weeks to get to me. I think I was one of the last orders before they refused to ship them.

I prefer to order from PartSouq, but I will order from IMPEX if only they can get the part, and I don't need the part immediately.

Sometimes I will order from a US Toyota dealer if the part is still in stock in the US market but not elsewhere. The A/C evaporator is one such example.

I will very rarely order from a local Toyota dealer, and usually only for very large parts. I bought an axle housing and a hood from my local dealer.

I am glad I am nearing the end of rebuilding my LX450, and not the beginning. The build is expensive enough...don't need to add tariffs too!

 

[timexlost]

What you paid wasn't a tariff, it was an import duty. The duty schedules (HTS) are published for every single import item and are available from US Customs and Border Protection. It's your job to know what you're buying and what it costs, when you buy from a seller overseas. This is hidden if you buy through a third party seller, like Amazon or WalMart, but when you buy directly you have to do the same thign they do: pay the tax.

Sometimes, it's hidden in the shipping costs from the shipper, sometimes not. It depends on the shipper and how much the duty value is, as a percentage of the total shipping (item value) cost. If that number is above a set value, the shipper wants it paid prior to customs clearance.

...and it had nothing whatsoever to do with any particular person, the rates are calculated based on the item and its declared value.

I've been importing parts from various sources for the last decade, I'm aware how duties work. A Tariff is a form of duty.

Sorry, wrong person.

@timexlost : what was the selling price of the carburetor by itself??

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$876.52

 

[Tyland Cruiser]

Partsouq guys are very smart. They are software guys that sell auto parts. They are also Toyota guys which helps us, of course.

I met them and had dinner with them when I was in DXB in 2022. Again, no stock. They are able to negotiate relationships for JIT logistics which helps them do what they do. The entire company is maybe 15 people max.

View attachment 3888472

All they have is a shipping warehouse with a group of Filipinos who pack boxes and ship. They also have a pretty cool professional picture studio where they take pictures of most everything that gets shipped out.

View attachment 3888473

They are able to negotiate pricing and information sharing because of the exact Toyota distributorship system I mentioned earlier. US Toyota parts departments do this to varying degrees through 3rd party outfits like Toyotapartsdeal.com and others. Unfortunately, the level of integration sophistication is the US, as always, is quite far behind non-US parts sellers.

Thank you for this info, Beno. It’s good to know a bit about what’s going on behind the website and how these companies work. With PartSouq’s level of service, I assumed a vastly larger company operating out of enormous or multiple facilities. With only 15 guys and a warehouse, I would imagine they are doing very well for themselves. Good for them. They provide a great service. Makes me wonder what their typical mark up is?

 

[Kernal]

So around $175 duty/tariff on $875 worth of part(s) is ~ 20%.
Seems higher than it should have been with the current Tariffs/Duties??
IDK.

 

[fjbj40]

I just used Amayama and Partsouq for my 94 pickup.

Amayama took over 2 weeks. Partsouq was only a week.

All orders were well packaged.

Japan4x4 is about the same, plus Dave is a fellow Canadian.

I needed head bolts for the 3.0. Local dealer wanted $34/bolt
Amayama was $10/bolt!

That being said, my local dealers complete gasket kit for the 3.0 was cheaper than all others.

You guys complaining that you get taxed when order is over $800 have it pretty good, it’s anything over $50 out of the US and anything over $100 from anywhere else!

 

[CJK]

I picked up a new 105 steering box from Impex for a steal, but took 6+ weeks to get to me. I think I was one of the last orders before they refused to ship them.

Really jealous of this right about now as I'm shopping for a new steering box. $2500 from Amayama is about the cheapest I can find (including shipping + duties). ~$2.7K at Partsouq...or $3.8K from Serra Toyota