The complete guide to importing wheels from Japan without getting burned

A listing said +13 offset; the stamp and my tape said −13 — off by 26 mm. Across the sets I handle, roughly 1 in 5 has something the listing doesn't: wrong spec, a weld repair, hidden damage. And a proxy is responsible for buying, not the wheel's condition — so inspect before you pay in full.

Not information — a true story. Because I shipped DDU, a Florida customer got a $945.21 bill at the door. I refunded all of it and changed how I do business. Why you can buy from me — this one piece is the answer.

Even same size, same country, shipping differs nearly 2× between sellers. So you need a yardstick. I'm publishing the country/size rates I actually use, in full — hold your quote to it and judge for yourself.

Google's 2.5% isn't current. Correctly classified it's 15%; misclassified it can hit ~50%. Simple conclusion — don't buy from anyone but DDP. If you must go DDU, make the seller submit origin docs before clearance. (Applies to auto parts generally.)

Reselling runs on one thing — you can't see the seller's cost. A BBS RG-R set: $1,192 in Japan, $3,533 on eBay. Same set, matching photos, a $2,341 markup for nothing. eBay is where it's most naked, but the fix is universal — see the Japanese price first and the markup has nowhere to hide.