How to Buy a Car from BE FORWARD and Import It to Australia (Complete 2026 Guide)
- AUTOSHIFT
- Jul 15
- 7 min read
BE FORWARD is a Japan-based used car exporter that sells vehicles, parts, and machinery to buyers in more than 200 countries and regions. Australians can buy a car through BE FORWARD and import it, but the listed vehicle price is only the starting point — shipping, duty, GST, compliance, and registration costs all get added on top, so the number on the website and the number you actually pay to drive the car on Australian roads can be very different. On top of that, working out whether a vehicle is even eligible to import, and what happens after it lands, is largely left to the buyer. This is where a lot of people give up, especially once communication with the seller slows down. This guide walks through what BE FORWARD actually is, how the buying process works, what the real cost looks like, and where buyers typically get stuck.
In This Guide
By the end of this article, you'll know:
What BE FORWARD is, and whether it's a legitimate company
Whether Australians can legally import a car through BE FORWARD
What the total landed cost actually looks like
The problems buyers most commonly run into
The step-by-step buying process
How AUTOSHIFT fits into the process
What Is BE FORWARD?
BE FORWARD is a Japan-based used vehicle exporter that sells cars, parts, and machinery directly to buyers in more than 200 countries and regions through its own online platform.
Is It a Legitimate Company? Yes.
Founded in 2004, with more than 20 years in the export business
Annual revenue of over A$1 billion (approximately ¥100 billion), placing it among Japan's leading e-commerce exporters.
Trading relationships in 207 countries and regions, with site traffic from 242
Headquartered in Tokyo, with a recent office expansion in Roppongi Hills
Currently preparing for a stock market listing (IPO) targeted for 2027
Companies preparing for an IPO are held to a certain standard of corporate governance — audits, internal controls, and financial disclosure requirements all apply.
That makes BE FORWARD's scale and formal standing a reasonable indicator that you're dealing with a genuine, established exporter rather than a fly-by-night operation.
That said, preparing for a listing doesn't guarantee fast responses to enquiries, strong after-sales support, or consistent handling of individual disputes. We'll get into the issues buyers actually run into in the next section.
Can Australians Buy a Car from BE FORWARD? Yes.
You can buy from BE FORWARD as an Australian resident — but before you do, you need to confirm the vehicle is actually eligible for import. Buying first and checking eligibility later is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make in this process.
Under Australian law, you need Import Approval from the federal government before a vehicle is shipped. Importing without it isn't an option.
So before falling in love with a listing on BE FORWARD, check whether the vehicle qualifies under one of the two main import
pathways:
Pathway | Eligible Vehicles | Requirements |
SEVS (Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle Scheme) | Vehicles on the SEVS list — typically models never sold new in Australia, such as the Alphard, Hiace, or Corolla Fielder | Must appear on the SEVS register; compliance work must be carried out by a Registered Automotive Workshop (RAW) |
25-Year Rule | Any vehicle 25 years or older from date of manufacture | No SEVS listing required, but you still need to check for asbestos content and confirm state registration eligibility before importing |
The SEVS list leans heavily toward JDM-only models — Alphards, Hiaces, Corolla Fielders, and similar vehicles that were never released on the Australian market. Vehicles over 25 years old are generally importable regardless of model, but "importable" and "registrable" aren't the same thing, so it still pays to check before you commit.
The Real Cost: The Vehicle Price Isn't the Final Price
This is where most buyers get caught out. The price shown on BE FORWARD is the vehicle price in Japan — nothing more. From there, several more line items get added before the car is legally on the road:
Cost Item | Typical Range |
Vehicle price | As listed on BE FORWARD |
Shipping (RoRo) | AUD$2500-$3000 |
Import duty | 5% of FOB value (can be reduced to 0% under the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement, depending on the vehicle) |
GST | 10%, calculated on vehicle price + insurance + shipping + duty combined |
Compliance / inspection | AUD$1500-$3000 |
Registration and other state fees | Varies by state |
Example: For a ¥2,000,000 vehicle (roughly AUD 20,000), the total landed cost — from purchase through to registration — typically lands somewhere between AUD 30,000 and 34,000. Buyers who base their budget on the sticker price alone are usually the ones caught off guard when the real total comes in.
Problems Australian Buyers Actually Run Into
Australians trying to import through BE FORWARD tend to hit the same wall of issues:
The overall import process is confusing and hard to piece together
No clear way to confirm whether a specific vehicle qualifies for import
No clear way to confirm whether it can be registered in your state (particularly for modified vehicles)
Having to source a compliance workshop independently
Not understanding how registration differs for an imported vehicle versus a locally sold one
No visibility into the total on-road cost before committing
None of this is unique to BE FORWARD — an exporter's job generally ends once the vehicle is shipped. Import Approval, compliance, and state registration fall outside that scope by design. But for an individual buyer, navigating these steps alone is a genuinely steep learning curve, and it's often the reason people abandon the process altogether even when they're keen to import.
Independent reviews add another layer to this. Recurring themes include:
Slow communication after payment, particularly around shipping updates
Refund and cancellation cases that reportedly took weeks or months to resolve
Delays confirming whether a listed vehicle is still available
Plenty of buyers also report smooth transactions, so this isn't really a case of BE FORWARD being untrustworthy — it's more a byproduct of running a large-scale global export platform, where response times for individual customers can vary significantly.
Common Mistakes When Buying from BE FORWARD
The same mistakes come up again and again with Australian buyers:
Purchasing a vehicle before confirming it's legally importable
Assuming the listed price is the final cost
Choosing a heavily modified vehicle that won't pass compliance
Not understanding how the Australian registration process works
Underestimating how long the whole process takes
Nearly all of these are avoidable if you confirm eligibility and get a full landed-cost estimate before you buy.
BE FORWARD vs. AUTOSHIFT: Who Handles What
None of this makes BE FORWARD a bad option — quite the opposite. Given its track record and the sheer size of its inventory, it's genuinely one of the more useful platforms for sourcing a JDM vehicle.
Where first-time buyers usually go wrong is assuming BE FORWARD handles the entire process end to end. In reality, its role is largely limited to sourcing and exporting the vehicle from Japan. Import Approval, compliance, registration, and state-specific requirements on the Australian side generally need to be arranged separately.
AUTOSHIFT operates on both the Japanese and Australian ends of the process — negotiating with Japanese exporters in Japanese, then handling Import Approval, compliance coordination, and registration support in Australia. Paired with BE FORWARD's inventory, it covers the gap between "finding the car" and "actually driving it."
Task | BE FORWARD | AUTOSHIFT |
Vehicle sourcing | ✓ | ✓ |
Export arrangement | ✓ | ✓ |
Import Approval | – | ✓ |
Compliance coordination | – | ✓ |
Registration support | – | ✓ |
Total cost estimate | – | ✓ |
Step-by-Step: How to Buy from BE FORWARD
Find your vehicle on BE FORWARD.
Search available stock and check the listed price for the car you want.
Confirm import eligibility.
Send us the listing and we'll confirm whether the vehicle qualifies for import and provide a full cost estimate.
Purchase the vehicle.
Once you're happy with the eligibility check and quote, pay BE FORWARD directly for the vehicle.
Import Approval application.
We handle the Import Approval application on your behalf.
Shipping.
BE FORWARD or AUTOSHIFT can arrange shipping — going through us tends to work out cheaper on freight in most cases.
Compliance.
Once the vehicle arrives at an Australian port, it goes through compliance inspection, which we coordinate.
Registration.
Register the vehicle with your state transport authority, and you're finally cleared to drive it.
FAQ
Is BE FORWARD a trustworthy company?
Founded in 2004 with revenue over ¥100 billion, trading relationships in 207 countries, and an IPO targeted for 2027, BE FORWARD is a genuine, established company. That said, response times can vary given the scale of the platform, so it's worth getting terms in writing before you commit to a purchase.
How long does shipping from Japan to Australia take?
Shipping alone usually takes 2–3 weeks. Once you factor in customs, quarantine, compliance, and registration, the full process from purchase to driving on the road typically runs 6–10 weeks.
Can I buy from BE FORWARD without being in Japan?
Yes. The entire process, from getting a quote to paying, can be done online.
What if BE FORWARD stops responding?
Slow responses aren't unusual with a platform this size. If that happens, we'll contact BE FORWARD directly and negotiate on your behalf.
Can I import a modified vehicle?
Yes, importing a modified vehicle is possible — but whether it can be registered is a separate question. Rules vary slightly by state, so it's worth checking with your state's compliance authority before you buy.
Can I import a kei car?
Yes, if it's 25 years or older. Kei cars under 25 years old can also be imported if the specific model is listed on the SEVS register.
Can I inspect the vehicle before buying?
Not in person before purchase. Photos and the listing details give a reasonable indication of whether a vehicle can be imported and registered, but the final call really comes down to seeing the car once it's landed.
Need Help Importing a Car from BE FORWARD?
Found a car on BE FORWARD but not sure if it can actually be imported into Australia? That's exactly what AUTOSHIFT handles.
We provide:
Import eligibility checks
Full landed-cost estimates
Import Approval applications
Compliance coordination
Registration support
Send us the link to the BE FORWARD listing, and we'll tell you whether it's importable and give you a complete cost estimate before you commit to buying.
Key Takeaways
BE FORWARD is a major Japan-based used car export platform, targeting an IPO in 2027, and Australians can legally buy and import through it
Always confirm whether a vehicle qualifies under the 25-year rule or the SEVS scheme before purchasing
Budget for the total landed cost — vehicle price plus shipping, duty, GST, compliance, and registration — not just the sticker price
The full process, from purchase to registration, typically takes 6–10 weeks
Australian-side steps like Import Approval, compliance, roadworthy certification, and registration — along with slow response times — are exactly where AUTOSHIFT's service fills the gap
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