Selling a Tesla Model 3: Rakuten Car or MOTA? A 22,000 Yen Fee vs. Up to 20 Bidders

Good morning, this is まさきん.

Since I switched to a Model Y L, I have decided to sell my Model 3. It is a 2022 model. I have not even had it appraised yet, so this is still at the planning stage. I want to record, in order, what I looked into before deciding how to sell it.

*This information is current as of publication. Please check the official websites for the latest terms.

Differences Between Rakuten Car Kaitori and MOTA Kaitori

Both have multiple dealers compete for your car. What differs is how they compete and who contacts you.

Rakuten Car Kaitori uses an auction format. You get one inspection from Rakuten, and dealers compete in a live auction. MOTA Kaitori uses advance bidding. Bids are lined up online, and you deal with the top dealers in order of highest offer.

Side by side, they have quite different characters. Honestly, combining them seemed to make the decision easier than narrowing it down to just one.

How Rakuten Car Kaitori Works and Its Fees

Rakuten Car Kaitori was formerly called “Rakuten Car Auction.” It is a car-buying service run by the Rakuten Group.

The flow is simple. When you apply online for an inspection, an auction advisor comes to inspect your car. The inspection is said to take about an hour. After that, you set your own minimum reserve price and handover date, then list the car.

The costs were as follows.

• Auction listing fee: free
• Vehicle transport and title transfer fees: free
• Fee for paying off remaining loan balance on your behalf: free
• Inspection fee: free (canceling up to the day before inspection is also free)
• Canceling after inspection but before listing: 10,000 yen (tax included)
• Closing fee: 22,000 yen (tax included)

If bids do not reach your minimum reserve price, you can decline for free. Even if they fall short, you can still sell if you are happy with the final price.

You receive 1,000 Rakuten points when the sale closes. The conditions are a sale price of 100,000 yen or more and applying for the inspection while logged in with your Rakuten ID. The points are limited-time points and are granted around the 20th of the month after the payment.

What concerned me most was the number of phone calls. Having only Rakuten contact you until listing is a real help for a dual-income household like ours.

How MOTA Kaitori Works

MOTA Kaitori is a bulk appraisal service with advance bidding. When you enter your car’s details online, up to 20 dealers place bids.

In as little as 3 hours, rough estimates from up to 20 dealers are listed online. Only the top 3 highest bidders contact you by phone. You can also add a 4th dealer or more yourself.

What I liked is that you can see the range of prices before meeting anyone. You get a sense of the market range without meeting a bunch of dealers. MOTA also notes that adding photos and equipment details tends to make the estimates more accurate.

It is free to use. It also says that even after signing a sales contract, the seller can cancel until the day after the vehicle handover date. In that case, the dealer is not allowed to charge a cancellation fee.

However, the online amounts are only rough estimates. The final price is set after they inspect the actual car. This becomes important when deciding the floor.

The Idea of “Using MOTA’s Highest Offer as the Floor”

Here is the order we settled on.

1. Collect bids on MOTA Kaitori and have the top dealers inspect the actual car
2. Note the highest offer after the in-person inspection as the “floor”
3. Get the Rakuten Car Kaitori inspection and set the minimum reserve price above the floor
4. If the auction beats the floor, sell through Rakuten Car
5. If it does not, proceed with the dealer that made MOTA’s highest offer

The key is making the floor “the amount after the in-person inspection,” not the “rough estimate.” If you stick with the estimate, the yardstick for comparison wobbles.

This way, whichever way it goes, I should end up selling at the higher price. I can keep Rakuten Car as my first choice while still making good use of MOTA’s strengths. Of everything I researched, this was the cleanest combination.

How to Set the Minimum Reserve Price

When comparing, I line up the “amount left in my pocket.” Rakuten Car charges 22,000 yen on closing. To get the same take-home amount through Rakuten Car, you need MOTA’s highest offer plus 22,000 yen.

I also line up what each amount includes. Rakuten Car’s minimum reserve price includes the unexpired portion of automobile tax and the recycling deposit. I will ask whether MOTA’s amount includes these.

It is just adding and subtracting, but if you leave this vague, the comparison falls apart. Putting it in a table makes the “included or not” differences easier to see.

Check the Subsidy’s Disposal Restriction Period

Cars that received the national CEV subsidy have a disposal restriction period. It is 3 or 4 years from the registration date, and passenger cars fall into the 4-year category.

If you sell within that period, you need to submit an “application for approval of property disposal” before selling. You then return part of the subsidy, based on the sale price and other factors. Apparently, if it is found that you sold without approval, you may be asked to return the full amount.

Our Model 3 also received the subsidy. So I plan to sell only after confirming the period has ended. If you also used a local government subsidy, it is wise to check those conditions separately.

I wrote about applying for the subsidy itself in my record of applying for the EV subsidy.

If You Still Have a Loan, Start with the Lien Release

For a car bought with a loan, the owner on the vehicle inspection certificate may be the loan company. In that case, you need to transfer ownership to yourself before selling. This is what is called a lien release.

A lien release is a type of transfer registration that changes the owner. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, it requires documents such as the previous owner’s certificate of transfer and seal certificate. In other words, you need the loan company to issue documents.

We decided to contact the loan company first. I will confirm how many days it takes from paying off the loan until the release documents arrive. Then I will schedule the appraisal and handover after that.

Rakuten Car Kaitori also handles lien releases on your behalf. However, in that case payment apparently takes longer than usual. MOTA’s FAQ also says to select “yes” when applying if there is a remaining loan on the car.

The Extended Warranty Does Not Transfer to a Dealer

I confirmed that Tesla’s extended warranty can be transferred to the next owner. Unless you apply to cancel it, it transfers automatically to the new owner.

But there is a condition. The warranty terms state that transfers to vehicle dealers or their customers are excluded. With both Rakuten Car and MOTA, the buyer is a dealer. So it may be hard to expect the extended warranty to add to the appraisal.

If you are selling to a dealer, it may be worth considering canceling before you sell. To cancel, you need to notify Tesla before the ownership changes. I covered the detailed conditions and refunds in my post on Tesla’s extended warranty and warranty transfer.

Sell the Winter Tires Separately from the Car

I decided to sell the winter tires and snow socks separately from the car. I will get the appraisal with the summer tires on.

According to Rakuten Car, accessories such as a spare tire are to be loaded into the car by the handover date. If you hand over winter tires with the car, whether they are reflected in the price is up to the dealer. I figured selling them separately makes it easier to see the price of each.

As with the car, comparing prices across buyers may be the basic rule. By the way, you can review monthly fixed costs with the same mindset. Why not review your phone bill too, now that you are letting go of a car?

The 7-Step Plan Up to the Sale

I split the sale into the following 7 steps. Some cannot move forward until the previous step is done.

With Rakuten Car, you choose a handover date within one month of the inspection date. Selling within two weeks was recommended. I plan to schedule MOTA’s in-person inspection and the Rakuten Car inspection close together.

If you cannot predict how long the payoff and documents will take, you cannot build the overall schedule. That is why I put the inquiry first.

Documents Needed to Sell

The documents for selling a standard passenger car were nearly the same in Rakuten Car’s and MOTA’s guides.

If the addresses on the vehicle inspection certificate and seal certificate differ, you need additional documents such as a resident certificate. If you have moved more than once, you need something like a family register supplement. For Rakuten Car, the owner’s manual and maintenance record book were also on the list.

We will check first whether there has been any change of address. Apparently, if the documents are incomplete, payment is also delayed.

Common Pitfalls

Here are the points I felt people could easily trip over while researching.

• Using MOTA’s “rough estimate” as the floor as is
• Forgetting to factor Rakuten Car’s 22,000 yen closing fee into the comparison
• Comparing with the unexpired automobile tax included on only one side
• Withdrawing from listing after the Rakuten Car inspection (costs 10,000 yen)
• Selling within the subsidy’s disposal restriction period without approval
• Missing the handover date while waiting for lien release documents
• Assuming the extended warranty carries over even when selling to a dealer

The handling of fees and taxes matters more the smaller the price gap is. Lining up the yardstick for the numbers may be the best defense against pitfalls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Are there fees for Rakuten Car Kaitori?

Listing, inspection, transport and title transfer are free in principle. Only when a sale closes is there a charge of 22,000 yen (tax included). If you back out after inspection but before listing, it costs 10,000 yen (tax included).

Q. Do you get Rakuten points with Rakuten Car Kaitori?

You get 1,000 points when the sale closes. The conditions are a sale price of 100,000 yen or more and applying for the inspection while logged in with your Rakuten ID. They are limited-time points, granted around the 20th of the month after the payment.

Q. How many dealers will contact you through MOTA Kaitori?

Up to 20 dealers bid, but only the top 3 highest bidders call you. You can choose to add a 4th dealer or more yourself.

Q. What happens if bids do not reach the minimum reserve price?

You can decline for free. Even if they fall short, you can still sell if you are happy with the final price. The minimum reserve price includes the unexpired automobile tax and the recycling deposit.

Q. Can I sell if I still have a loan?

Both services say you can still sell. Rakuten Car handles lien releases on your behalf, but payment apparently takes longer. We decided to contact the loan company first and build the schedule around that.

Q. When can I sell a car that received a subsidy?

The national CEV subsidy has a disposal restriction period of 3 or 4 years from the registration date. If you sell within that period, you need to apply in advance for approval of property disposal. You will have to return part of the subsidy.

Q. Does Tesla’s extended warranty carry over if I sell to a dealer?

If you transfer it to an individual, it carries over automatically unless you cancel. On the other hand, transfers to vehicle dealers or their customers are excluded. If you are selling to a dealer, it seems best to assume it will not carry over.

Q. When will I get paid?

With Rakuten Car, it is within 7 business days from the day after the car and documents are handed over and confirmed to be in order. The amount minus the closing fee is transferred. Through MOTA, it depends on the terms of the dealer you sign with.

Official Sources I Referred To

• Rakuten Car Kaitori top page
• Rakuten Car Kaitori: How selling works
• Rakuten Car Kaitori: Rakuten points campaign
• MOTA Kaitori
• Next Generation Vehicle Promotion Center: CEV subsidy plan changes and property disposal procedures
• Next Generation Vehicle Promotion Center: Plan change and property disposal procedures (PDF)
• MLIT Tohoku District Transport Bureau: Changing from user to owner
• MLIT Kyushu District Transport Bureau: Documents required for registration
• Tesla Extended Warranty (Japan)
• Tesla Extended Service Agreement warranty terms (PDF)

Summary

Rakuten Car Kaitori and MOTA Kaitori turned out to be services with different ways of making dealers compete. MOTA lets you see the range of prices before meeting anyone, while with Rakuten Car only Rakuten contacts you.

We will use MOTA’s highest offer after the in-person inspection as the floor. I plan to add 22,000 yen to that and set it as Rakuten Car’s minimum reserve price. Before that, I will check the subsidy period and the loan documents.

While looking back on my time with the Model 3, I will follow the plan step by step. Along with my record from ordering to delivery of the Model Y L, I hope this helps anyone switching cars. At a turning point when your car’s fixed costs change, why not review your monthly phone bill as well?

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