Hundreds of used cars from Japan and South Korea have accumulated in the port of Vladivostok, arriving after December 1 or without timely submitted documents for the preferential recycling fee. Owners expected to take advantage of the reduced rate, but due to changes in the rules, the recycling fee has increased many times over — instead of 3.2 thousand rubles, now you need to pay up to 2.5–3 million. The Ministry of Industry and Trade announced the increase in rates back in September, and responsible importers warned customers about delivery times, but many relied on "maybe" and thought they would make it on time.
The Russian car market is structured in such a way that intermediaries receive their percentage when concluding a contract — usually 200–300 thousand rubles per car — and then the client is only concerned with paying customs duties and the recycling fee. Logistical delays, force majeure or weather conditions, as happened at the end of December in Japan and South Korea, are entirely the responsibility of the buyer. The ship, which was supposed to arrive on November 28, entered the port only on December 2, and the cars were subject to a new, higher tax.
Options for returning the car back to the country of export are almost impossible. A certificate is issued for export, and the return will require approval from Japanese customs and verification of the ship's route. Any attempts to circumvent these rules may put the ship under a "black mark" and create big problems for exporters. Even if the company agrees to a return, the logistics costs will fall on the buyer and will be extremely unprofitable.
Resale to third countries is possible, but requires a customs transit procedure, time to find customers and оформление документов. Any error in closing the transit or untimely registration in the warehouse threatens fines. In addition, the process of finding buyers in Kazakhstan or Belarus is complicated due to restrictions on the use and inspection of the car in the customs warehouse.
On the territory of the Russian port, a car can be in a temporary storage warehouse (TSW) free of charge for only 20 days, then a fee of 5 thousand rubles per day is charged. After four months, customs may recognize the car as unclaimed and seize it as state revenue, which leads to a complete loss of both money and the car. Any attempt to sell a car inside the country with an unpaid fee is almost impossible, since the documents and registration remain with the old owner.
In practice, this creates a field for fraudsters: tempting offers of "Skoda Octavia at the price of Lada Vesta" or loans at 3–4% per annum attract buyers, but almost always turn into hidden costs. At best, the client receives a cheaper car with inflated loan terms and additional insurance.
Experts note that the Russian market is not able to independently cleanse itself of such schemes. Intermediaries act within the framework of the law and the contract, but in fact build a business on the gullibility and ignorance of buyers. Anyone who is late for the preferential recycling fee risks losing significant funds, and the car may end up in state revenue.
The situation with the increase in the recycling fee highlights the structural problems of the Russian car market: dependence on intermediaries, restrictions on return and resale, bureaucratic difficulties and high risk for customers. Those who counted on the benefit and believed in "maybe" face the fact that a delay of even a few days turns into multi-million losses, and there are practically no legal ways to compensate.
