USS put more cars through its auctions in July-September than a year earlier, and sold a smaller share of them. The used-car auction operator said on 5 October that listings across its group venues reached 937,430 units, 114.7% of the same quarter last year. Completed sales were 607,650 units, 108.5% of last year, and the sell-through rate was 64.8% against 68.6% a year earlier.
The figures are preliminary results from one operator's venues. They are volumes, not prices, and the release gives no data on what cars fetched.
Quarter and half-year compared
The six months from April to September show a smaller gap. Listings were 1,887,810 units, 109.5% of last year, and completed sales were 1,226,652 units, 108.4% of last year. Sell-through for the half was 65.0%, against 65.6% a year earlier. That leaves the quarter as the weaker stretch for conversion within a half-year in which sales still grew.
| Measure | Jul-Sep 2026 | Jul-Sep 2025 | Apr-Sep 2026 | Apr-Sep 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cars listed | 937,430 | 816,984 | 1,887,810 | 1,724,682 |
| Cars sold | 607,650 | 560,082 | 1,226,652 | 1,131,181 |
| Sell-through rate | 64.8% | 68.6% | 65.0% | 65.6% |
| Sessions held | 210 | 218 | 419 | 434 |
Where the quarter's gap opened
The quarterly venue table shows listings rising at most venues. At the Tokyo venue, listings were 238,410 units, 117.4% of last year, while completed sales were 155,151 units, 109.3% of last year. Sell-through there was 65.1% against 69.9%. The Kyushu venue listed 73,858 units, 123.3% of last year, and sold 53,793, with sell-through of 72.8% against 77.8%. The venue the release names Kobe listed 32,685 units, 137.1% of last year, and its sell-through was 60.0% against 67.8%.
Not every venue followed that pattern. Yokohama completed 39,688 sales in the quarter, 96.8% of last year, on listings at 102.2%. Fukuoka listings were 95.2% of last year, and its sales were 96.1%. The JAA venue had the lowest sell-through in the table, 37.1% against 43.3% a year earlier.
Reporting changes to keep in view
USS changed how it counts venues and sessions this period. From this period, it shows the Shikoku venue's results separately; they were previously included in HAA Kobe. The Nagoya and Hokuriku venues are now linked and hold joint sessions, which the company counts as one session for both venues together.
That is why the quarter shows 210 sessions against 218 last year, and the half-year shows 419 against 434. USS says the like-for-like count on last year's basis would be 222 sessions for the quarter and 438 for the half. The session count is therefore not a sign of fewer auction days. The release does not say how the venue changes affect the unit totals.
The release does not put numbers on what drove listings up faster than sales, and it gives no sales prices. Any read-through to vehicle values, export demand or USS's share price would need other evidence.