EPA warning for North American customers

This is a very important warning.

North American customers will almost certainly run into EPA issues when buying used excavators from China. However, not every sales company will tell customers about this. As a result, many machines end up being detained by customs and eventually have to be sold at a lower price to other countries.

Two months ago, I told Jon that it would be better to clear customs through Florida instead of California. Clearly, that information is now outdated.

After speaking with many salespeople, I have found that this problem has recently become more and more serious.

Some salespeople told me, “What the customer wants to buy is the customer’s decision. I am only responsible for selling the machine. Customs clearance is the customer’s problem.”
Many customers are also extremely confident and believe they can handle everything themselves.

Of course, this is just an excuse to shift responsibility, and it clearly shows a lack of professionalism.

Fortunately, before the excavator was shipped, Jon confirmed the situation with his customs broker, Mac J. They discovered that the SANY SY75C with an Isuzu engine he purchased could not enter the United States, whether it had an EPA label or not. The reason is that this model and that engine originally did not come with EPA certification. Any EPA labels available for them must be purchased through the gray market, and that approach no longer works.

Here is my sincere reminder to everyone.
When buying a used excavator, you must clearly confirm whether the machine comes with its original EPA label.

The EPA certification is like a birth certificate. It proves that the engine was manufactured in the United States, is American, and already has U.S. citizenship. In other words, it is simply returning to its home country.
Bringing an engine without EPA certification into the United States is like a foreigner trying to immigrate. Therefore, as long as the engine has its original EPA certification, there should be no problem.

The vast majority of used excavators in China do not have EPA labels. To sell them to North America, some sellers buy EPA labels from the gray market. These labels are copied from other North American machines and then attached to the equipment you purchase. This practice carries significant risk, because experienced customs officers can often spot inconsistencies in small details, and those details are rarely perfect.

That is why, before purchasing any equipment, you must check both the machine model and the engine model. If it is obvious that they were manufactured in China and are not models intended for sale in North America,the best decision is to walk away immediately.

Some EPA labels are installed directly on the engine itself, not on the excavator body. Machines with this type of engine-based EPA certification are generally safe to pass through customs.

So if you are not sure whether a machine was produced in China, focus on the engine itself. If the excavator does not have EPA certification, another option is to purchase a properly EPA-certified engine and install it. Although this increases the initial cost, it is still usually cheaper overall than buying the same machine locally in North America.

In fact, you can think of it this way. What you are really buying is the engine. The excavator is simply a frame that carries the engine.

This also means that if you are a North American buyer, you cannot engage in large-scale used excavator imports from China the way buyers from India or Africa often do.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

Finally, Clayton, if you're watching this video, you should already know that I've never lied to you. I've never made promises to you about things I wasn't certain of myself.