THE HONEST GUIDE TO IMPORTING
Everyone talks about importing from China.
Nobody sorts the paperwork.
You've watched the videos. You've been scrolling Alibaba at midnight. Finding a product is the easy part. Here's what actually happens between paying a supplier in China and stock arriving at your door in South Africa.
Find the product
The part everyone focuses on. Pick something you can sell for 3 to 4 times its landed cost, not its Alibaba price. Landed cost is the real number: product, shipping, duties, VAT and clearing fees combined. Most first importers compare selling price to the supplier's price and wonder later where the margin went.
Vet the supplier before you pay anyone
Use verified suppliers with trade assurance, order samples first, and never pay the full amount upfront. A 30% deposit with the balance against shipping documents is normal. If a supplier pushes for 100% upfront on a first order, walk away.
Know your landed cost before you order
Every product imported into South Africa has a tariff heading that sets its duty rate. Some products carry 0% duty, some carry 20% or more, and you pay 15% VAT on top of the lot. Confirm the tariff heading before you order, not when the invoice arrives. Guessing this number is how "cheap stock" becomes expensive stock.
Choose your shipping properly
Sea freight is cheap and slow (roughly 4 to 6 weeks), air freight is fast and expensive. If you're not filling a container, you'll share one (called LCL). Agree who pays for what leg upfront: EXW means you pay from the factory floor, FOB means the supplier gets it onto the ship and you take over from there. FOB is usually the sane choice for a first order.
THE STEP THE COURSES SKIP
Get your paperwork in order before the stock ships
This is the step that decides whether your shipment clears or sits.
- Your own SARS importer's code. Legally required to import commercially. Applied for before your goods land, not after.
- APN, if you're paying a supplier more than R50,000 in advance. Required for the bank to release the payment.
- NRCS Letter of Authority, if your product is regulated (most electronics, appliances, tyres). Without it your goods can be detained even with a valid importer's code.
Clearing and delivery
A clearing agent handles the customs entry when your shipment arrives, but they clear it on your importer's code, on your behalf. Importing on someone else's code means someone else controls your shipment when SARS has questions. Get your own, then let the agent do their job.
Where it goes wrong
Port storage and demurrage are charged daily from soon after your container lands. When a shipment can't clear because the paperwork isn't in place, those charges run every single day while you scramble to fix it. The stock still costs what it cost. The margin is what disappears. Almost every horror story we see comes down to paperwork that should have been sorted weeks before the goods shipped.
"Sort the paperwork before the stock ships. That's the whole difference between importing and paying storage."
Mark Boucher, founder of CustomsDirect
35 years in customs. 10 of them inside SARS, approving applications exactly like yours. Then years handling customs disputes at one of SA's leading maritime law firms. This guide is how he briefs his own clients.
START WITH STEP ZERO
Your supplier needs 30 days to make your stock.
We need 24 hours to make you legal.
SARS allows a casual concession of roughly three shipments a year for personal use. The moment you're importing to sell, you legally need your own importer's code. It's the first thing your freight forwarder, clearing agent and bank will ask for. Order it now, and it's ready before your samples are.
Handled end to end by Mark Boucher and his team. Questions first? WhatsApp 084 636 1870.
CustomsDirect is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with SARS. Guide provided for general information, not formal customs advice.