However, not many South African consumers are aware of the regulations involved with importing products purchased online from international retailers, which could lead to consumers incurring additional expenses, thereby making the product less of an attractive buy.
One of the most common misunderstandings is often because of consumers not being fully aware of the current regulations that apply when goods are imported into the country. All shipments transported across international borders must be cleared through customs, where, depending on the type of goods being shipped, they may also be subject to certain other restrictions and regulations.
There are goods such as clothing that attract high rates of duty and are subject to interventions by customs where the price, contents and country of manufacture are often interrogated to mitigate a wide range of risks. Confirming any possible restrictions attached to particular goods is vital and should be the first action taken by consumers before making a purchase online in order to avoid suffering any financial losses if goods are detained by customs.
When purchasing goods online from international retailers, it is important to bear the following factors in mind to avoid additional costs or a delay in delivery of the goods:
Main costs
There are three main costs associated with the movement and clearance of goods with express operators:
In most instances, the shipper at the point of ordering the goods cannot accurately determine the duties and taxes payable in the country of destination and does not include these costs in its quotations to the customer. As a result, on arrival into South Africa, these charges are billed to and payable by the customer before the package can be claimed - often to the customer's surprise. This ultimately could result in the landed cost (the total amount of all costs) of the e-retail merchandise becoming much more costly for the buyer than expected and could potentially put them off repeat on-line purchases.
There are however e-retailers that offer Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) terms, which confirms that all costs, inclusive of the duties, taxes and clearance costs, are payable by the shipper and that the customer is not responsible for any surprise costs.
It is advisable for consumers to speak to the online retailer or a local expert/service provider should they be unsure about any regulations that may apply to their purchase.