Amazon.co.za launching in 2024

ToxicBunny said:
None of the international Amazon entities provide this "transshipment" ability like you talk of.

If its available on their site locally, thats what you can get.
Click to expand...

Bummer, it would be welcomed with open arms.

I'm going to call it now, it will be a carbon copy of Takealot with a few Amazon things thrown in.

If I'm wrong then I'll crack an egg open on my face. Remind me in ~2 years.
 
Rickster said:
Bummer, it would be welcomed with open arms.

I'm going to call it now, it will be a carbon copy of Takealot with a few Amazon things thrown in.

If I'm wrong then I'll crack an egg open on my face. Remind me in ~2 years.
Click to expand...
Probably, and you'll still need to use overseas Amazon to get all the nice stuff.
 
UB40 said:
This. It will draw even more new customers to Amazon. I too have not bought on many occasions because I fear something goes wrong within the warranty period and then you're stuffed sending the faulty goods back overseas..
Click to expand...

I bought a HyperIce massage machine thing from Amazon US. It stopped working after a few days, got in touch with Amazon and they gave me a full refund without sending the thing back. It was in the range of $350 iirc correctly so about R6000ish.
 
Spizz said:
I bought a HyperIce massage machine thing from Amazon US. It stopped working after a few days, got in touch with Amazon and they gave me a full refund without sending the thing back. It was in the range of $350 iirc correctly so about R6000ish.
Click to expand...
The USA is pretty good with that. Many years ago our rackmount 3000VA APC inverter at work bombed out after 3 years. We contacted APC and they sent us a new one the following week. The courier delivered it and didn't even take the old one back.
 
I wonder about their other services like Amazon Music, podcasts etc ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Yuu
Rickster said:
Bummer, it would be welcomed with open arms.

I'm going to call it now, it will be a carbon copy of Takealot with a few Amazon things thrown in.

If I'm wrong then I'll crack an egg open on my face. Remind me in ~2 years.
Click to expand...

It was always going to be a carbon copy of Takealot with a few Amazon things thrown in.

BUT, Amazon do have an international logistics network that Takealot can't compete with so there is a likelihood we'll see some new and interesting products available on the site after it establishes itself.
 
Missed opportunity for a Black Friday in SA. Could have shown the retailers here how it is suppose to run.
 
Priapus said:
No, I think they will be different as they'll be able to bring in more international stock and store it in the fulfilment centres.

BobShop / Bidorbuy should be worried.
Click to expand...
No they wont, they have to follow the manufacturers world-wide agreements. They will just be another takealot plus their own products with bob like third party sellers with all the drop shipping chinese electronics.
 
I wonder if Amazon having a local presence will lower the cost of import items from Amazon US.

I just wanna get a decent monitor without going bankrupt. The monitor market in SA is so ****. 250USD monitor will sell for 10K+ locally. Makes no sense.
 
ScottulusMaximus said:
Yes. So say I want to deliver to a buyer on a Takealot sale in Pretoria, with my warehouse in PTA. I have to deliver to the DC in JBG, at my cost and you HAVE to use one of their chosen couriers and the pricing THEY decide. It then needs to be sent back to PTA with the Takealot delivery team, again at the pricing THEY decide.

Then there is a huge list of requirements for them to accept the package at the DC like it has to be in an unbranded box, certain barcodes attached etc, there's like a 90min video explaining this. In my view it's deliberately convoluted so people just say F it and store products at the DC so Takealot makes more money on storage fees.

BoB has implemented a system where you must book the courier through them as well, a bit less cumbersome but they're still skimming off the top and locking you into fees.

I'd have to change my entire setup to list my batteries on Takealot as they are warehoused and delivered by a company not on their list. BoB I can still do but have to go to the warehouse to collect the unit and have their couriers collect from the office and charge upwards of double the rates I get from my courier, I've stopped all enhancements on my BoB sales as a result, just isn't worth it.
Click to expand...
The way I read it is Amazon will allow seller fulfilment which will be a game changer?
 
Last edited:
Rickster said:
The only concern I have is that will Amazon ZA have the same products as takealot?

People buy from Amazon US because they can't find it available locally.

Or would they be able to ship from Amazon US warehouse to the ZA warehouse cutting out some of the cost if one was to order from Amazon US directly?
Click to expand...
If they set it up like that they can bulk ship orders further reducing costs and most importantly as a registered South African based business they may be able to import the orders and pay duties on their cost price not the full US retail price and hence bring down prices even further.

They will probably “dropship” some items in that manner which they list on the ZA store.
 
Last edited:
The_Imp_ZA said:
I wonder if Amazon having a local presence will lower the cost of import items from Amazon US.

I just wanna get a decent monitor without going bankrupt. The monitor market in SA is so ****. 250USD monitor will sell for 10K+ locally. Makes no sense.
Click to expand...

Will make zero difference.

The best you can hope for is that Amazon's buying power allows them to get better supplier pricing.

But your monitor example doesn't factor in 15% Vat + 25% duty + 7% ad valorem duty + shipping.

Ignoring shipping and a profit margin your 250USD monitor is around R7200.
So yes companies are milking us in SA, but not necessarily as badly as you think.
 
I've got a friend in a niche market of certain device types that sells on Takealot and he's been wanting to get his own eCommerce site finalized because he said Takealot has very very bullying tactics for sellers and they refuse to adjust returns policies. They basically turned his business into a rent-use-and-return service for some very expensive hardware that is supposed to be sold outright because of their blanket approach to returns that doesn't adapt to all sellers.

Now however he's thinking of jumping ship to Amazon when they launch.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X