How to import from GearBest and more

[thehuman]

Ordered 2 items from gearbest , this my tracking so far , via Buffalo +- R1k
could it skipped customs ?

any one could share full tracking from start to delivery please.

 

[Dan C]

Ordered 2 items from gearbest , this my tracking so far , via Buffalo +- R1k
could it skipped customs ?

any one could share full tracking from start to delivery please.

View attachment 622040

Next will be 'Clearing', 'Cleared' , 'In Delivery' etc.

You most likely won't pay customs.

 

[xrapidx]

IIRC it was "Air shipping registered", but it seems like they have changed many of the descriptions and options since then

EDIT: I think many of the websites have burnt their fingers with our proudly SA'n SAPO and have now created better options

Confirmed - Bangood also use Buffalo now - just got notification of an item I tried to order at the beginning of the month.

 

[Suspect99]

Gearbest is annoying me again. Bought a bunch of small items. Half of them shipped and I got them quickly. The others are "out of stock" and they keep on pushing the date up. Yet the item is still on flash sale. And it says "241 pieces left"

 

[thehuman]

Ordered 2 items from gearbest , this my tracking so far , via Buffalo +- R1k
could it skipped customs ?

any one could share full tracking from start to delivery please.

View attachment 622040

Ok items cleared, according to tracking, was not contacted yet for payment or id number

2nd half of order shipped today small items 5$ worth of items.

 

[Dan C]

Ok items cleared, according to tracking, was not contacted yet for payment or id number

2nd half of order shipped today small items 5$ worth of items.

Expect the local couriers to collect tomorrow and it will be on the way. No duties.

 

[kolaval]

What's up with gearbest not shipping my order/s?
Are they waiting on stock for certain items?

I order on the 15th, and pay via paypal.
First they split because of warehouse locations.
Then I see the orders are just sitting there so eventually I click on "Dispatch Faster" for order B.
Now they've shipped the 2 phones(R550 import duty btw) but not the mix box that is part of B.
Order A also has not shipped yet, and I'm worried that if I click "Dispatch Faster" it will also be partly shipped.

 

[ld13]

Order A also has not shipped yet, and I'm worried that if I click "Dispatch Faster" it will also be partly shipped.

In the past I was an avid Dispatch-Faster-Clicker.... until I realised they simply split the goods over multiple parcels and in turn use up one of my import allowances and rack up some fees/duties too.

 

[HibiscusTunes]

Ordered 2 items from gearbest , this my tracking so far , via Buffalo +- R1k
could it skipped customs ?

any one could share full tracking from start to delivery please.

View attachment 622040

Paid VAT on $6 with buffalo this week.

 

[thehuman]

Ok items cleared, according to tracking, was not contacted yet for payment or id number

2nd half of order shipped today small items 5$ worth of items.

It on way to port Elizabeth, seems no duties

 

[RedViking]

Ordered 30$'s of stuff from AliExpress using AliExpress Standard Shipping . Should be here in 3 months if it has not been stolen. So far I have received it for the last two years. The first time (2017) I ordered, after 60 days I didn't receive it, AliExpress refunded me. 30 days later (so about 90 days in total) it arrived. I was stupid then and ordered from 3 or 4 different suppliers, which means 4 packages x R24 (post office fee). So I told them to sent it back again. Last year was just a small item. This time I only ordered from one supplier but a bunch of stuff. Will see what happens.

 

[airborne]

That is Buffalo, and is the best option to ship to South Africa at the moment.

What is Buffalo shipping?

 

[ld13]

What is Buffalo shipping?

It is a direct-to-SA courier service that is cheap and efficient. Real cheap - starting at under R50 for a small parcel and custom clearance fees starting at just R10. Real efficient - with delivery times that you can count in the weeks instead of months. My first parcel took 8 days while the rest have averaged at around 15-ish days. Your mileage may vary due to the last-mile courier that Buffalo uses depending on where you are located. Some have reported that they use PAXI while they e.g. use Fastway for me. Banggood calls it South Africa Direct Mail while Gearbest calls it Priority Line: South Africa Express. Not all the Gearbest warehouses can ship with this shipping method and it seems to be limited to the CN warehouse (look for wid=1433363 in the URL of the product).

 

[airborne]

It is a direct-to-SA courier service that is cheap and efficient. Real cheap - starting at under R50 for a small parcel and custom clearance fees starting at just R10. Real efficient - with delivery times that you can count in the weeks instead of months. My first parcel took 8 days while the rest have averaged at around 15-ish days. Your mileage may vary due to the last-mile courier that Buffalo uses depending on where you are located. Some have reported that they use PAXI while they e.g. use Fastway for me. Banggood calls it South Africa Direct Mail while Gearbest calls it Priority Line: South Africa Express. Not all the Gearbest warehouses can ship with this shipping method and it seems to be limited to the CN warehouse (look for wid=1433363 in the URL of the product).

Do you also get the value under R500 customs exemption with them?

Does each parcel they handle get counted against your 3 parcel international limit before asking for importers code?

This is great news as I stopped ordering stuff because of how useless the PO has become combined with their R24 per parcel charge.

 

[thehuman]

Do you also get the value under R500 customs exemption with them?

Does each parcel they handle get counted against your 3 parcel international limit before asking for importers code?

It luck of the draw , my first parcel on way to port Elizabeth and was never charged customs or import code r1k worth of stuff

 

[RenaldoJ21]

Is it still worth the risk buying a phone from gearbest?

 

[ZAGadgetReviews]

Is it still worth the risk buying a phone from gearbest?

Depends what you are buying. A Xiaomi phone or anything from Hong Kong, I would be careful with Aramex shipping issues or very high customs charges. Anything from China mainland and shipping with BuffaloEx, then you should be good to go. I have not had any issues with BuffaloEx at all thus far. Maybe a bit slow at times but only once it arrives.

 

[Dan C]

Gearbest changed their website look ... nice

 

[Bundu]

just had a parcel from Banggood delivered via Buffalo in 8 days! Amazing!

anybody here that buys from Fasttech? Do they also have a cheap and fast option?

 

[RVR]

It is a direct-to-SA courier service that is cheap and efficient. Real cheap - starting at under R50 for a small parcel and custom clearance fees starting at just R10. Real efficient - with delivery times that you can count in the weeks instead of months. My first parcel took 8 days while the rest have averaged at around 15-ish days. Your mileage may vary due to the last-mile courier that Buffalo uses depending on where you are located. Some have reported that they use PAXI while they e.g. use Fastway for me. Banggood calls it South Africa Direct Mail while Gearbest calls it Priority Line: South Africa Express. Not all the Gearbest warehouses can ship with this shipping method and it seems to be limited to the CN warehouse (look for wid=1433363 in the URL of the product).

I just found a light/chandelier that has free shipping "south African direct mail". Are you sure that's it's buffalo express? Because if it's then that would be great, especially if it could avoid customs as it's below the R500 mark etc.