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[wizardofid]

The only thing left to pay would be customs and I expect it to be between R100-R300 for this device.

Okay cool

 

[wizardofid]

720p? Did you buy it just for the battery? .. and also what's that high fee for?

Rand/dollar conversion and paypal/FNB commision fees, R200 odd isn't half bad . Battery was definitely consideration number 1 and android os 2, after that CPU and RAM and ROM, OCTA CPU, 3gb ram and 32gig rom at 2.2K is a pretty sweet spot for a name brand.

 

[Zinator_RSA]

Rand/dollar conversion and paypal/FNB commision fees, R200 odd isn't half bad . Battery was definitely consideration number 1 and android os 2, after that CPU and RAM and ROM, OCTA CPU, 3gb ram and 32gig rom at 2.2K is a pretty sweet spot for a name brand.

That's the Redmi note 4 range though.. which is marginally better and has a great battery life too.

 

[wizardofid]

That's the Redmi note 4 range though.. which is marginally better and has a great battery life too.

I don't know it's it looks fugly Besides I want to give asus a go

 

[ebendl]

Interestingly enough my RGB light arrived today (it was shipped on it's own) -- no customs whatsoever. Shipped 3 days after the 4 white lights (19 October vs 16 Oct). Didn't go through Dubai.

70-80% of my packages come through with no issues and no customs charges.

Is it because you order below the limit or do you order things that are duty-free?

 

[ebendl]

The rest, I pay as it is still decent compares to local prices if the items is even available.

I have a spreadsheet that I used for mixed orders to do the cost per item include shipping and customs and split it down.

I just did this for my order. Ended up paying - shipping, customs, VAT, insurance etc. -- R309.89 per B&W Yeelight. Eina, considering I could have paid R239 per light had I bought in two packages of two bulbs at a time and the color one came in at R350.

But yes, still cheap compared to Takealot or other local guys - cheapest I found was R395.

 

[ebendl]

Does anybody know if Aramex or customs is really overloaded? My final package came in the 26th and has been on "customs: awaiting customer instructions" ever since.

Haven't had the call from them yet to confirm my details.
Sent emails with ID and invoice - nada.
Phoned and the International department (option 3 in 012 742 0300) doesn't pick up their phone.

 

[ZAGadgetReviews]

Does anybody know if Aramex or customs is really overloaded? My final package came in the 26th and has been on "customs: awaiting customer instructions" ever since.

Haven't had the call from them yet to confirm my details.
Sent emails with ID and invoice - nada.
Phoned and the International department (option 3 in 012 742 0300) doesn't pick up their phone.

Good day,

That number does not look correct for Aramex. If the package came with Aramex, they do the clearance through and not customs.

Please contact Aramex on 0114573000 and ask for the customs department. Else, call 0113903520 which is the direct line to that department. They are overloaded on Aramex side so don't usually call the customers anymore regarding anything. Please give them a call and they will resolve the issue.

Do note that for any incoming package with Aramex or DHL, the customs clearance is done by those companies. So the moment they land, always call the company and ask for the customs department. Once you get hold of them, ask them what they need for clearance just in case they are waiting for something from you.

Regards
KavZ

 

[bar1]

So i decided to try the express shipping, i placed an order 9 days ago, and it's currently sitting on "packed" for a few days.
whats the point in paying extra for quick shipping if it takes them so long to actually ship it?

 

[K3NS31]

So i decided to try the express shipping, i placed an order 9 days ago, and it's currently sitting on "packed" for a few days.
whats the point in paying extra for quick shipping if it takes them so long to actually ship it?

Was it in stock before you ordered? I made that mistake once.

 

[ZAGadgetReviews]

So i decided to try the express shipping, i placed an order 9 days ago, and it's currently sitting on "packed" for a few days.
whats the point in paying extra for quick shipping if it takes them so long to actually ship it?

It does really depend on them. I have noticed for a lot of mixed items, it can take a while to ship. Also does depend if they had it in stock. The can sometimes take 3 days to ship and sometimes 7 days. It varies based on item and warehouse. Also note, that once it is packed, it is then sent to the forwarding company who then arrange a tracking number and arrange with Aramex/DHL to come and fetch the item and that can take another few days. Most orders range from 2-4 weeks to be delivered.

I currently have 3 items from Aliexpress as it was to heavy to ship and it has been in transit for almost 90 days. Only just went to customs now and customs has a 1-2 month backlog for airmail packages (Aramex/DHL are not affected). Trust me, the extra is worth it. Won't get to you door in 3-7 days, but a lot more reliable then Airmail and not actually badly priced. I do agree that Aramex can communicate better though but if you get to know them, they generally do go the extra mile for you.

 

[ebendl]

Do note that for any incoming package with Aramex or DHL, the customs clearance is done by those companies. So the moment they land, always call the company and ask for the customs department. Once you get hold of them, ask them what they need for clearance just in case they are waiting for something from you.

Regards
KavZ

So it now has this status:

I took that as I need to send them some money, so phoned them for an invoice and they told me the package is below the limits and it would be delivered - likely tomorrow or early next week.

It's weird because previous ones never went to customs if it was low enough - Aramex just delivered it. And it does look like it expects some payment.

The value is $40 and on the invoice it was specified as "floodlamp".

Will see tomorrow!

 

[ZAGadgetReviews]

So it now has this status:

I took that as I need to send them some money, so phoned them for an invoice and they told me the package is below the limits and it would be delivered - likely tomorrow or early next week.

It's weird because previous ones never went to customs if it was low enough - Aramex just delivered it. And it does look like it expects some payment.

The value is $40 and on the invoice it was specified as "floodlamp".

Will see tomorrow!

It does seem like there will be some charges on this package.

Do note that all items have to be cleared. Even if it is valued under R500.00. It is just that the process for low valued items is a lot quicker then normal clearance and if they have cleared a package for you before, they will reuse your ID number and other information so speed up the process. Do give them a call today and ask for feedback as I believe they will have to submit for clearance.

Do note that if customs charge less then R100 for tax and vat, Aramex will not bill you. Maybe that what the person meant on the phone but they should not know the value as yet.

 

[ebendl]

The package is indeed on the way this morning, so I think you're right- it is probably less than R100.

Do they carry the cost then?

Also thought about whether I'd get a call again to confirm my name and address so makes sense that they reused it.

 

[Lazy_Steel]

Hi,

Uhm, I am considering ordering this https://www.gearbest.com/smart-watc...xWELQJv5s4sHX5WT_K3TInSlhUBgEJORoCQKgQAvD_BwE
as a Christmas present for my two brothers, but I am really confused on what the best course of action is. You see I live in a small town Excelsior, 9760, Free State and I am unsure what order method I should choose. I want to buy two of these watches and then use priority line as it cost apparently only R170 for both. Now the question is will they ship both the watches in one package or will there be two packages as the watches cost around R270 each and together they will be more than five hundred and will entail custom costs. Then there is the problem of Aramex delivering it to me, as I live like 130 km from Bloemfontein and I don't want to pay like R200 for courier fee + customs whatever it would be. So can someone please advise me what to do. Also, I don't really care if it takes longer to deliver via the post as long as they get here without any trouble. Thanks in advance.

 

[KleinBoontjie]

Hi,

Uhm, I am considering ordering this https://www.gearbest.com/smart-watc...xWELQJv5s4sHX5WT_K3TInSlhUBgEJORoCQKgQAvD_BwE
as a Christmas present for my two brothers, but I am really confused on what the best course of action is. You see I live in a small town Excelsior, 9760, Free State and I am unsure what order method I should choose. I want to buy two of these watches and then use priority line as it cost apparently only R170 for both. Now the question is will they ship both the watches in one package or will there be two packages as the watches cost around R270 each and together they will be more than five hundred and will entail custom costs. Then there is the problem of Aramex delivering it to me, as I live like 130 km from Bloemfontein and I don't want to pay like R200 for courier fee + customs whatever it would be. So can someone please advise me what to do. Also, I don't really care if it takes longer to deliver via the post as long as they get here without any trouble. Thanks in advance.

I live about 120km, outside of Cape Town. They delivered here, with no extra cost. What I've noticed, if they split into two parcels and send via Aramex, it won't cost you more. Don't know how they make up the cost.
Not sure about your postal though, I saw few people on here that had trouble with their postal codes. Maybe PM GearbestZA for assistance with that.
Also, that's great watches. Got both my wife and daughter a Mi Band 2, over a year ago. They love it.

 

[ZAGadgetReviews]

Hi,

Uhm, I am considering ordering this https://www.gearbest.com/smart-watc...xWELQJv5s4sHX5WT_K3TInSlhUBgEJORoCQKgQAvD_BwE
as a Christmas present for my two brothers, but I am really confused on what the best course of action is. You see I live in a small town Excelsior, 9760, Free State and I am unsure what order method I should choose. I want to buy two of these watches and then use priority line as it cost apparently only R170 for both. Now the question is will they ship both the watches in one package or will there be two packages as the watches cost around R270 each and together they will be more than five hundred and will entail custom costs. Then there is the problem of Aramex delivering it to me, as I live like 130 km from Bloemfontein and I don't want to pay like R200 for courier fee + customs whatever it would be. So can someone please advise me what to do. Also, I don't really care if it takes longer to deliver via the post as long as they get here without any trouble. Thanks in advance.

Good day,

As per beans100 reply, it is a hard one as you are in a remote area. The thing is, we don't want them to ship it with Airmail and we don't want you to pay more due to your location. My advise would be to order with the 9760 postal code. If they do complain about the address, you can ask them to update it to Bloemfontein postal code or you can have it shipped to me. Once it arrives, I will then arrange to courier it to you free of charge.

 

[Budza]

A search of this thread didn't find an exact answer:

Shipping Estimated Shipping Time Shipping Cost
Registered Air Mail 15 - 25 business days FREE SHIPPING
Priority Line 3 - 7 business days $5.21
Expedited Shipping 3 - 7 business days $56.36

How accurate is this?
Will it get to SA in a week then spend a month at customs?
Is $5 enough to get it here faster?
What is the advantage of the $56 shipping option?

Thanks!

 

[EFW1]

I have taken the plunge and ordered a Miband 2 from Gearbest using "Priority Line" delivery, but the process came to a grinding halt with Gearbest telling me in a support ticket:

"With Aramex,we can not ship your package out. Because we can not get the tracking number.
We advise you to change the regular mail."

Can somebody decipher this?

This is after a few exchanges, where I can get no clarity on why Aramex can't ship to South Africa. I'm definitely not going to use regular mail as I have lost an overseas delivery already in the past via "regular mail".

I'm going to cancel this order if they can't resolve this by this weekend or give me a clear answer... and then then it will be goodbye Gearbest forever for me!

 

[ZAGadgetReviews]

A search of this thread didn't find an exact answer:



How accurate is this?
Will it get to SA in a week then spend a month at customs?
Is $5 enough to get it here faster?
What is the advantage of the $56 shipping option?

Thanks!

The 3-7 days is an estimate. I notice that they can take a few days to pick up the item. Once it is shipped, it take 2-4 days to arrive in SA and 1-3 days to clear customs.

I have no idea how they ship for that price but it does work. The $56 is for DHL and it is quicker to fetch, arrive and clear customs but where DHL can do it in 3 days, I don't mind waiting the 6 days for DHL since the price difference is so big.