importing via amazon

the 5870 is going for $390, which is about R3000... thats almost 1500 less than most local suppliers for now..
 
the 5870 is going for $390, which is about R3000... thats almost 1500 less than most local suppliers for now..

Dont forget when shipping from the USA to South Africa to add: VAT (Calculated at 15.4% on imports), shipping costs and if you use a forwarding agent that US Sales tax could and local delivery fees would be applicable too.

If you using a credit card your credit card company will also add between 2 and 3.5% over and above the mid market forex rate (the rate quoted online at say xe.com).

Most courier companies will also levy a Customs agency fee of some sort for each shipment they have to submit to Customs even if only VAT is payable.

You should also include the cost of shipping insurance.

thus a $390 item, with delivery in the USA +/-$10.00, local tax +/-10% 39.00, freight forwarding of +/-$40, VAT $60.06, insurance $8

Total $547.06 (mid market rate R7.50 + 3.5% = R7.76) R4245.00 plus you can expect around R50 - R300 Customs agents fees. $390 quickly becomes R4300.00

If you are shipping non computer items, duties are likely to be payable too.
 
There's another option for getting stuff from the US: http://www.forwardit.us/ - you buy it and have it sent there, then they forward it to your SA address. You have to pay them a fee, obviously.

A $380 HD5870 card from newegg ends up costing ~R3600 from forwardit.us. I sent them an e-mail to get the costs involved.

We charge you what we pay for shipping, so shipping costs would be dependent upon the package's weight and size; however, based upon the estimated weight and size of the item you are interested in shipping with FedEx would cost $68.75. This is of course just an estimate, it may be slightly more or less depending upon the package's actual weight. This however should be fairly accurate for shipping. Our fee is $9.99 per website ordered from; additionally, if the order is over $200 in value we add a 3.9% fee to cover credit card processing fees.
 
thats still a saving of over R1000,- so still worth it if u ask me
 
Dont forget when shipping from the USA to South Africa to add: VAT (Calculated at 15.4% on imports), shipping costs and if you use a forwarding agent that US Sales tax could and local delivery fees would be applicable too.

If you using a credit card your credit card company will also add between 2 and 3.5% over and above the mid market forex rate (the rate quoted online at say xe.com).

Most courier companies will also levy a Customs agency fee of some sort for each shipment they have to submit to Customs even if only VAT is payable.

You should also include the cost of shipping insurance.

thus a $390 item, with delivery in the USA +/-$10.00, local tax +/-10% 39.00, freight forwarding of +/-$40, VAT $60.06, insurance $8

Total $547.06 (mid market rate R7.50 + 3.5% = R7.76) R4245.00 plus you can expect around R50 - R300 Customs agents fees. $390 quickly becomes R4300.00

If you are shipping non computer items, duties are likely to be payable too.

- For direct shipment you will not pay the local state taxes.
- the bottom line is if you want a cheap shipment get together with a bunch of guys and organise a group buy(10+ items) you will get a better price, and ca split the import costs, which on computer parts are normally fixed as the weight is so low compared to value
 
so far, with all the gfx cards i have ever had... a good 5-6, in a period of 10+ years, i have never had to send any back...

the main reason i am looking to import is that i get very peed off when the recommended retail price of an item locally is about 3999, and the local shops add an extra 500-1000 on top of that...
 
so far, with all the gfx cards i have ever had... a good 5-6, in a period of 10+ years, i have never had to send any back...

the main reason i am looking to import is that i get very peed off when the recommended retail price of an item locally is about 3999, and the local shops add an extra 500-1000 on top of that...

I've also never had to send back a gfx card.

It's ridiculous that it's cheaper to import one single card than it is to buy it in a SA shop. I mean what's the point of bulk ordering by SA suppliers if we can import one single card for significantly cheaper?:confused:
 
might just get it shipped to my bro in the uk, and he can then send it on to me..

checked the uk site for the stuff i want, and its cheaper to buy it from the states and ship it

Pay tax twice.

UK customs charge tax.
SA customs charge tax.
 
How reliable are they?

No idea. But they are probably just as reliable as anyone else. With all international transactions there is an element of risk. You have to weigh up the risk vs the reward (i.e. savings). For me, if the margin isn't big enough (i.e. the savings margin) then I'd rather pay a bit more and get it local.
 
They want it all - your money that is!

There is a range of (SoundSpa) alarm clocks I am interested in, one of them being the SS-5500. It's $49.99 in the USA direct from the supplier or from Amazon. How on earth does it end up selling for R1,475 here? :wtf:
http://www.wantitall.co.za/PC-Hardw...0-Clock-radio-with-time-projector__B002FG5FES
Homedics SoundSpa Sunrise SS-5500 - Clock radio with time projector
Product sold by: www.Amazon.com (0 average rating) Our Price:R 1,475.00(eB 14750)

Retail Price: R 2,001.00 You Save: R 526.00 (26%)

Delivery Time: 13 to 20 Working Days
 
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will i pay customs on books? i am ordering 50 pounds worth of books during this free delivery special so am just wondering?? anyone know.
thanks in advance.
 
boots afaik 40% duties, plus vat...
I ordered some books last year, IIRC I only paid VAT on the value of the order. No customs duty. I could be wrong. 40% sounds way too much as I know that the books were still significantly cheaper than ordering from kalahari.net
 
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