South Africa’s major imports from China include electric batteries, broadcasting equipment, and industrial goods. The reason is you can get all types of products at economical rates from the Chinese wholesale market.
This billion-dollar industry offers great potential to expand your business. Therefore, we have simplified the process for you to do shipping from China to South Africa.
How To Ship From China To South Africa?
If you understand the whole process of importing from China to South Africa, everything will be very easy for you. Here are the complete steps for your guidance.
1. Understand South African Market
So before you start your business, it is necessary to understand the market trends, dynamics, and country-specific laws. It will be helpful in finding the right product for your business. You need to know the yearly sales volume and seasonality of the item to go with the best option for your business growth.
On the other hand, you should check the trade regulations of South Africa to avoid additional taxes and fines. There are some products that are not allowed to be imported from China to South Africa. Therefore, you must have knowledge of those items before finalizing the product. A professional product hunter can help you in this regard.
2. Product Sourcing From China
It’s time to find the manufacturer of your product once you have finalized it. China’s vast market is ready to offer you several suppliers for bulk purchasing. You can find them on Alibaba, Made in China, DHgate, LightInTheBox, or other platforms. You have to contact ten to fifteen suppliers at a time, tell them your product requirements, and ask them for a quote.
Also, checking the sample quality is necessary before ordering in bulk, so request them to provide their samples. After that, by comparing their rates and quality, pick out the one offering reasonable rates while maintaining the quality. Moreover, you can check the customer reviews about them, their experience, or whether they are verified on the above websites.
3. Specify Your Incoterm
Selecting the right incoterm based on your budget is important, as it defines the terms of your agreement with the supplier. It is necessary for international shipping, such as from China to South Africa. It defines what is your and your seller’s role in the process of importing goods.
Some incoterms divide duties equally, while others place more responsibility on the seller. In contrast, as a buyer with a smaller budget, you must look and handle most of the process by yourself. Out of the eleven incoterms, the following are the most commonly used in shipping from China to South Africa.
- Ex Works (EXW): If you follow this incoterm, the supplier will only provide the items and you need to collect them from their store and ship them to South Africa.
- Delivered at Place (DAP): As the name shows, your items will be delivered to your specified location by the product seller in China.
- FOB From China: It stands for “free on board.” The Chinese supplier will load the goods onto the ship, and from that point, you are responsible for everything that follows.
- Cost, Insurance, and Freight (CIF): In this case, the seller is responsible for insuring the products and shipping them to the South African port.
4. Shipment Preparation
Now, you need to prepare your cargo for transportation. To do this, you can ask your seller to package and label them. The packaging material must be strong enough to resist any damage during shipping hazards. It may be an unexpected storm like a hurricane or heavy rain.
Moreover, proper padding should be used in packaging to ensure the goods remain intact and very much safe during the overall shipping journey.
On the other hand, the cartons must be labeled with the seller’s and receiver’s information. Their manufacturing origin (China), the number of items per package, and the handling instructions should be mentioned while labeling. Furthermore, the buyer’s address to receive the cargo should be included in it.
5. Select Your Chinese Shipping Agent
The shipping agent or the freight forwarder is the person who will handle the process of importing goods from China to South Africa. There are a lot of things to deal with, and an expert person can operate everything in a professional way. They know what are the common problems that you have to face and therefore, they have the right solutions for them.
A freight forwarding agency like Bansar will handle your logistics process smoothly at reasonable rates. We provide services to pick your cargo from any province in China and drop it in any city in South Africa. We also offer brokerage services for your cargo clearance from customs in both countries. In short, all your responsibilities will be handled by us.
6. Clearing Customs in China
Once your cargo arrives at your chosen port in China, it is required to pass through the customs department. The reason is some individuals may attempt to ship illegal items, so it’s necessary to protect the country’s interests and ensure legal compliance. Therefore, your shipment will undergo a thorough inspection. It will be checked against the prohibited products and provided documents.
7. Cargo Dispatch & Tracking
You are allowed to transport your cargo to South Africa once it is released from the customs authority. Your carrier will take care of loading your shipment onto the vessel or plane. If you feel any risk of damage or theft, you can take cargo insurance from your shipper or carrier. Once the goods are securely loaded, they will be dispatched from the port for their journey to South Africa.
As technology advances, a tracking tool has been developed to check the current location of your shipment during the haulage. Your shipper will provide you a tracking ID and the link to the tracking page. You need to enter the ID number on the page to view a map showing the updated location of the ship carrying your shipment.
8. Also Know Import Regulations in South Africa
For importing goods to South Africa, you are required to be a registered importer. To do this, sign up as a foreign principal on SARS (South African Revenue Service), and an agent is appointed to handle your imports in South Africa. On the other hand, you also have to pay import tariffs to customs authorities.
Customs Duties
The average duties applied on the imported goods are 5.8% of the FOB value of the shipment. However, the range varies from zero to 50% for different types of goods. The following table shows the applied duties for common South African imports.
| Imported Goods | Customs Duties |
| Jewelry | 45% |
| Fabrics | 22% |
| Apparel | 40% |
| Yarns | 15% |
| Vehicles (Cars & minibuses) | 34% |
Value Added Tax
You are required to pay 15% VAT on all your imports, calculated as 15 percent of the FOB value. It is calculated on the basis of ATV which is defined as Added-Tax Value. You can estimate it from the following formula:
ATV = Customs Value + Duty + (0.1 × Customs Value)) × 0.15
Where,
Customs Value = Total value of the goods
Duty = Any duty levied on the goods
0.1 = 10% of the customs value
0.15 = VAT rate of 15%
And the VAT is estimated by:
VAT = ATV × 0.15
9. Receive Your Shipment
Once you have declared through the customs of South Africa, your goods will be released from there. Now you can transport them to the location you want. You can move them to your resale store or warehouse for your e-commerce business. Moreover, the Amazon warehouse is also an option if you are working on an FBA model
Documents Required To Import From China To South Africa
The following documents are needed to clear the customs in South Africa.
- Single Administrative Document (SAD) is the requirement of SARS for processing import and export declarations.
- Original Bill of Lading with its three copies, the one must be negotiable, and the other two should be non-negotiable
- Original Commercial Invoice with its 4 copies
- Declaration of Origin Form
- Packing List-3 photocopies are needed
- Insurance certificate-one copy is required
- Import licenses (required for restricted goods)
4 Methods of Shipping From China To South Africa
You can use the following methods to import your cargo to South Africa. Some of these are expensive but efficient, while some are cost-effective but take a great amount of time.
1. Ocean Shipping
Transporting your shipment from China to South Africa by sea is called ocean shipping or sea freight. You can use this method for shipping every kind of product, and the best part is no limitations are applied to the amount of load. Sea freight is the best option if you want to import fuel tanks, cars, heavy vehicles, industrial machinery, medical equipment, clothing, wooden logs, furniture, or any type of item.
Because different types of cargo require specific containers, we offer a variety of container options to ship your goods. These include roll-on/roll-off, flat rack, double door, refrigerated ISO, drums, tunnel, insulated, open-top, and open-side containers. On the other hand, you can choose either a full container (FCL) or a designated space (LCL) within it for your cargo.
It depends on your shipment load. The two container sizes, twenty and forty feet, are commonly used in shipping. However, if your goods cannot fit into the standard container sizes mentioned above, you can opt for larger containers, though this is not generally needed. Sea freight is the most economical option but slower than all the other means of transportation to South Africa.
Important Seaports of China
- Port of Shanghai
- Port of Lianyungang
- Port of Jinzhou
- Guangzhou Seaport
- Port of Shantou
- Qingdao Seaport
- Beibuwan Port
- Port of Shenzhen
- Xiamen Seaport
- Port of Hong Kong
Major Seaports of South Africa
- Port of Coega
- Durban Port
- Port of Richards Bay
- Port Elizabeth
- Port of Ngqura
- Port of East London
- Walvis Bay Port
- Port of Johannesburg
- Port of Cape Town
- Saldanha Seaport
2. Standard Air Freight
Shipping by air is called air freight. It is usually used for importing expensive cargo from China to South Africa. Moreover, you can also transport goods like jewelry, documents, living animals, cell phones, frozen food products, vaccines, magazines, electronics, etc. The point that matters is that your cargo must not weigh more than 500 kg.
This is because most Chinese and South African airlines restrict cargo volume per shipment to the mentioned limit. This option is typically more expensive, with charges based on the volumetric weight. You can calculate it by multiplying the length, width, and height of the package with each other. After that, the answer is divided by 6000 to get the volumetric weight.
You can use the following airports for sending and receiving cargo between China and South Africa.
Main Airports in China
- International Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport
- Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (XIY)
- International Airport of Shanghai Pudong
- Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH)
- Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG)
- Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport (JJN)
- International Shenzhen Bao’an Airport
- Airport of Guangzhou Baiyun
- Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU)
- International Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
Major Airports in South Africa
- Cape Town International Airport (CPT)
- Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ)
- George Airport (GRJ)
- O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB)
- Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN)
- King Shaka International Airport (DUR)
- Kimberley Airport (KIM)
- Upington International Airport (UTN)
3. Expedited Delivery
Express or expedited shipping is used in emergency cases. Therefore, you need to pay higher charges to get this shipping service for transporting your cargo from China to South Africa. By using this method, your consignment is delivered to the airport of South Africa within 1 to 3 working days.
Top Express Shipping Companies
The following are the major courier service providers offering express deliveries from China to South Africa:
- UPS Express
- FedEx Express
- TNT Express
- DHL Express
- China Post Air Mail
- DPEX Express
4. DDP Shipping
With this shipping method, your shipment will be delivered directly to your door. Your freight forwarder will manage everything, from picking up the goods at the supplier’s manufacturing facility to delivering them to your warehouse. The customs procedures in both China and South Africa will also be managed by your agent. You need to make payment in advance to get this service.
Charges of Shipping From China To South Africa
The cost of importing cargo from China to South Africa is dependent on the shipment load and shipping mode. Below are the rates for different shipping methods:
Air Freight Shipping Cost
The air freight cost will decrease as the weight of the cargo increases. Therefore, sometimes it is economical for transporting shipments up to 500 kg.
| Shipment Load (kg) | Shipping Rates (Per kg) |
| 5 to 50 | $7 to $10 |
| 51 to 99 | $6 to $9 |
| 100 to 299 | $5 to $7 |
| 300 to 500 | $5 to $6 |
Sea Shipping Rates
For small shipments, LCL is the ideal choice, while FCL is better suited for heavy cargo.
| Shipment Type | Estimated Price |
| FCL (20-foot container) | $1700 to $1900 |
| FCL (40-foot container) | $3000 to $4000 |
| LCL | $30 to $60 per cubic meter |
Expedited Delivery Charges
You should use this method in case of emergencies, otherwise, standard air freight is an ideal choice.
| Service Type | Shipping Price |
| Express Shipping | $10 to $18 per kg |
Door-to-Door Shipping Cost
If you want a hassle-free experience, door-to-door shipping is the best choice.
| Shipping Mode | Shipping Charges |
| DDP by air | $10 to $15 per kg |
| DDP by sea (FCL) |
|
| DDP by sea (LCL) | $180 to $200 per cubic meter |
Delivery Time of Goods To South Africa From China
The shipping duration is different for ocean freight, air freight, and other modes. The table below shows the transit time for each of the modes. Although, due to unexpected storms or peak seasons, delays in shipment may occur. So you should have to remain patient and track it until it reaches the importing site in South Africa.
| Method of Shipping | Transit Time |
| Ocean Shipping – Standard | 20 to 30 days |
| Ocean Shipping – DDP | 30 to 40 days |
| Air Freight – DDP | 11 to 17 days |
| Air freight-Standard | 5 to 9 days |
| Expedited delivery | 1 to 3 days |
Here is the sea freight duration for port-to-port shipping:
| Departure Port | Arrival Port | Shipping Duration (Days) |
| Port of Tianjin | Cape Town | 38 to 40 |
| Port Elizabeth | 26 to 28 | |
| Durban | 25 to 26 | |
| Ningbo Port | Capetown | 24 to 26 |
| Durban | 21 to 23 | |
| Port of Shenzhen | Cape Town | 22 to 24 |
| Witbank | 20 to 22 | |
| Durban | 17 to 19 | |
| Port of Qingdao | Cape Town | 26 to 28 |
| Durban | 24 to 26 | |
| Port of Shanghai | Durban | 22 to 25 |
| Cape Town | 27 to 30 | |
| Zibo Port | Durban | 21 to 24 |
| Port of Xiamen | Cape Town | 27 to 29 |
| Durban | 20 to 22 | |
| Shiyan Port | Rustenburg | 22 to 25 |
| Port of Tonghua | Cape Town | 25 to 28 |
| Port of Suzhou | Cape Town | 23 to 26 |
Prohibited & Restricted South African Imports
It is important to know what you can and what you can’t import to SA to avoid fines and penalties. Here is the list of items that are prohibited (they are completely banned to transport in South Africa).
Prohibited Products
- Poisonous substances
- Narcotic drugs
- Cigarettes weighing greater than 2 kg
- Goods made in prisons
- Fireworks and explosives
- Unauthorized production of copyrighted goods
- Automatic unnumbered military items
- Counterfeit goods
Restricted Products
If we talk about restricted goods, you can still import them to SA from China. But for this purpose, you will need some extra documents and permits from Government officials.
- Ozone-depleting substances
- Used products include machinery, clothing, plastics, and motor vehicles
- Ashes, waste products, residue items, and scrap material
- Pork, beef, skins and hair of animals, bristles, hides, and poultry (sanitary-phytosanitary certificate is needed which is issued by DAFF)
- Fish products
- Ammunition and firearms
- Radioactive chemical materials
- Petroleum products
- Gambling equipment
To Conclude
Our expert team at Bansar has over 10 years of shipping experience. We offer affordable freight solutions, quick customs clearance, and additional services to simplify shipping from China to South Africa. Whether you’re handling it yourself or need professional support, we’re here to help. Reach out today to get more shipping details.
