How to Make the Most of Importing Goods from Abroad

Online shopping, by and large, is the future. The prevalence and unequivocal success of virtual retailers like Amazon in the US, along with Takealot and PriceCheck here in South Africa shows the online retail space is only going one way: up.

International sites often have seriously impressive sales and product variety – but shopping internationally from South Africa is still a little bit tricky to manage. That being said, even with our currency not being incredibly strong there are a ton of bargains to be had, and with the aid of Postbox Courier and some of our tips, you can get a slice of the action, too!

Buy Small 

Shipping for products is primarily calculated according to size and weight – so buying extremely large items from far-flung countries like the US, China, or the UK isn’t a great idea. Smaller electronics, clothes or other items that are light and small make for the best items to buy online because they won’t drive up the shipping price.

Keep updated with international sales and specials

We’re still getting a hang of the whole ‘sale’ thing here in South Africa, but overseas, they’ve pretty much perfected the art. Northern hemisphere countries obviously have inverted seasons to us Saffas, so when their seasonal clothing is rotating, for example, they’ll have sales on items we’ll still be paying full price for. Additionally, shopping holidays like Black Friday are absolutely massive overseas, so it’s worth it to keep a frequent eye on what their sites are offering.

Team Up

This is probably the best tip for using Postbox Courier’s great service – because one of their biggest benefits is consolidating multiple orders into one shipment. Get in touch with friends and family who also have shopping lists for items from international online stores so that you can split shipping. If you’re buying alone then paying for shipping individually can be a pricy prospect, but if you’re splitting it our or five ways it suddenly becomes a far more appealing idea.

So the next time you need to get some retail therapy done and you start browsing online, remember that ordering from international retailers is easier now than ever before. Get in touch with some friends, place your orders, and let Postbox Courier do the rest!