Shopping from overseas: 7 questions before you pay

1. What exact item and seller am I paying for? Confirm model, variant, quantity, condition, accessories and stock status.
2. Where does it actually ship from, and will it reach South Africa? A rand price or local-looking domain is not dispatch proof.
3. Which customs and product rules apply? Confirm value, origin, tariff, permits and your cumulative personal-import value; small parcels are not automatically tax-free.
4. Which charges are already paid? Keep the invoice for item price, shipping, VAT, duty and carrier work; identify who fixes duplicate collection.
5. What could still be charged? Confirm carrier and card costs. Unknown amounts stay open; the VAT uplift is not a separate cash fee.
6. How will I pay safely? Check the real approval details, currency, bank limits and dispute deadline. R100,000 is the relevant SARB per-transaction permission, not a guarantee your card will accept it; EFT is not a card chargeback.
7. How will a return work? Get the address, deadline and postage quote. For covered online goods the ordinary cooling-off period is seven days, with exceptions; ask about the customs refund procedure before re-exporting.

Checked 5 October 2026. Private goods delivered in South Africa. Ordinary import VAT is 15% of the applicable added tax value; the 10% uplift where applicable is only a VAT-base adjustment. Product, origin and procedure affect duty. R150,000 is a cumulative personal-import threshold; R100,000 is the relevant SARB per-transaction card permission, subject to issuer controls. Cooling-off and import-tax refunds have conditions. Ask for an estimate before paying and check the final assessment after import. Unknown costs are not zero.
https://shopping.muchita.ai/guides/online-shopping-abroad-south-africa/checklist/