Shipping Inquiry to South Africa

[Nickupero]

Hi gents, just reaching out to anyone who's had experience shipping to South Africa, final destination would be Johannesburg.

Who is a recommended carrier, is South African post trustworthy for these type of items? FedEx a better option?

Two people who immediately come to mind are Brian and Ford, any past experiences are welcomed.

 

Thank you in advance for your input!

[Brian]

Nick,

Generally, SA Post office is very reliable, if not maybe a bit slow. Have never had a parcel go missing this side. But customs can be difficult. Your buyer will pay 14% vat, even on antiques. And you need to clearly state "antique, older than 100 years" or he will pay extra duties.

Best to enclose an invoice for the total, as they sometimes want proof of value.

Declare as "antique Japanese art sword, older than 100 years" or something similiar.

I only use EMS, as it is fast, trackable, insurable and reliable. But not sure if Canada has EMS. If not..then I guess fedex is best, although I never use them. They are expensive.

There are no laws around knives, swords etc. so no problem there. All in all, no problems shipping here using any method. But try and avoid normal post, as postale strikes here are slowing everything down. So EMS or Fedex.

Not many collectors here, we are a very small community. Ask the buyer if he is a member of our small South African Japanese Sword Society, and if not then please direct him my way.

 

Brian

[peterqu]

Hello Nick,I have stopped using Fedex because I have become tired of arguing with them over what it describes as a clearance disbursement which is in fact a 1% fee on the stated value for clearing the item.This can become expensive on a big ticket item and they will fold if challenged but who wants to leave a very expensive item in Customs whilst you argue with them.EMS is efficient and fast with an item taking 5 days for delivery from Japan to Durban and a day less in Johannesburg ,the point of entry.The problem your purchaser may encounter is where the invoice is in excess of about $2000.They will sometimes allow a one off entry but second time round if it is valued for more will require an import permit.A number is granted on application which will suffice so this is not a lengthy process and there are agents who handle these applications.Other than that I suggest you read Darcy's excellent article elsewhere on the Forum if you have not already done so and quote the Code for importing antiques to avoid the purchaser having to pay Import Duty.I must say that I find our Customs Dept very easy to deal with which was not always the case.Regards,

[Brian]

Agree with everything Peter said.

I looked it up, and seems EMS in Canada is called Xpresspost International. This would be the way to go.

 

Brian

[Nickupero]

Thank you both Brian and Peter for taking the time to explain.

Brain your right, Expresspost International is listed as EMS in Canada.

 

I'll make sure to point him towards the South African Japanese Sword Society.

 

Thanks again!!! :D