China and South Africa are located on different continents. So, there are only two available shipping options for you – Air and Sea freight services. Besides, you can use express shipping services to import your goods from China.

Different services have their own policies and shipping rates. Incoterms are also a big factor while importing to South Africa. Incoterms don’t only affect the shipping responsibilities but also affect the price.

1.1. Air freight.

Air freight is fast and will ship your goods to South Africa securely. You can ship your goods in under five days to South Africa by using air freight. Air freight is fast, and therefore the cost is also higher. But if you need fast delivery, they can help you with that.

Air freight uses chargeable weight. It depends on two parameters – Volumetric weight and gross weight. The greater weight will be considered to apply price on your shipment. So, before making a shipment, please calculate the chargeable weight of your goods to avoid any financial issues in the future.

Another thing you should know is you can not import any type of good using air freight. They have some limitations for security purposes. For example, you can not import lithium batterie by air freight. The highest weight you can carry is 3000 Kg. But we will recommend you to use air freight for more than 500 kg as that will not be cost-effective.

1.2. Sea freight.

If you are looking for cheap shipping from China to South Africa, you must be looking for sea freight. South Africa has eight major seaports. And as you know, China is a country full of ports. So, there are very good ocean freight transportation systems between these two countries.

Sea freight is slow compared to other air shipping, but the shipping cost is also very low. If you are importing bulk quantity products from China or planning to import regularly, sea freight should be the option you should opt for.

When it comes to ocean shipping, many clients get confused seeing two options – FCL and LCL. Let us clear that for you.

LCL

LCL is a cheap shipping option if you are not shipping a huge volume from China. Many small and medium business owners use this shipping method to reduce their shipping costs.

In LCL shipping, you book space in a container. You will pay for the space you are going to use. Here are some of the advantages of LCL shipping

• It is a cost-effective shipping solution compared to FCL.
• Maximum use of 20 or 40 ft container.
• Secure package
• Low risk
• Best for small to medium businesses.

If you want to use LCL shipping, first, you have to contact a freight forwarder. Shipping agents from China to South Africa play a big role here. You have to pick a good freight forwarder that will handle your LCL shipping.

You have to provide them with an accurate description of your goods. The freight forwarder will arrange the space for you in a container.

Presou is famous for LCL shipping. We have special expertise, and we offer the most competitive price for LCL shipping. If you are looking for the best LCL shipping from China to South Africa, don’t forget to ask for a quote from us.

FCL

In FCL, you have to book an entire container. You have two options for containers – 20 and 40 ft containers. This is by far the cheapest shipping from China to South Africa.

But as you can not share your container with any other shippers, you must have a huge amount of goods to fill a 20 or 40 ft container.

FCL shipping from China to South Africa has the following advantages:

• FCL is secure as you don’t share your container with others. There is no chance of contamination of your goods.
• Tracking FCL shipment is easier.
• FCL is faster than LCL shipment as it doesn’t stop in several ports.
• FCL is the cheapest shipping from China to South Africa for large volume of products.

The process of FCL is similar to LCL. You have to find a freight forwarder and send them all the details. The freight forwarder will then arrange a container for you.

FCL is a flexible, secured, and relatively fast ocean shipping method. But this is a suitable method for heavier goods such as cars, bikes or if you have a huge amount of goods.

Here is a video describing how to ship to South Africa