Old Sun, a Guangzhou-based seller of small home goods, was preparing his store application materials in April of this year when Takealot suspended cross-border merchant onboarding. The suspension lasted 33 days.

When the platform reopened in May, he submitted an application but was rejected—the platform required all three of the following: “at least six months of registration,” “proof of cross-border e-commerce experience,” and “an invitation from a business development manager.” He was missing the last one.

In 2026, Takealot's merchant onboarding policy changed completely.The era of “unregulated growth” has come to an end, and the selection of “established players” has begun.

01

Three Major Challenges After the Restart

Requirement 1: Entity Requirements. A mainland business license is required; individuals and shell companies are excluded.

Requirement 2: Registration Duration. The license must have been registered for at least 6 months; newly registered licenses are not accepted.

Requirement 3: Operational Background. You must provide proof of cross-border e-commerce experience—existing product listings on platforms such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and AliExpress are considered hard currency.

In addition,By invitation only from business development managers... Self-service applications are not available. This has completely cut off the opportunity for many sellers who “heard they could apply and decided to give it a try.”

Why have the entry barriers been raised so high? The root cause is the disruption of the platform’s ecosystem—some cross-border sellers are selling counterfeit goods, infringing on intellectual property rights, and have low fulfillment rates for direct-mail orders, forcing the platform to take internal corrective measures.

Comparison of New and Old Policies for Joining Takealot in 2026

📌 If you're considering setting up a store on Takealot but haven't met the requirements yet, we recommend first building a solid foundation with your store data on platforms like Amazon and AliExpress, and then applying in six months.

02

5 Types of Products Most Likely to Get “Stuck in Customs”

South Africa has strict certification requirements for imported products, with inspections conducted by both customs and online platforms.

Home Appliances:It must comply with South Africa’s 230V voltage standard, and the plug must be a South African-specific three-prong plug (SANS 164-2).

Wireless Products:It must be certified by ICASA; otherwise, it cannot be listed.

Cosmetics:SABS certification is required; NRCS certification is required for certain product categories.

Food:An import license, a health certificate, and an ingredient test report are required.

Children's Toys:SABS safety certification is required, and age-appropriate warnings must be included.

If any certification is missing, the goods will be detained by customs upon arrival. If the goods remain detained for more than 30 days, the consignee will be required to pay storage fees; if detained for more than 90 days, the goods may be auctioned off or destroyed.

03

Why Is It Said That We Are Still in a Period of Growth?

Although the barriers to entry have risen, Takealot remains a growth market worth investing in for 2026.

Its dominance in web traffic remains solid.In March 2026, traffic reached 21.35 million, compared to just 8.47 million on Amazon South Africa during the same period. Amazon launched its South Africa site in August 2024, but currently operates only one FBA fulfillment center and has not yet opened registration to international sellers.

The competitive landscape remains a blue ocean.The total number of Chinese sellers on the platform is less than 5,000. Compared to the highly competitive “red ocean” markets in Europe and the U.S., many product categories remain largely untapped, and it’s still common for listings to generate orders as soon as they go live.

High cash flow efficiency.Takealot automatically settles delivered orders every Thursday, with a T+14 payment cycle. Compared to Amazon’s 30-day+ payment hold, this offers vastly superior cash flow efficiency.

TFS Logistics will be launching soon.Takealot posted its first full-year profit in fiscal year 2025/26 and announced that it will fully open its TFS logistics capabilities to third-party sellers in South Africa in fiscal year 2027. TFS is the platform’s in-house warehousing and distribution network, and its revenue surged 93.5% year-over-year in fiscal year 2026.

Once this logistics system is opened up to the outside world,Small and medium-sized sellers will receive a full suite of fulfillment services, including “warehouse intake, picking, packing, and last-mile delivery.”... is a great opportunity to lower the barriers to compliance.

04

Four Practical Steps to List on Takealot in 2026

Step 1: Establish your credentials as a “legitimate business.” Your business license must have been registered for at least 6 months, you must have verifiable sales links on cross-border platforms (such as Amazon or AliExpress), and your products must have all required compliance certifications.

Step 2: Apply through an authorized business development manager. Find an officially authorized business development channel (such as AMZDH) to submit your application and obtain an invitation code.

Step 3: Product Selection and Testing. Start by testing products using the self-fulfillment model. Once a single product achieves stable daily sales, switch to TFS. Once TFS is running smoothly, move to an overseas warehouse.

Step 4: Compliance with Logistics Declaration Requirements. South African customs strictly enforces regulations against under-declaring the value of goods; the declared value must match the actual selling price. Do not under-declare the value to avoid paying customs duties.

Takealot's entry requirements have risen, but it remains a blue ocean.It’s more cost-effective to enter now than to wait for the threshold to rise further.

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