In South Africa, tax compliance determines whether you can sell,Consumer protection laws determine whether you can be the subject of a complaint, have your product removed from shelves, or be required to issue a refund.. And it is precisely the latter that Chinese sellers are most likely to overlook.

Article 43 of the ECTA: What Consumers Must Be shown Before Making a Payment

Section 43 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA) is South Africa’s core disclosure rule governing online transactions. It requires that, when a consumer makes a payment,beforehand, Suppliers must make the following information available:

• Supplier's Full Name and Legal Status
• Physical Address, Phone Number, Website, and Email Address
• Company Registration Number, Registered Address, and Information on the Responsible Person (if applicable)
• If you are registered for VAT, you must disclose your VAT number.
• Whether to join a self-regulatory or professional organization, and how to obtain the code of conduct
• A description that is sufficient for buyers to understand the product or service they are purchasing
• Total price, including taxes, shipping, and other fees
• Accepted Payment Methods
• The terms of the agreement, and how consumers can access, store, and copy those terms
• Delivery or Performance Schedule
• Returns, Exchanges, and Refund Policy
• Dispute Resolution Mechanisms (if applicable)
• Security Procedures and Privacy Policy
• Consumers' Cooling-Off Period Rights Under the ECTA

Article 43 also requires that consumers be provided with aReview transactions, correct errors, and cancel orders before final submissionopportunities. In practice, key information on the shopping cart page, shipping information page, pricing and taxes, terms and conditions checkboxes, and the final checkout button should not be hidden until after payment is made.

Seven-Day Cooling-Off Period: Not Applicable to All Products

Article 44 of the ECTA grants consumers the right in most electronic transactions toSeven-Day Cooling-Off PeriodThe right. For goods, the period begins on the date of receipt; for services, it begins on the date the contract is formed.

The law also lists exceptions, including certain financial services, auctions, food and daily necessities delivered to a residence or workplace, services that begin within seven days with the consumer’s consent, custom-made or personalized goods, goods that cannot be returned due to their nature or are perishable, unsealed audio-visual products and software, newspapers and periodicals, gambling services, as well as accommodation, transportation, dining, and leisure services with specified dates.

The practical lesson here is:Do not directly copy the phrase ”Refunds are not supported” from the general template to the South African site.. The appropriate return and exchange policy depends on the product attributes, sales channels, ECTA exceptions, the rights granted under the CPA, and any more favorable commitments you have made.

CPA Add-on: Six-Month Implied Warranty

The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) applies in parallel with the ECTA, rather than as a substitute for it. The three key points that online retailers need to pay the most attention to are:

1. Plain Language: Product descriptions, checkout terms, and shipping and return policies must be easy for the average buyer to understand
2. Price List: Prices, fees, shipping costs, and promotions must not mislead consumers
3. Six-Month Implied Warranty: Section 56 of the CPA grants consumers the right to request repair, replacement, or a refund for goods that are ineffective, unsafe, or defective within six months of delivery.

In addition, Article 46 of the ECTA addresses performance: if a supplier fails to fulfill an order within 30 days of the order being placed (or within the agreed-upon timeframe), the consumer may cancel the order seven days after providing written notice; if the goods or services are unavailable, the supplier must notify the consumer and issue a refund within the statutory timeframe.

A Practical Checklist for On-Site Inspections

• [ ] The company's full name, registration number, physical address, phone number, and email address are fully disclosed in the website footer or on the ”About Us” page.
• [ ] If you are registered for VAT, your VAT number will be displayed on the checkout page.
• [ ] The product page displays the total price including tax; shipping costs are clearly stated when the item is added to the cart.
• [ ] The checkout process includes a review step where users can go back and make changes, rather than proceeding directly to payment in a single step
• [ ] The return policy distinguishes between three levels: the statutory cooling-off period, the CPA warranty, and voluntary commitments by merchants.
• [ ] Specify the delivery timeframe in specific days, rather than ”ship as soon as possible.”
• [ ] The Privacy Policy and Security Statement are available on a separate page and can be downloaded
• [ ] The customer service email address is a valid contact address; both the platform and regulatory authorities may use it to contact us.

Why did this become important in 2026?

Compliance for e-commerce in South Africa is not addressed through a single approach: CE-01 filing governs entity identification, VAT governs taxation, while ECTA and CPA governThe act of trading itself. As local platforms tighten their review standards for merchant pages, incomplete disclosures are increasingly becoming a direct reason for being barred from listing. Sellers operating independent websites should pay particular attention—while platform stores can still rely on the platform’s standardized templates as a safety net, independent websites are entirely on their own.

Qicaiying can assist with South African company registration, VAT and CE-01 compliance, and collaborate with local legal resources to refine transaction terms and consumer policies.