Lately, many cross-border sellers have been asking me one question:

“Is it really worth doing business with Takealot in South Africa right now?”

To be honest, if you only look at information online, it’s easy to end up with a polarized view.

Some say this is the next blue ocean—the competition on the platform isn't that intense yet;
Some people say that the South African market is too small, logistics are slow, and the barriers to entry are high, so it’s better to stick with Amazon.

So this time, we didn’t just review the data; we went to the South African market specifically to conduct on-site research. After seeing it for myself, I feel I can speak frankly about a few things.

Lately, many factory owners have been asking me: “Is it possible to open a Takealot local store right now?” “Can I set up a store just by registering a South African company?” “My products […]

Lately, many cross-border sellers have been asking:

“Is Takealot in South Africa still in business?”
“Is it too late to get involved now?”
“Is it really that much of a hassle to register a South African company and set up a local store?”

To be honest, before I went to South Africa, I had a lot of questions myself.

Everyone online says South Africa is “Africa’s blue ocean market,” and Takealot is South Africa’s leading e-commerce platform, but are there really opportunities in this market? Once Chinese sellers enter the market, what are the actual challenges they face?

To get to the bottom of these issues, our Qicaiying team traveled to South Africa specifically to conduct a field study.

After this fact-finding trip, my biggest takeaway is:

Takealot in South Africa isn’t for everyone, but for sellers with established supply chains and long-term plans, there is indeed still a window of opportunity right now.

There’s a widespread claim online that the only compliant way for individuals in China to set up a company overseas is to register under Document No. 37. This statement has misled countless business owners. Many panic as soon as they hear it, scrambling to find agents to handle the process for them. They spend money and submit the required documents, only to be told in the end that they don’t meet the eligibility requirements and the application cannot be processed.

In 2026, an increasing number of European and American sellers who were doing well on Amazon and eBay began to view Meitiao as their “second growth curve.” It wasn’t that “business in Europe and the U.S. was no longer viable […]