Importer / Exporter | Career Planet

OFO No: 142101

What is an Importer or Exporter?

IMPORTER

An Importer is someone who imports (legally brings in) goods from a foreign country into South Africa to sell.

EXPORTER

An Exporter is someone who exports (legally gets and sells) goods from South Africa to a foreign country.

What does an Importer or Exporter do?

research and source goods that would be profitable to sell
meet and negotiate with old and new clients/companies
network to source new clients/companies to work with
calculate costs (profits and loss)
arrange shipping whether by road, rail, air or ship
logistically plan the entire process (production/packaging/legal paperwork/transportation/client liaison)
meet strict deadlines
trace lost shipments
keep records and extensive bookkeeping for tax purposes
keep up to date with South African import-export laws
travel locally and abroad

Are you … ?

entrepreneurial?
observant?
a risk taker?
an out-the-box-thinker?
quality driven?
organised and methodical?
a person who pays attention to detail?
a logistical thinker?
a person with head for business?
good at mathematics?
a good negotiator?
good at communicating (reading and writing)?

The Law:

Becoming a legal Importer or Exporter or both, requires a lot of paperwork.

SOUTH AFRICAN REVENUE SERVICE: SARS

SARS has all the information and the strict laws on how to go about …

IMPORTING:

http://www.sars.gov.za/ClientSegments/Customs-Excise/AboutCustoms/Imports/Pages/Imports.aspx

SARS has all the information and the strict laws on how to go about

EXPORTING:

http://www.sars.gov.za/ClientSegments/Customs-Excise/AboutCustoms/Pages/Exports.aspx

IMPORT EXPORT SOUTH AFRICA LICENSES:

In South Africa, by law, you have to have an Importers, Exporters or Import & Export license. This can be done through:

http://www.importexportlicense.co.za/

Once you have your license, then you need to apply to the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) for an import permit.

How do I become an Importer or Exporter?

To become a successful Importer, Exporter or both, you really need a good head for business and a background in accounting. Actually, formal training in accounting would be extremely beneficial. See under ‘Accountant’ and ‘Bookkeeping’ on our website for more details.

TETA Seta advises you complete an FET Certificate in Exports NQF Level 4 and 5.

You will need a Matric/Grade 12 with Mathematics and Geography.