For those who are or are planning to import some goods from overseas, the following guidelines may be of much help. I had to find out most of it the hard way. Much DIY stuff can be bought in SA via people who import audio components, but often you can get away cheaper and quicker if following the right guidelines. The same also applies to new gear that can cost much less than when bought at the local shops.
Even if you disregard everything here you'll still get your package, but these guidelines will just help to avoid unnecessary effort and fees, and to know what to expect in the various circumstances.
1) Wherever possible, order from the USA. For example even though SEAS is Norwegian and Scan-Speak Danish, they will be cheaper in the USA than in Norway and Denmark respectively. Furthermore, the United States Postal Service (USPS, not to be confused with UPS) is by a large margin the cheapest shipping method available from any country. Same applies to e.g. a Linn CD Player that's cheaper than in Scotland or the whole EU. Shipping from the UK is super high in particular.
2) Make sure that the seller adds all the necessary documentation, invoice (especially the declared value) clearly on the outside of the box. Any parcel which isn't perfectly in order is chucked aside by customs and dealt with last. I once had a package shipped to in SA in in only two days with a courier, only to have it stuck in customs for 6 weeks due to improper documents from the seller.
3) Surface mail isn't necessarily mailed by boat. It often is just low-priority airmail. The disadvantage of surface mail therefore is just the longer waiting period, and the risk of damage or theft isn't any higher since the actual handling is the same. The total time for surface mail is typically two months, and 3-4 weeks for airmail - the official time is 6 weeks and 7 days respectively, but that is just for reaching the country. Surface mail is roughly 50% the cost of airmail.
4) Specialized couriers such as UPS, DHL and FedEx should only be used in special circumstances. They have two big disadvantages: a) They are much more expensive than government shipping methods and b) the cost is determined by both the weight AND size of the package. They are indeed faster, but customs usually swamps this by the long waiting period for them to release it.
5) One of the mentioned special cases for couriers is for companies with accounts with them. Madisound is one of them with a FedEx account. In that case, the courier cost is approx. only 15% higher than standard USPS airmail instead of the normal percantage that's easily as much as 300%.
6) The documentation issue is even more important when using a courier. If something is amiss with USPS, you work with the Post Office/customs yourself. With a courier, they are the middleman that complicates everything since you deal with them and they deal with customs. This is fine for general admin but if something's wrong with the documents it becomes hell - you fax the documents, they give it to customs, customs complain, courier phones you back etc.
7) If using USPS, size doesn't account towards the fee. However, there are maximum values for the respective dimensions. Since they are very large, it usually isn't a problem, BUT the combined length and girth of the package is less than these two added together. In other words, the package may not have the maximum lengths of all its dimensions.
If everything is OK with a USPS import, you'll get a standard Post Office slip for collection, along with the amount due. For total declared value of less than $20, it is free of any charge. I do that with small stuff such as resistors and capacitors, and have it declared at $15 or so, even if it's closer to $200. That way it bypasses all the customs issues and arrives mcuh quicker and free as well. For most packages it's usually in the region of R30 or so. For a higher value, the amount comprises VAT and a few other fees. With a courier there are lots of diverse expenses besides the shipping costs such as "paper", "telecommunication" etc. that can push up the amount.
Concerning insurance, it's basically a gamble. Insurance itself is negligibly cheap, but the insured value is also the value on which the duty charges are calculated. Most vendors offer to reduce the value and some even do it by default, but the disadvantage is obviously that you are also only eligible for the reduced amount in case of damage or theft. So, determine a ratio of what you consider you'd be willing to lose - I usually work on 70% of the actual value but it depends on the value and shipping method. If you use a courier, you can drop the insurance value quite low since you're basically guaranteed to receive the package, and in good condition. So, for a small and lightweight yet expensive package, a courier with reduced insurance is a good option. Madisound with its special courier fees is therefore a very good choice to import from, since you don't pay much more shipping than for USPS, and you can reduce the declared value to any realistic amount.. I once got away with 10%. Don't go too way-out, especially for goods of known value, or people may start asking questions. Exotic speakers or capacitors etc. are fine though since there are no way for most people to tell the difference.
9) If the package is too large for USPS, either have something done to make it smaller or cancel it. The alternatives are a special courier crate that can cost easily thousands of dollars, or a freight company. I was forced to use the latter for my most recent purchase, and it came by Lufthansa Cargo. The amount was very high, still less than a courier but much more than with USPS airmail of the same weight. When it lands in SA, you have to contact the import agency. You then have to go to them at the airport and do a lot of paperwork, and pay them a nominal fee. You then have to take the documentation to the customs office next door and do more paperwork there. If the package is worth more than R500 (which is very likely if you use this means of freight), you may not clear it yourself, and have to hire a clearance agent. They charge typically between R600-R800. They will then take everything over, and you only have to pay them the other amounts due before you can collect the package. These amounts are 14% VAT and a "luxury" tax of 7% for audio equipment and related electronic goods. They are calculated a bit more complex though. Tho calculate the luxury tax, you have to raise the value of the item by 15%, and take 7% of that. For the VAT, you have to take the base value, add 10%, add the final luxury tax and take 14% of that total amount. As an example, if the item is worth R1000, the luxury tax will be R1000 x 1.15 x 0.07 = R80.5. The VAT will be (R1000 x 1.1 + R80.5) x 0.14 = R165.27. The total amount due on R1000 is therefore R245.77. Of course if the clearing agent is added this will be almost R1000 itself. With USPS you're also likely to pay the same fees, but you don't have to go to the airport, hire the agent or do all the paperwork.
10) Wherever possible, when buying used goods such as on eBay, try not to make it look used. With normal mail it shouldn't be a problem, but especially if importing it as cargo it needs special paperwork and is subject to other fines. Either classify it as new or as "general electronics" or whatever you can get by according to the nature of the item. Gift classification also works well.
11) Also with any goods, used or not, double-boxing is a good idea. For general components it isn't necessary, but a specially boxed item has the name and description of the contents printed very clearly. This can be a problem since it can easily be damaged in transit, and theft is a much larger possibility because the content is displayed much more prominently. I once lost a pair of expensive Boston car audio speakers I bought that way, and it according to the paperwork it got lost somewhere between the airport and post office. Double-boxing not only adds extra protection, it also hides the content from any people not looking specifically at the documentation.
