Shein has taken the world by storm. For locals, Shein South Africa has provided a cheaper alternative to products that are not readily available in South Africa. As an entrepreneur, you can capitalise on the company’s brand and reach to create your own business.
Shein is a global fashion and lifestyle e-retailer. The e-commerce platform connects its suppliers to a global supply chain. This allows Shein to get products to customers around the world.
Recently, the South African Revenue Services (SARS) imposed new import taxes on smaller items of clothing. This law only applies when products are be bought from global online shopping retailers like Shein.
If you are an entrepreneur, you can capitalise on the new regulations and turn Shein into a business.
1. Bulk Buying
Bulk buying is when you purchase large amounts of a product, usually at a discounted price. On Shein, people buy large amounts of clothing and other products to lower their custom duties.
You can take advantage of this by buying bulk orders for multiple people at once. The more you spend on Shein South Africa, the less custom duties you will pay. You can charge people a fee according to how much they order. For example, if someone orders for R 1 500, you can charge them R 400.
The fee you charge includes the money you pay in customs and the money it takes to deliver the clothes to them if you decide to do deliveries.
2. Shein Discounts
Shein South Africa offers various discounts to customers. The discounts are a percentage of a certain spend amount. For example, you get 10% off if you spend over R 990.
You can turn these discounts into a business. By bulking up the orders, you can use the discounts and ensure you save money for people who do not want to order a lot of products. You must collect your discounts (all of them) and get customers to send you their orders.
Like the bulk buying business, you can charge your customers a small fee for your service. If you want to charge more, you can offer to deliver their orders.
3. Shein Product Reviewer
Shein South Africa has an offering in which you can earn money by reviewing their products. On the Shein Free trial centre, you can apply to become a product tester/reviewer.
Becoming a product tester, you will have to apply for free trials on items that are eligible. You are allowed to apply for free trial items three times a week. If selected, Shein will ship out the products to you for free.
Once received you will need to take photos of the clothing, write the review and post it within 10 days. If you have issues uploading your review, you can contact the company at freetrial@shein.com.
This free trial programme can get you access to free clothing that you can sell to others. Alternatively, you can post the reviews online and make money through affiliate marketing.
The better your review the more points you get and that will lead to even more points and free clothing!
4. Shein Dropshipping
This is another great way to turn Shein South Africa into a business. You can use Shein for dropshipping if you follow their terms. Dropshipping is a great way to make extra cash. Additionally, it’s a great option for first-time entrepreneurs.
Dropshipping is a model where you are the middleman between the customer and Shein. Shein does not allow you to use their product pictures to showcase the products. You will need to order your own products and use your own photos.
These are just a few examples of how you can turn Shein South Africa into a business. Before starting, you need to take into consideration the following:
- Regulations and laws around e-commerce.
- Market demands.
- Costs of starting a business around Shein South Africa.
- Profitability.
- Competition landscape (if there is a monopoly going).
Shein South Africa will continue to grow. If you are a new entrepreneur you can utilise the platform’s international brand and reach to grow your business.
If you need more information about becoming a reseller, read our article on how to do reselling right.
