Frequently Asked
Questions.
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Services
Explained.
WHAT DO WE DO?
We provide personalised & affordable courier solutions; specialising in shipping all extra baggage you have accumulated during your stay in South Africa. Be it a 6'ft wooden giraffe; the most delicate china set; or just a bag full of clothes you no longer need with you on your adventure.
We handle every aspect of your precious shipment professionally and with the utmost care, so that you are able to enjoy the rest of your holiday stress-free and focus on making the most of your adventure.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
DOOR-TO-AIRPORT
After we receive your goods, we arrange for it to be put on a flight to your home-airport of choice.
We process your shipment and email you the airline handling agent’s contact and flight details, as well as provide you with all the documentation you will require for customs clearance at your destination. (This includes waybill, inventory, invoice and proof of payments).
You then present this documentation to customs, who should have an office at the airport, to facilitate clearance. Thereafter you can collect your goods from the handing agent, usually at the cargo section of the airport. The airline handling agent adviser can inform you of the customs procedures at each specific airport, the exact location of where you can collect your goods, as well as any other queries.
DOOR-TO-DOOR
We arrange for your goods to be collected and then sent with a reputable freight agent, who will facilitate transit, customs clearance and delivery of the shipment to your chosen destination address.
Please note: Some countries customs officials' require the client to do their own customs clearance or insist on the use of a clearing agent – at an additional cost.
Door-to-Airport rates are generally about 20-40% cheaper than Door-to-Door rates.
How Long
Does It Take?
Transit time normally takes 5 to 10 working days but will be confirmed by the Excess Luggage adviser via email. We will endeavor to have your goods arrive on a date that suits you; however, shipments are sometimes delayed due to factors which are entirely out of our control, e.g. customs backlogs, lack of flight availability and off-loading of goods by the airline.
Volumetric
Weight.
Volumetric weight is the space which the goods will occupy and is calculate with the below formulas.
Door-to-door
{Length (cm) x breadth (cm) x height (cm)} ÷ 5000.
Door-to-airport
{Length (cm) x breadth (cm) x height (cm)} ÷ 6000.
Domestic
{Length (cm) x breadth (cm) x height (cm)} ÷ 4000.
length
how to measure your goods
breadth
height
Airline Restrictions Explained:
Airlines have 2 restrictions: weight and space. It is standard industry practice to compare the actual weight of a shipment and the volumetric weight, and charge the higher
of the two.
eg. It is due to the volumetric weight factor being applied, that a souvenir wood giraffe weighing only 15kg actual weight can end up being charged for 58kg volumetric weight.
{Length (65cm) x breadth (37cm) x height (120cm)} ÷ 5000. (Door-to -door) = 57.72kg > 58kg
Are There
Additional Charges?
Handling Fees
Will be charged at point of destination for all shipments. This differs from airport to airport and from airline to airline.
There is no way of knowing, at the point of booking, which airline will best suit your requirements, and it is thus impossible to accurately predict the amount for these charges.
The airline handling agent adviser at destination can give you an indication and in all cases these charges should be minimal.
Storage
Storage is charged, with immediate effect, once your goods get to their destination.
It is imperative that your goods are collected on the day of arrival, to avoid incurring additional storage charges.
There is no charge for storage whilst your shipment is with Excess Luggage, awaiting shipment.
Customs
Clients are liable for any taxes/duties/costs for specialised clearance procedures.
If the personal effects goods exceed your weight allowance, we do not foresee any customs charges, however some countries require special clearance for personal effects, which incur additional costs.
It is difficult to predict certain procedures and charges beforehand as customs laws are different in every country and are constantly changing, Contact us so we can advise you to the best of our knowledge.
Insurance.
Excess Luggage, is unable to insure your goods directly, but can be arranged through a registered insurance broker. This is in line with the financial services regulations of South Africa.
For Door- to-Door shipments we can offer ALL RISK insurance, covering breakage, theft or any damages.
The insurers charge a premium of 3.5% of the value of the goods with a minimum premium payable of R200.
We can only offer TOTAL LOSS Insurance for Door to International Airports. The insurers charge a premium of 2% of the value of the goods with a minimum premium payable of R200.
In the unlikely event of filing a claim, there will be an excess of R1000 deducted from the amount that is settled by the insurers.
All claims are to be reported to Excess Luggage within 7 days of collection/receipt of your shipment.
Packing
Goods.
For the safe and secure movement of your goods, we can arrange for your goods to be crated with a laminated honeycomb craft paper package. The cost for your crating requirements can be estimated by the Excess Luggage agent at the time of booking.
Crating may alter the volumetric weight, but exact amounts will be confirmed via email before implementing any charges.
Tracking
Goods.
Once you’ve booked, we will send you the relevant website address and your Master Air waybill number and you can track your shipment with this Air waybill number.
However, we will email you and keep you informed of every movement of your shipment throughout the entire process.
Requirements &
Restrictions.
REQUIREMENTS FOR AFRICA CURIOS AND HIDES:
African wood crafts, e.g. statues, carvings or picture frames need to be fumigated before leaving South Africa. This is in accordance with the regulations of the International Standard on Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM 15) – guidelines for regulating wood packing material in international trade.
Further details relating to this can be found on the website of the International Plant Protection Convention at: http://www.ippc.int. Excess Luggage can arrange this for you at a cost of approximately R350. The exact amount will be confirmed via email before charges are implemented.
Ostrich eggs and animal hides need a clearance certificate from the State Vet, and MUST be obtained from the shop at which the goods are purchased.
These goods must also be fumigated before shipment at a cost of approximately R350. Please note that plant and animal product are restricted commodities in New Zealand or Australia, Europe and the UK. Shipments into Australia are subject to an AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Services) inspection and may be held in quarantine on arrival into Australia. See http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis for further information. The client is liable for any charges incurred in this process.
VAT &
Claims.
For all vat related queries visit: http://www.taxrefunds.co.za.
The VAT refund claim can be submitted as a postal refund, and can only be done by you. The following documentation is required:
- The original tax invoice from the shop where you bought the goods.
- A copy of your passport showing your personal details, entry and exit stamps.
- A copy of our invoice for the shipping of the goods.
- Documentary proof that the goods were declared for Customs purposes in your home country.
- A copy of the Waybill – issued by us.
- A postal refund procedure form – which can be downloaded from the website.
- These documents can be sent to: P O Box 107 O. R. Tambo International Airport 1627, South Africa within 3 months of exporting the goods and the vat refund will be processed for you.