Supplier notes
HS cues for first cartons
Light export notes for neighbouring markets.
Carton labels before you even ship
If you're boxing up jam from Paarl or tiles from Butterworth, start your export paperwork at the label stage. This sounds basic, but nothing will slow your carton at the SADC border like a one-digit-off HS code or a missing country-of-origin statement. HS codes (the numbers customs scan for tariffs) are not just for big manufacturers. Even for five cartons from Richards Bay to Maputo, your invoice must match your box labelling, and both must match what’s on the SARS eFiling forms. Quick check: is the HS code on your invoice the same as the one your SADC certificate shows? The customs officer in Musina will spot if it isn’t.
Polokwane pickles, first Botswana order
Last March, Thandi Mokoena from Pickle Route in Polokwane called about her first cross-border crate heading to Gaborone. She’d got her invoice right, but I saw her packing slips used a slightly different product name. Her SADC certificate listed 'mixed vegetables', the invoice said 'farm-style pickles' and the HS code was off by a number. Small things, but she almost missed the Friday 2pm courier cut-off. Little mismatches like this hold up so many first-timers. She sorted it with a new supplier invoice and a trip to the freight warehouse with her ID and FICA pack. Next order, she used our Export Spark checklist and breezed through.
Quick cues for your next carton
Here’s my five-point check before I approve a first-time export label. Ticks on these keep your goods out of detention at Beitbridge or Lebombo. South African firms under twenty people can keep it simple, just use your normal invoice template and add these in:
- HS code (at least six digits) on every invoice and carton
- Business name and physical address (not just email) visible
- Country-of-origin listed (e.g. 'Made in South Africa')
- Supplier contact shown for queries
- Match all product descriptions across invoice, carton, SADC certificate and SARS submission
When suppliers hold up your first export
Some delays come from your own supplier. If you’re sourcing tins from a Durban wholesaler, make sure they give you their full product specs and HS codes upfront. For your banker, always hand over your SARS registration and proof of export (courier waybill or export invoice) when you pitch up for a new forex account. SARS almost always wants your CIPC certificate and bank FICA documents for your first VAT201 refund. This is not just box-ticking. Bank compliance officers at the branch are strict, especially after year-end. If you skip these steps, you might be buying time on hold or, worse, risking your entire order.
Keep your rituals, avoid last-minute stress
I’m not joking: export is mostly about habit. Make your own export label ritual part of Friday admin every week, even before your first order comes in. No need for fancy systems. Use your existing Excel invoice and just be religious about adding HS codes and supplier details. Once you nail the routine, you’ll be faster at month-end and less likely to trip up on a SADC certificate. If you need a nudge, we pair these routines with the Export Spark kit and a checklist you can keep on your wall. For more rhythm, check our cadence guide and if a supplier needs a nudge, point them to our supplier notes.
Share your wins, dodge the bottlenecks
Every win counts, even a small one. If you got a crate out of Richards Bay to Swaziland with zero questions at the border, you’ve done better than alot of bigger firms. Keep a record of which supplier invoices went through clean, which bank forms worked and who answered fastest at SARS. Our Export Spark kit and handoff guide can help you hand over routine exports to your ops person, so you can focus on sales. For more DIY resources, try our resource page.
