In July 2025, Temu announced a partnership with logistics providers to establish a local warehouse in South Africa. While Temu doesn’t physically own the warehouse, sellers can manage their inventory and logistics more efficiently. This move benefits South African buyers by reducing import fees and speeding up deliveries for select items labelled “local warehouse.” These products are stored within the country and usually skip standard import duties, with customers paying a flat delivery fee of R75 for orders over R650.
I recently experienced paying a hefty import duty on an order totalling R638, which ended up costing nearly R833. If these items were stocked in the local warehouse, I would have only paid R75, saving more than half on import fees. Temu confirmed that eligible products labelled “local warehouse” are stored domestically in South Africa.
Temu’s app has started to integrate more locally available products such as home goods, wigs, and women’s t-shirts, with additional local stock continuously being added. There’s no specific filter for local items, but searching for “local warehouse” or checking for the “Local Warehouse” label can help identify domestically stocked products. Local warehousing enables Temu to offer new categories like furniture and bulkier items that were previously limited by international shipping challenges.
Fashion enthusiasts may still encounter import fees when buying stylish clothes on the Temu app, as many items are not yet marked as local. Despite this, Temu remains a popular choice for fast fashion, especially for kids and teens who frequently outgrow their clothes. Mixing Temu with local brands creates a diverse shopping experience, with many finding Temu’s clothing to be more stylish.
Entering South Africa in January 2024, Temu quickly became one of the country’s top shopping apps, offering a user-friendly experience. The introduction of the local warehouse concept now places Temu in direct competition with other established players like Amazon, Takealot, and Makro. South African customs planned to impose higher import duties and VAT on all clothing parcels, but the rollout faced delays, leaving many uncertain about the current duty rates.
Although finding local items on Temu may not be straightforward, looking for specific labels or checking delivery estimates can help. The local warehouse initiative aims to streamline the shopping experience for South African buyers, offering faster delivery and reduced import fees.
Peace Nero is a writer and blogger who loves to explore different topics of self-development. She shares her personal experiences in order to help people discover their true purpose in life.