Tech price comparison — Takealot versus Amazon South Africa

Amazon’s South African marketplace went live on Tuesday, 7 May 2024, and a technology price comparison shows that its prices are generally on par with Takealot.

The international tech giant’s South African marketplace — Amazon.co.za — launched on Tuesday morning.

The company offers shoppers free delivery with their first purchase for orders fulfilled by Amazon. Orders above R500 also qualify for free delivery.

In addition to direct deliveries, Amazon South Africa supports more than 3,000 pickup points nationwide.

Customers can track the status of their orders on WhatsApp, and Amazon says it provides 24-hour support via phone, email, and live chat.

Those displeased with their order can request a return within 30 days, with Amazon letting customers choose from a range of pickup options.

Amazon South Africa versus Takealot tech prices compared

Amazon is entering a well-established e-commerce market in South Africa, with its biggest competitor being Naspers-owned Takealot.

MyBroadband compared pricing for ten tech products common to the Amazon South Africa and Takealot marketplaces to determine which had the better tech deals.

Curiously, Amazon does not sell its own electronic book reader, the Kindle, on its South African marketplace. Takealot has the 2022-model 11th-generation Kindle 6″ Wi-Fi 16GB without ads for R3,449.

Both marketplaces offer similar pricing for five of the ten items compared. These include the Samsung Galaxy Tag 2 for R449, JBL Wave Buds for R899, and Hisense 2.1-Channel 240W Bluetooth Soundbar for R1,999.

They also offer similar pricing on the A6K-series 55-inch Hisense 4K Smart TV and 128GB iPhone 15 Plus.

Amazon South Africa is cheaper than Takealot for three of the ten items compared, while Takealot’s pricing was lower for two products.

South African residents can get the Logitech G Pro X Superlight wireless gaming mouse for R300 less if they buy it on Amazon’s South African marketplace. Takealot charges R2,999 for the mouse, while Amazon customers will pay R2,699.

Amazon South Africa’s pricing for Xbox gaming consoles was also significantly cheaper. It has the 512GB Xbox Series S console with one remote for R6,999.

Takealot is currently charging R7,949 for the console. However, the console has been cheaper on Takealot’s platform in the past.

Amazon has the MSI Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Gaming X 8GB graphics card listed for R9,766 — R160 more than Takealot’s price for the same card.

Takealot was also cheaper for the Gizzu Hero Core 512Wh portable power station, for which it charges R7,379. In comparison, Amazon charges R7,999 for the same unit.

The table below compares tech pricing across ten products common to the Amazon South Africa and Takealot marketplaces.