R15,000 Temu gaming PC you can import to South Africa

South African gamers are far better off shopping locally than using Temu when it comes to buying parts for a desktop PC build.

Our search on the Chinese e-commerce retailer for PC parts found that it fell well short in terms of product range and pricing.

South Africa has a strong selection of reputable online and brick-and-mortar retailers specialising in PC hardware, often aimed specifically at gamers and power users.

Among the best-known players are Computer Mania, Wootware, First Shop, Evetech, Rebel Tech, Titan Ice, Progenix, and Dreamware Tech.

Many of these outlets get their goods from distributors like Syntech, Mustek, Rectron, Esquire, First Distribution, Frontosa, Pinnacle, and Tarsus.

These companies have built strong relationships with some of the best PC hardware brands in the world, ensuring a healthy flow of the latest processors, graphics cards, motherboards, and more.

However, some MyBroadband comparisons have found that it is possible to get certain components for cheaper from the US-based Amazon marketplace.

Considering a lot of PC hardware is produced in China, some might be quick to assume that a retailer based in that country could offer very good prices.

However, MyBroadband perused the selection of PC components available on Temu for shipping to South Africa and was wholly underwhelmed.

Although we found several individual listings for cheaper than similar or equivalent products in South Africa, the selection was dismal.

For example, there were only nine listings for motherboards and less than 20 PC cases.

RAM was the only component available for substantially cheaper than in South Africa — and we did not recognise any of the memory brands in the listings.

There were also no power supply units (PSUs) available from Temu that shipped to South Africa.

We nonetheless attempted to configure a fairly capable entry-level gaming PC for under R15,000, using the best possible components from Temu.

We then compared this pricing with the same or similar components on Wootware. We added the price of the most affordable PSU from Wootware for a fair comparison.

The total cost of the Temu system was slightly cheaper at R14,975 compared to R15,567. However, the Temu price excluded import taxes.

These days, estimating the tax on a Temu import is a bit of a shot in the dark.

South Africa’s duty on most internal PC components is 0%, but all imports carry a 15% VAT calculated on the added-tax value of the goods, calculated using the value plus 10%.

Therefore, the effective tax rate should be about 16.5%.

Whether this actually happens as legislated is an altogether different matter — you may be charged far less or much more.

Tax amounts are much less mysterious and risky when using Amazon.com, which gives buyers precise import and duty tax figures.

If the calculator underestimates the amount of tax payable, Amazon.com will foot the bill. If it overestimates, it refunds customers for the extra amount they paid.

Another important factor to consider when buying PC hardware from Temu or international retailers is that it may be an uphill battle to get a replacement or repair if a part malfunctions.

Although some brands support international warranties, some may require shipping the product back to its originating country for troubleshooting — at the buyer’s cost.

The table below compares the components and prices of our R15,000 Temu gaming rig with a similar setup from Wootware.