From Centurion to your front door. — No mystery in the middle.

Which couriers we use, and why

Evetech ships every order through one of three logistics partners depending on the destination, parcel size and delivery option you've chosen at checkout. Each one is selected for a specific job — there's a reason a R650 graphics card from Pretoria and a R45,000 gaming rig to Knysna don't travel the same way.

The Courier Guy handles the bulk of our deliveries — they have the deepest local footprint, the gentlest hands with custom-built PCs (we've spent years validating their handling protocols on our boxes), and their tracking system is the most reliable on the SA market. If you live in Joburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London or Bloemfontein, your parcel almost certainly travels with them.

Aramex picks up everywhere The Courier Guy thins out. If you're in Polokwane, Mthatha, Upington, Knysna or any of the smaller towns where The Courier Guy depends on third-party agents, Aramex's own network usually delivers faster. We also default to Aramex when you select overnight delivery to a metro — their air freight option lands the next working day instead of the typical 2-3 day road journey.

Pargo is the pickup-network option. Rather than a courier delivering to your door, your parcel is dropped at a partner store of your choice (chosen at checkout) and held there for up to 7 days while you collect at your own convenience. This is genuinely useful if you work shifts, live in a complex without a guard, or you'd rather grab the box on the way home from work.

Delivery cost and the free threshold

Free standard delivery applies to orders over R1,000 within South Africa. Below that threshold, courier fees apply — typically R99 to R149 depending on parcel size and destination.

Custom PC builds, laptops over R10,000 and gaming monitors 27" or larger all qualify for free standard delivery regardless of cart total — those are the categories where we eat the shipping cost rather than risk a fragile high-value parcel travelling on the cheapest service.

Custom PC build lead times — honest numbers

Stock items dispatch the same day or next working day. Custom PC builds need real time. Here's exactly what happens between you clicking confirm and the courier knocking.

1. Day 0

   Build queued, components reserved

   Your build joins the assembly queue. Components are pulled from stock and reserved against your order number.
2. Day 1-2

   Build technician assembles the PC

   Mounting, cable management, paste application, BIOS configuration. Air-cooled and standard chassis builds typically finish within day 2.
3. Day 2-4

   24-hour stress test

   Full CPU + GPU stress test, memory stability check, thermal monitoring. Anything that fails gets diagnosed and replaced before shipping.
4. Day 4-5

   Windows install, driver updates, visual inspection

   Latest Windows 11 with driver pack, BIOS up to date, GPU drivers current. Final cosmetic and packaging inspection.
5. Day 5-7

   Boxed, labelled, courier collection

   Packed in foam-cushioned custom box with GPU sag support. Tracking number emailed when courier collects.
6. Day 7-10

   Courier road / air leg

   2-3 working days for major metros, 3-5 for smaller towns. SMS milestone updates throughout.

Things that add time:

• Water-cooled (custom loop or 360mm AIO with sleeved cables): +2-3 working days for proper leak testing.
• White-themed or RGB-coordinated builds: +1-2 days for cable colour matching and component swap if needed.
• Out-of-stock component: order pauses until ETA is confirmed; we'll email options if it's longer than 5 days.
• Custom front-panel engraving or specialty mod: quoted separately per project.

Tracking — what each status actually means

Tracking updates can read like another language. Here's the plain-English translation for The Courier Guy and Aramex's status codes.

If tracking shows no movement for more than 48 hours and the status isn't "delivered" or "held at depot", something is wrong — usually a sorting hub anomaly. Contact Evetech support with your order number and we'll escalate with the courier directly. We have account managers on both Courier Guy and Aramex who can chase up stuck parcels faster than the public call centre.

Delivery to gated estates, complexes and offices

South African residential reality: large parts of the country live behind gates, booms, guards or building managers. Couriers know this, but they need help. The single biggest cause of first-attempt delivery failure is unclear access instructions.

Best practice at checkout:

• Gated estate with guardhouse: add "Phone resident on arrival — guard cannot accept on behalf" or "Guard authorised to sign — Unit 14B" depending on your estate's rules.
• Complex without staffed gate: add the gate code in the order notes ("Gate code 4231") or "Call on arrival" and ensure your phone is reachable.
• Office or commercial address: add the receptionist's name and which floor or suite ("Reception 5th floor, ask for [name]"). Specify office hours if before 09:00 or after 16:30.
• Apartment block with concierge: "Leave with concierge, Unit XX" is fine for most blocks but check with your block first — some refuse.
• Plot or smallholding: share what3words location or pin a Google Maps URL in order notes — couriers' GPS often fails outside formal suburbs.

Couriers will not climb walls, force gates, leave parcels unsigned-for, or hand high-value boxes to passers-by — these aren't policy quibbles, they're insurance requirements. If access cannot be gained, the parcel returns to the depot and re-attempts the next working day.

What to do if delivery is missed

Missed deliveries happen. The system is designed to recover gracefully without you having to call anyone, but here's what each path looks like.

First missed attempt: the courier automatically schedules a redelivery for the next working day at the same address. You'll receive an SMS with the attempt status. No action needed unless you want to change something.

If you need to change the redelivery: call the courier directly using the number in your tracking SMS. You can request a different address (work, family, neighbour) or a Pargo pickup point at no charge. Allow 24 hours for the change to take effect.

Second missed attempt: the parcel is held at the nearest local depot for up to 5 working days. You'll receive collection details by SMS — bring photo ID matching the order name. If you can't collect within 5 days, contact Evetech support and we'll arrange a third delivery attempt.

If the courier marked "delivered" but you didn't receive it: contact Evetech support immediately with your order number. We'll request the proof-of-delivery (POD) document from the courier — every signed delivery has a name, signature and timestamp. If the POD shows an unknown name, we escalate as a courier investigation and dispatch a replacement once liability is confirmed.

Across the 200,000+ orders we've shipped from Centurion, the genuinely lost parcel rate sits at about 0.04% — roughly 1 in 2,500. The reason isn't luck, it's relationships: we run dedicated account-managed lines with both The Courier Guy and Aramex, our boxes have custom drop-test ratings, and our QC team takes a photo of every custom PC build the moment it's sealed so disputes are settled in minutes, not weeks. When a parcel does go missing, you get a replacement dispatched the same day — not a four-week investigation cycle.

Behind the build · From our Centurion warehouse

Pargo pickup — when it's the better choice

Pargo is a partner network of 4,000+ collection points across South Africa — branded as Pargo Points inside stores like Pick n Pay, Caltex, BP, Shoprite, Engen and a long tail of local retailers. Instead of a courier coming to you, the parcel is dropped at your chosen Pargo Point and you collect when convenient.

When Pargo beats door delivery:

• You work shifts or office hours and can't sign for parcels during the day.
• You live in a complex without a guard, security desk or trusted reception.
• You want absolute privacy about high-value purchases (no neighbour sees the courier).
• Your suburb has flaky street numbering or the courier consistently struggles to find it.
• You'd genuinely rather collect on your way home — many Pargo points are at petrol stations open till 22:00.

The collection process: Pargo SMSes you a unique collection code when your parcel arrives at the point. Show the SMS code and a matching photo ID at the till. The parcel is handed over. Total time at the till is typically under 2 minutes. Parcels are held for 7 days before returning to Evetech.

Returns, RMAs and the reverse-shipping reality

Sending parcels back is fully covered. The mechanics depend on why you're returning the item.

Warranty claim (item is faulty): contact Evetech support to log an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorisation). We email you a prepaid Courier Guy waybill — print it, stick it on the box, and the courier collects from your address at no cost to you. Once received at Centurion, the item is tested. If covered, we repair or replace; if outside coverage, we quote first. Total turnaround is typically 5-15 working days depending on whether replacement is needed.

Change of mind (14-day cooling-off): South African Consumer Protection Act gives you 14 days to return unopened, undamaged products purchased online. Return shipping is at your cost (typically R150-R250 via Courier Guy or any courier you choose) unless the item arrived damaged. Once received and inspected, refund clears within 5-7 working days to your original payment method.

DOA (Dead On Arrival): if a component is faulty out of the box, contact us within 7 days. We dispatch a replacement immediately and arrange collection of the faulty unit. No waiting on a manufacturer's RMA cycle.

Custom built PC returns: custom builds are covered under warranty for component faults, but the cooling-off return doesn't apply once the build has been started (per CPA exemption for personalised goods). If the build is faulty, we collect, diagnose, repair or replace under warranty at no cost.

Key takeaways

1. The Courier Guy and Aramex for door-to-door, Pargo for pickup-point — all three nationwide from our Centurion warehouse.
2. Free standard delivery on orders R1,000+; custom PCs, big laptops and 27"+ monitors always ship free regardless of cart total.
3. Custom PC builds: 5-7 working days from order to dispatch (assembly + burn-in + QC). Plus 2-5 days of courier transit.
4. Tracking number emails within 24 hours of dispatch. Gated estates need access instructions in order notes.
5. Warranty returns are collected at our cost via prepaid Courier Guy waybill. Change-of-mind returns within 14 days at customer cost.

Frequently asked questions

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