Frequently Asked Questions
Do not stress. We have you covered with our African Thoro Payment Plan. Here’s how it works:
Step 1:
Shop for the items you want right here on the website. During checkout, write the words “African Thoro Payment Plan” in your order notes. You will find the order notes box directly underneath your shipping address and above your order summary.
Step 2:
This is very important. Select “Direct Bank Transfer” as your payment option. If you select YOCO, it will require FULL payment.
Step 3:
An initial payment of 25% is required to secure your order. Please send your POP (proof of payment) to orders@africanthoro.co.za so that we can take note of your deposit. Remember to use your order number as the reference. We will send you an email acknowledging your payment and sign up to the payment plan.
Step 4:
You have 3 months from the initial payment to make 3 x 25% payments. If you can finish sooner, please do so. Your order will only be dispatched when we receive your final payment. Remember to send a POP with every payment.
Things To Note:
The initial deposit of 25% in partially refundable:
- If the 3 months period elapses without you completing your payment, we will refund you all your funds excluding the initial non-refundable deposit of 25%.
- If you change your mind after the first month has elapsed, we will refund you the complete first installment and 50% of your deposit.
- If you change your mind before the first month elapses (before making your second 25% payment), we will refund you the deposit excluding a 25% handling fee.
Please sign up for this payment plan only when you are 100% sure that you will be able to complete it.
Shopping online is easier than you think. No long queues when you want to pay. You can finish buying everything you want in minutes.
- Browse through our store
- Add what you like into your cart
- When you are done, click your cart (small trolley in top right corner)
- In your cart you can see all the items you put inside your trolley and you can increase quantity, decrease quantity or completely remove/add items.
- Choose your desired courier option.
- If you have a coupon code or a gift card, type it in and it will automatically deduct its value from your total cart amount.
- Once you’re satisfied, you can click checkout.
After clicking checkout, fill in your billing details. If shipment address is different to billing address, click the square box next to “Ship to a different address”.
You can also:
- Log in (If you already have an account)
- Register (create an account and join the African Thoro community. The option will be underneath the billing address form.)
- Checkout as Guest
We recommend creating an account so that next time you order, you just log in and order. It saves you a lot of time and you don’t have to add your delivery details each time you purchase from our store.
Select your desired payment option then click place order.
Direct Bank Transfer will lead you to a page with our banking details so that you can do an EFT into our account. Remember to use your order number, e.g., #0000 as your reference. Please send your proof of payment to orders@africanthoro.co.za | Your order will only be processed when payment reflects in our account which can take up to 5 working days depending on when you made the transaction, the bank you use and if it was a normal/immediate transaction.
YOCO Online Payment will lead you to a page where you can insert your card information. It will then request that you approve payment either via internet or cellphone banking. Once you approve the payment, it will deduct your order total directly from your account and your order will officially be processing. We don’t require proof of payment for YOCO payments. You can also save your card on YOCO for future use but you would have to confirm that it is yours prior to processing payment.
You can read up about our delivery options in our Shipping Policy here.
We will send you an email with your tracking/waybill number as well as a link to track your order. If you are unable to track your parcel, send us an email at orders@africanthoro.co.za or fill in our contact form and we will follow up on your order for you. Kindly note that tracking may take up to 24 hours or more to reflect. If order is traceable, it is solely your responsibility to trace it. We will assist if you are having problems tracing it.
Processing can take 2 to 14 working days (this excludes weekends) subject to product availability and the size of your order. The bigger the order, the more processing time required. Should we have a delay, we will inform you promptly. We try our best to process within a few days but we are a small team. We do not accept urgent orders due to this. Processing does not include delivery period. Processing means the time it takes for us to prepare and package your order before shipping it out for delivery.
We deliver anywhere within South Africa only. We do not deliver out of the country.
Kindly note: It is your responsibility to provide us with a valid South African address that The Courier Guy/PUDO can deliver to. It is also your responsibility to choose the suitable Pep Store for delivery. Please provide the specific Pep store name or node code in your order notes (box under/next to your delivery address).
Yes, although we prefer that you collect the parcel yourself. Anyone at your provided address can collect the parcel on your behalf. You can equally send someone with the Paxi collection pin as well as their ID to collect from Pep.
The Courier Guy/PUDO will contact you to make arrangements to deliver at another time. We suggest providing an address that will have someone ready to collect your order.
No, we only make deliveries locally within the borders of South Africa.
Lead time is dependent on stock availability and order processing time. Should the product not be in stock please allow 5 working days plus freight transit time. This will allow for manufacturing and delivery to us. We will notify you when a product is not in stock or if an ingredient to make the product is not in stock.
Every effort is made to ensure that you receive your order timeously however, delays can occur due to load shedding, courier delays, etc.
We do not. Please order in time to avoid unnecessary disappointments. We do not rush orders because that can cause expensive mistakes. Additionally, all our clients are a priority thus accepting urgent orders would imply that all our other orders are not urgent.
If you have not paid yet: You may cancel your order or allow the 2 calendar days to pay to elapse and it will be cancelled for you.
If you have paid for your order and it is yet to be dispatched: Please send us an email with your order number and a reason for cancellation. Our manager will evaluate your case and decide if your order may or may not be cancelled. Please ensure that you have read all our terms of service before finalizing your order (you will have to tick your agreement to the terms on checkout). If your cancellation has been approved, you will receive a refund [minus a 15% handling fee] in the form of an EFT or a voucher.
If you have paid for your order and it has been booked for dispatch: Your order is essentially dispatched the moment we book the courier and funds have been paid for the delivery. Your order can no longer be cancelled at this stage.
Very Important: Orders that are cancelled through no fault of African Thoro will incur a 15% handling fee. We advise that you pay only when you are sure about your order and have went through our terms of service before committing. Sale/coupon orders cannot be cancelled/refunded. We are a business as well and the moment your order is received, we start processing your order – even after office hours, your order is added to our processing queue on our WhatsApp group and plans are made for it. If your order is urgent, please contact us before paying to see if we can process and dispatch your order before a stipulated time/date. That being said, unforeseen delays can still occur, e.g. Poor weather conditions grounding courier vehicles.
Please note that design and sticker printing services are outsourced and they will have their own terms of service. No cancellations/refunds as far as we know but this can be confirmed or negated by the relevant party.
Although we recommend making sure you have everything you want in your cart before checking out, it can happen that you forget an item or you want an extra item.
Simply send us an email as soon as possible at orders@africanthoro.co.za with your order number and the item/s you want to add as well as the quantity. If your order is not yet set up for dispatch, we will update and send your invoice. Certain items can increase the courier rate you pay. If your order has been sealed/packed, we will not be able to add additional items and you will have to place a separate order.
Unfortunately not but you can replace it with an item of equal value. If the replacement item is more expensive, you will have to pay the excess but it can not be less than the item you wish to remove. This can only happen before we seal and dispatch your order.
Send as an email immediately at orders@africanthoro.co.za.
Yes, you can. Please refer to our Refund & Exchange Policy for more information on eligible items and the process.
Certain products are eligible for returns. Please refer to our Return & Exchange Policy here for more information on the process.
You have 24 hours after receiving your delivery. Should you have any problems after the 24 hour period has elapsed, send us an email at orders@africanthoro.co.za or fill in our contact form.
You have 30 calendar days after delivery or collection to return an item for exchange or refund. Only when it is in our possession and we have inspected it, can we process your refund. Read more here.
It is your responsibility to package the item sufficiently as any damage that may occur in transit may be as a result of negligence and thus you will forfeit an exchange and/or return of the damaged item(s). You can also pay for insurance to be covered should this be a worry.
Kindly note that dissatisfaction of a product does not warrant a refund. Once our products have been used, the return option is no longer available.
If you are not satisfied with the products, with valid reasoning, contact us via email at info@africanthoro.co.za or fill in our contact form and we will find a way to make it up to you as we deem fit.
You can find the gift card under the Gifts Category here.
Choose the desired amount of the gift card and the quantity of gift cards you would like.
If you’re buying for one person, fill in one email but if you’re buying for multiple people, fill in the emails with a comma (,) between each email address.
Example: email1@email.com, email2@email.com, email3@email.com and so on.
If you want to type a message to the person you’re sending the gift to, you can write it in the message section.
Add to cart, checkout and pay.
Once you have paid, an email with your message (if you included one) ,the gift card number and amount will automatically be emailed to the gift recipient and will be ready for use.
You will be sent an email with a gift card number. You can click “Redeem” which will direct you to our shop and it will automatically apply your gift card.
Or
You can copy and paste the gift card number into the gift card number box underneath:
a) The shipment options and above the “Proceed To Checkout” button in the Cart Page.
b) The payment options in the Checkout Page.
If copying and pasting, ensure that you click the “Apply Gift Card” button and the amount of your voucher will be deducted from your total purchase amount.
Cosmetic FAQ
You can purchase a set of 5 products if you’re on a budget. If you want more than 5 units, the MOQ of 10 units applies in which you can purchase as many units as you want.
No, products with active ingredients as in the facial skincare range are not suitable for children below the age of 16 as their skin is still very sensitive. However, most of our cosmetics are suitable for any age above 12 months, e.g., our haircare range. We highly recommend doing a patch test prior to use.
Yes, chemicals may seem scary but not all chemicals are bad. Especially when paired up with high quality natural/organic ingredients. Our products have active ingredients, emulsifiers & preservatives just to name a few. These enable us to provide you with a stable and long lasting premium product while you reap the benefits.
An example, certain products have SLES (well know as a sulfate) but an SLES is an excellent cleanser for people who may have excess product and/or sebum production. Natural products are wonderful but can be bad if used in a case that may require that chemical boost.
We ensure that we formulate all our products with high quality natural/organic ingredients so that you reap the benefits of chemicals without experiencing any harsh effects.
Our products come in default packaging to minimize processing times. If you want alternative packaging colours, you can request for it in your order notes. Kindly note that the alternative colours must be the same design as our default, e.g., 250ml black flat neck bottle with black & silver lotion pump.
Kindly note that this will affect processing times as we do not keep alternative packaging in storage.
Absolutely! Simple ship your containers to us and we will do that for you. We can also assist with sending our courier to collect the containers from you (you will cover this fee). Please be advised that we have a packaging service fee from R5 per container regardless of the container size.
You will be charged for the quantity of product packaged in your containers based on our bulk unpackaged product options. For example, if you want 20 bottles of 250ml SLES Shampoo packaged, that will require 5L of SLES Shampoo.
Our 5L SLES Shampoo is R820. Including our packaging service fee, your total will be R920. If this is the service you want, send us an email at hello@africanthoro.co.za or WhatsApp us at https://wa.me/message/ZFQUUHUI7JS5J1
Yes, we offer ready to sell bulk products which you can view here.
We do not do custom formulations to try and cut down on processing times. For certain products, we can provide the product as unfragranced so that you can add your own signature.
Not yet but watch this space! Your requests have been heard. We’re taking it one step at a time.
We are working on it! Stay tuned.
Our bath and body range is finally available and ready for bulk orders!! Send those orders in.
Packaging FAQ:
Each item has its own minimum order quantity which you can view on the product page when ordering.
All packaging is available on a pre-order basis only. We do not keep any packaging in-house due to lack of storage – we predominantly sell cosmetics and the wide variety of options has taken up a lot of space. When you order the containers you want from us, we will put through an order to our manufacturers so that you get the freshest containers that haven’t lost integrity from staying on the shelf longer than planned.
Please note: Processing times are not grounds for a refund as it is indicated on each product page that packaging is sold at a back/pre-order basis only with processing times indicated. Please make sure that you read all product information and order the correct packaging for the product you have.
Pre-order items take 3-12 working days to be processed. If the items are in stock (if we have left over stock, etc), please allow us 1-3 working days to pick and pack your order.
We need to wrap the containers to try and ensure that there is no damage in transit. We are a small team of 3, working hard to satisfy all our clients in time and that includes clients who want cosmetics, etc. No urgent orders allowed – all our clients are a priority so please order in time to avoid disappointment.
Please consider the size and weight of the containers [which you can view in the product description]. We wrap the containers in bubble wrap for safety so consider that as well. The PUDO 5kg max sleeve and PAXI small bag are for orders that weigh less than 5kg and can smoothly fit into the courier bag [same size as aramex courier bags]. Please note that if you purchase a large quantity of containers, even if they weigh less than 5kg, we may have to use a very large box which can result in a custom courier invoice with courier guy.
Example, a client ordered 200 x 250ml Flat Neck Bottles. The order weighed roughly 8kg. We had to use a stock 9 box and the courier cost was a total of R350.
Please note that if the courier amount is higher than what you paid for, we will update your invoice and await excess payment prior to dispatching your order. In some cases, we won’t know how much the courier will cost exactly until we pack and seal your order so please bear this in mind.
Please note that you (the customer) are responsible for ensuring compatibility between packaging supplied and your products. You can return the incorrect packaging if it has not been used and is in its original packaging. Please note that the cost of returning the goods will be on your account. After inspecting the returned goods, and all items are in good condition. We can then credit your account with the value of the incorrect packaging in the form of a gift card/coupon code.
You can then order the correct packaging on our website. If you need the containers urgently, we would advise ordering the correct items first because inspection can take some time.
If you are unsatisfied with your order, you can request an exchange/return within 30 calendar days from order receipt. We will send you a gift card for the value of items returned (excluding the handling fee) and you can order the items you want. Please read more on the process here.
Branding & Labelling:
We no longer offer branding design in-house but to ensure that you get everything you need in tip top quality to start/revamp your cosmetic empire, we have an excellent outsourced brand designers who will turn your visions into stunning reality.
Our branding design affiliates also do product photography, providing you with everything you need to dominate the industry. You can view their portfolios on our WhatsApp catalogue: https://wa.me/c/27812414708
We no longer offer in-house sticker printing. However, one of our branding affiliates facilitates high quality sticker printing for clients – even if your stickers were designed elsewhere, etc. Please send us an email at hello@africanthoro.co.za or send us a WhatsApp text: https://wa.me/message/ZFQUUHUI7JS5J1 and we will connect you to him for sticker printing.
Absolutely. We offer that service with a service fee from R5 per product labeled. If it is 10 products being labeled, that will cost you R50. If you got your own stickers printed elsewhere, you can ship them to us and we can still provide the service.
Drop-Shipping FAQ:
Drop-shipping is an order fulfillment method where a business doesn’t keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, the seller purchases inventory as needed from a third party—like African Thoro [us] —to fulfill orders. The biggest difference between drop-shipping and the standard retail model is that the seller [you] doesn’t stock or own inventory — they act as the middleman.
- Little to no capital required to start.
- Easy to start and manage.
- Less risky (you don’t have to worry about
stock expiring before selling it). - You can run it from anywhere and on the go.
- Doesn’t require you to have an office/store/lab.
- You can test to see what sells best before
investing in a huge amount of stock. - You don’t do any heavy lifting, simply sell from
the comfort of your home.
STEP 1: ADVERTISE UNDER YOUR BRAND NAME.
STEP 2: YOUR CLIENT ORDERS & PAYS,
STEP 3 – YOU SEND THE ORDER IN: Once the payment from your client reflects into your account, place the order on our website. When checking out, make sure to write your information under billing address and the clients information under shipping address. Also add the word “drop-shipping” to your order notes.
STEP 4 – WE PROCESS & DISPATCH THE ORDER: As soon as we receive your order and proof of payment, we will start processing the order. It will be dispatched when it is ready and your payment has cleared in our account. We will send you the parcel tracking information so that you can send it to your client and trace the order.
Please note that our processing times apply. We highly recommend notifying your clients of this processing time. If a delay happens, we will notify you in time so that you can also notify your client.
Please advise your clients to get shipping insurance for all their orders so that if anything breaks, gets lost, etc., in transit, they can claim from the courier company. We will not replace un-insured damaged items. We will ensure that the package is adequately protected and labelled [fragile, etc.]
It works the same way as the wholesale drop-shipping [which you can view above]. If you are not sure about which courier option to use for the order, please contact us immediately when your client asks you about which courier they should select. If they select an insufficient courier option, you will have to bill them for the excess amount.
If an item is on back-order, please inform your client that it is not in stock and that there will be a waiting period as it is still being manufactured. Basically like a pre-order situation. You can read more about back order items under the Packaging FAQ above.
Please advise your clients to get shipping insurance for all their orders so that if anything breaks, gets lost, etc., in transit, they can claim from the courier company. We will not replace un-insured damaged items. We will ensure that the package is adequately protected and labelled [fragile, etc.]
We will bill you for the wholesale priced cosmetic, the sticker [if you are printing with
us] and the sticker labelling service. A store credit system will apply. Your first payment
must be a minimum of R1500 and each future deposit must be a minimum of R750. This
credit applies to cosmetics and sticker labelling services only.
With this option, because it is your own brand’s products, the retail price is completely up to you. You can use our retail prices as a guideline.
If you are having stickers printed elsewhere, simply ship the stickers to us. Please note
that if it is a large volume that requires dedicated storage, we will bill you weekly/monthly for storage. Send us the amount of labels you know will finish within a few weeks.
An example of how it works: You will initiate the retail drop-shipping service with R1500. Let’s say you get an order for 250ml SLES Shampoo and 250ml Conditioner. We will bill you
R135 for this order [R125 for the cosmetics and R10 for labelling service of 2 products]. This is based on if we already have your printed stickers in our possession.
You will tell us which courier the client selected – you will have to send us this amount separately. We will subtract the value of cosmetics and labelling service from your R1500 [remainder of R1365 for future orders] and dispatch the order.
We recommend having at least 1 of each cosmetic you want to sell in your possession for content creation purposes or if you plan on selling in your neighbourhood to clients who won’t want to pay courier. We highly recommend having an online store or profile (website, instagram, facebook or whatsapp) to avoid such because with drop-shipping, you make the most money when the client orders and pays for shipping. Please advise your clients to get shipping insurance for all their orders so that if anything breaks, gets lost, etc., in transit, they can claim. We will not replace un-insured items.
We are in the business of empowering others like you by providing them with everything they need to start their businesses. We know how stressful it can be trying to get enough capital or time to start. This is our way of making it even more easier for you to start.
We are trustworthy and reliable. Our goal is to help you grow so that we can flourish together. What better way to test our reliability than to give it a genuine try. We’re ready when you are!!
Do you have an unanswered question? Please don’t hesitate to contact us.