Shipping 101: The Courier Guy, Pargo, or Aggregators?

Shipping 101: The Courier Guy, Pargo, or Aggregators?

The "Last Mile" Problem

You’ve made the sale. Now, how do you get the package from your garage in Cape Town to a farm in Limpopo?

In South Africa, you have two main strategies: going direct or using an aggregator.

Option A: Direct Account (The Courier Guy)

You can open an account directly with a courier like The Courier Guy.

  • Pros: You build a relationship with your local driver. Rates can be negotiated if you have high volume.

  • Cons: You are stuck with one provider. If they are delayed, you have no backup.

  • Secret Weapon: PUDO. Owned by The Courier Guy, PUDO lockers allow you to send small parcels for as little as R50–R60. It’s a game-changer for cheap shipping.

Option B: The "Click & Collect" (Pargo)

Some customers live in areas where couriers struggle (townships, farms, or high-security complexes).

  • How it works: You ship to a Clicks or Caltex store near them. They pick it up when convenient.

  • Why use it: It reduces "returned to sender" errors significantly.

Option C: The Aggregator (Bob Go / uAfrica)

This is what we recommend for most LaunchLlama clients. An aggregator plugs into your Shopify store and lets you choose between multiple couriers (Courier Guy, Internet Express, SkyNet) for every single order.

  • Benefit 1: Automated waybills (one click to print).

  • Benefit 2: If one courier is expensive for a specific route, you can switch to another instantly.

  • Benefit 3: Automatic tracking emails sent to your customer.

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Conclusion

Don't try to manually write out waybills at the PostNet counter. It’s expensive and slow.

At LaunchLlama, we integrate Bob Go (formerly uAfrica) into your store during the build phase. This gives you instant access to discounted rates from day one, without needing to sign contracts with five different courier companies.

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