Understanding Online Delivery

This section provides information on the evolving landscape of e-commerce logistics, covering essential aspects such as delivery speed and cost management.

Overview

Delivery cost is determined by factors such as:

The address the parcel is delivered to (called the Delivery Zone).
How soon you want your parcel (called the Shipping Type).
The weight of your parcel (also see the explanation of volumetric weight below).

Impact of Delivery Zones

Deliveries are sent out from our Distribution Centre in Pretoria.

The Local Zone covers most of the greater Johannesburg and Pretoria with deliveries typically within 2-3 business days.
The Main Zone includes major cities like Bloemfontein, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, George and Cape Town with deliveries in 3-4 business days.
The Regional Zone encompasses all other destinations, with deliveries in 3-7 business days.
The High-Risk Zone includes areas like Albertina, Alexandra, Mamelodi, Soweto, Soshanguve and Tembisa, where additional security measures or limited infrastructure increase delivery fees.

Areas included our Local Delivery Zone:

Impact of Shipping Types

How soon delivery is required has a noticeable impact on cost.

During Checkout you will be asked to select the type of shipping required (the actual options shown depends on your delivery address):

Impact of Weight

The weight of your parcels is the main determining factor of delivery cost.

Three broad categories exist:

Below 30kg (cost per kg is the lowest)
Between 30kg and 50kg (cost per kg is slightly higher)
Above 50kg (cost per kilogram could be substantial)

Please note:

When a delivery weighs more than 50kg the cost increases quite dramatically.
It is typically cheaper to have two orders of 30kg orders delivered than one order of 60kg.
Currently there is a weight limit of 2 000kg per delivery. Place more than one order if the weight exceeds this.

Below are examples of the expected cost of delivery (August 2025):

Understanding Volumetric Weight

Volumetric weight is a concept used to calculate delivery costs based on the size of a package, not only its actual weight. Some items may be lightweight but bulky, taking up significant space in a delivery vehicle. If the volumetric weight exceeds the actual weight, we use the higher value to determine the shipping cost.

For example, a bag of 2 ply x 24 toilet paper rolls measuring 50x40x30 cm could have a volumetric weight of 15kg, even if it weighs only 3kg.

Tracking

On checkout you will receive an email confirming your order. Once the parcel is picked up from our Distribution Centre a tracking number is allocated to the parcel.

Track your parcel real time by going to www.bobgo.co.za and clicking on the ‘’Track my Parcel’’ tab.