ZA
Getting Started
This FAQ covers the three main topics: Membership, Markets & Listings (as well as some miscellaneous topics). We assume you have read the about section and know the gist of the platform.
For a R100 membership valid for a month, you are allowed to post up to 10 buy, sell, offer service, obtain service, barter, and network ads. As well as access to member-only content such as "good deals" that we found.
- Sign up
- Pay membership
- Find opportunities
- Advertise
To effectively use BusinessOpportunities.co.za, you need to understand business fundamentals, have math literacy and common sense, and understand how supply and demand work. Be warned, this is not a place where you are going to make a quick buck without putting in the work required or where you are going to succeed with a quick buck mentality. You would have to read, think, apply your mind, and understand what is going on.
If you are just starting out, make sure you have researched and immersed yourself and know your business: product, price, quantity etc.
Signing up
Good Deals
How to advertise
Membership
Marketplace / Opportunities
Listings
Miscellaneous
Overview
Why do people join?
To advertise their business, source and sell goods and services, and access "good deals" that we find and share.
How do I sign up?
Click on the "Signup" link on the top navbar or go to businessopportunities.co.za/account/signup/.
Then enter your email address, username, and password twice.
Check for any warnings if you are not taken to the confirmation email page.
Once you sign up successfully, you will get an email to verify your email address.
How do I become a member?
Once you have logged in, click on the membership link on the top navbar or on the "Activate" button on your user profile.
How do I find my user profile?
Click on your username in the top navigation bar, or go to www.businessopportunities.co.za/yourusername.
How do I edit my user profile?
When you are on the user profile page, click on the "Edit Profile" link below your profile picture and username. There you will find the ability to edit Name, Surname, Contact Number, Main Business, Bio, as well as location: province, city, and town postal code. Then you can add a website url to link to your online presence, as well as a profile picture, logo, and banner. It is important to fill these in, as it will impact how you appear and are found on the platform.
Do I need membership if I only want to post a buy lead?
The site has no third-party display ads, and when users use the site, it costs us money. A paid membership is required for everything.
What is a Good Deal?
A "Good Deal" is just an opportunity with more detail, like when we have identified an opportunity with a suitable supplier. Think of it as a guided opportunity.
How do I know if an opportunity has a Good Deal?
It will say "Good Deal".
Do I need membership if I only want to access Good Deals?
Yes
Are good deals guaranteed to have stock?
No. We have no relationship with good deal suppliers; we just find and share the potential opportunity. You can call and find out or post a buy listing in the market if they don't have stock.
How do I advertise on BusinessOpportunities.co.za?
When advertising, you have two main options: a listing or a direct link. A listing is an advertisement on our website (you can also add a contact form and an external link); a direct link is a link to an external website.
Posting a listing
How do I post a listing?
Go the the opportunity via www.businessopportunities.co.za/markets or use the search. Click on a market name, and then click on the "Advertise here" link below the marketplace (if available).
How do I fill in the listing form?
The form has the following fields:
Market: (Make sure you are on the right market.)
Type: (buy, sell, offer service, obtain service, hire, rent out, barter, and network)
Tag: (training, equipment, materials, products, services, kits, startup, franchise, business, secondhand, refurbish, repurpose, recycle)
Not all of the above tags or types will be available in all markets.
Options: The closest business to yours. This is optional; some markets have none.
The above three: types, tags, and your business are used to filter listings on the market.
Title of listing: Write your title accordingly.
Listing description: Describe the listing in as much detail as possible. If you want members of the public to contact you, you can include an email address or phone number in the listing.
Listing image: Optional. An image is linked to the listing.
Website link: optional. A link to a website is perhaps where people can order or find out more information.
Hide contact form: Optional. Option to hide the contact form. There are many reasons to use this: to make sure people only reply via the link above, or to pause a listing pending payment or stock.
Once you have filled it in, Click on the "Save" button to publish it.
How do I add a direct link to an external website
Tick the direct link option and add a website URL to direct to.
How do I edit or delete listings?
On your user profile page, you will see a list of listings with "Edit" and "Delete" next to them. Click the appropriate button.
How much is membership?
R100 for 31 days
Can I only sign up for 31 days?
Yes, by default, membership does not automatically renew. If you cannot at least make R100 in profit or get R100 in value, then you should not renew.
Do I need a registered business to sign up?
No, most of the people who use our platform do not have formal businesses and use their personal accounts for trading. While others use it for a side business to supplement their income or to get some money while looking for a job.
How many ads/listings am I allowed to post?
10
What if I need more ads/listings?
You need to open another account. BusinessOpportunities.co.za is focused on small businesses with a niche or narrow product/service mix; most members don't sell hundreds of products. Most of our members are small businesses, and the best way to use BusinessOpportunities.co.za is to work niches and not go wide like the incumbent multinationals.
How many accounts are you allowed to have?
As many as you want or need. Some have an account for their "main" business as well as an account for surplus and salvage to separate the two (to prevent people from getting "used to" cheap prices) or for more random products. While some entrepreneurs have multiple "businesses" and keep them all separate.
Does each account need its own email address?
Yes, what people do if they have custom domains is set up a "catch-all" email address for the various accounts or use an email provider like Proton or Tuta that supports different email addresses on one custom domain.
How do leads / replies come in?
If you are just using a contact form, then it will come via email, but you can include a contact number or physical address if you are open all day to the public.
I want to become a member pending x
Rather, don't become a member if it depends on something that is not currently happening. You might be disappointed if you only sign up for one reason.
Why does BusinessOpportunities.co.za charge for listings?
To make money, we can either plaster the site with ads like Gumtree, take a cut of your sales like bidorbuy, or sell your data like Facebook. We choose to do neither and have a simple R100 per month membership fee to post a maximum of 10 listings at a time. No ads, we dont sell data, no time-wasting social component. Just business.
Can I accept payments on BusinessOpportunities.co.za?
No, but you can add a website link to where you are accepting payments.
How is the best way to reply to listings?
Do not reply with a generic response such as "im interested," "more info pls" or the tire-kicking "iS iT sTiLl AvAiLaBlE" disappearing act—never to be heard from again (you might not even get a reply as that is the parlance of low-effort timewasters). Make contact when you are ready to do business. Ask when, where, and how you can offer or obtain whatever is being listed.
Are overseas sellers allowed?
No foreign sellers are allowed without prior permission or as part of an organized program; no selling from overseas; the seller must be in South Africa. Sellers from Brazil, Russia, Iran, and China can contact us about future BRICS expansion.
Are members from the rest of Africa allowed?
No, we have no presence and no control over what happens in other African countries. If you are from the rest of Africa, the best bet is to get your agents inside South Africa.
What are markets?
All business takes place in marketplaces where counterparties, buyers, and sellers (or supply and demand) meet. We have various markets for various businesses and are always adding more. Once you are a member, you can suggest a market for your business. Our goal is for markets to be as narrow as possible.
Markets have the following characteristics:
About: Name, Industry, and Banner
Tags (outlying the business chain): Training (Skills), Equipment, Raw Materials, Services, Products, Secondhand, Refurbish, Repurpose, Recycle.
Type: Buy, Sell, Offer (service), Obtain (service), Hire, Rent Out, Barter (exchange), Network.
Businesses specific to the market
Both tags, types, and specific businesses can be clicked on to filter the market.
Markets are made up of listings...
Listings must be added to the correct opportunity and tagged correctly. We will flag, edit, or remove non-compliant listings. Remember, we are B2B and only allow listings with a B2B angle (the minimum threshold is that they can be resold at a profit). As a business platform, we hold our listings to higher standards than classifieds or social media postings. Always double check that your listing makes sense, spell check, etc.
Listings Guide
When you post a listing, You can choose to sell to members only or the general public. This is simply done by excluding or including your contact details in the listing or on your profile.
Listings have the following characteristics:
Type (required)
Buy (product wanted)
Sell (product offered)
Offer service (service offered)
Obtain service (service wanted)
Hire (rental wanted)
Rent Out (rental offered)
Barter (exchange / quid pro quo)
Network
Tag (required)
Training
Equipment
Materials
Services
Products
Kits
Startup
Franchise
Business
Secondhand
Refurbish
Repurpose
Recycle
Network
Closest business (optional)
What types of listings are allowed
"Anything legal" relevant to the opportunity. You will see each marketplace has a selection of options related to that opportunity.
Can I use BusinessOpportunities.co.za to raise funds for my startup?
If you've come to the point where you are looking for funding on the internet, you are probably not going to get it, and our platform won't magically help. You can use it to try to get your first clients or to sell your stuff to raise some money. Or collect junk and sell it on the junk market.
I've posted my listing to BusinessOpportunities.co.za. Now what?
BusinessOpportunities.co.za is a sourcing and marketing tool and should be used as part of a strategy, not the only one. You cannot post and then twiddle your thumbs, waiting for replies. Continue on other avenues and knock on doors.
How long are listings active?
Leads and listings are active for the duration of the membership period and can be extended at any time by 30 days for R100. As long as your membership is active, your listings stay active unless you delete them.
There are no listings for my product, there are no listings from my area, or there are listings in Cape Town but I am in Limpopo, etc. (or a variation of this question).
This is why, right at the top, we speak about understanding business, trading, or leads. You cannot wait for business to fall on your lap. That is why there is a "buy lead" option.
You cannot expect all leads to be close to you. South Africa is deindustrializing, and there is semigration. You are not going to find a mainstream manufacturer, importer, or supplier close to you if you live in a small village. If that is your expectation, don't get into trading.
You can post a buy lead to get a counterparty; someone close to you may respond; someone far away may be able to accommodate you; maybe they have an associate close to you, etc.
Unless you live in a major city, most things will need to be couriered or shipped. If you are not prepared for that, don't join.
What is the best or easiest business to start for a beginner?
It's all relative, but a niche trading business (buying and selling of goods and services) that relies on a single trade flow seems to be the easiest from a practical perspective. While it's risky to buy in one place and sell in another, it's the clearest path with limited moving parts that is easy to understand: start, build, and eventually grow.
Do you sell x?
We are a marketplace platform that connects buyers and sellers, and unlike other counterparties, we don't sell anything. If you are looking for something that is not available, you can post a buy lead or look elsewhere.
Can you put me in touch with x?
No, we can't. If you want to purchase a product or service, you can use the appropriate market.
What does RFx mean?
RFx is used for talking about requests in general, where x can be either I (information), Q (quotation), or P (proposal).
I am looking for business advice
Nobody can give you effective business advice over email unless they have spent some time getting to know you. You can try the "Services: Mentoring, Coaching & Consulting" market.
