Before I start going down the customs route. How easy is it to bring Demo equipment (Electronic) into Switzerland for customers to try, for a period of say one month. The equipment is coming from the EU, but is manufactured in Japan and China. Our partner in CH is saying that its a pain, but I am not sure whether that is an excuse for not doing his job properly.

"relatively" easy but a large paperwork burden. You need to fill in a form for customs and then fill in the form for customs again when it is sent out of the country. If it stays in the country for longer than you say then you are liable for duty and VAT...

Hi telandy

this is what I do when I send stuff to US, don't know really if this works the other way around: declare it as "Muster ohne Wert" (something like sample without value), you pay no taxes due to no value. Then just post it, never had any trouble like that. It is a sample in the end..

Rahip

Had the same issue some time ago.
Basically the way the Customs have it is:
if it's demo stuff it must carried with you into the country and the necessary docs ("Carnet ATA") must be filled out. The documentation also implies that you would need to pay a refundable deposit (IIRC 50% of the "value" - I don't remember of it's insurable value, retail value or whatnot).
Demo goods that are shipped in and out by means of a carrier will be subject to relevant import duties!
I'll try to post a link on the subject.

Paul
Uncle GroOve

I used to travel a lot internationally with demo equipment. My experience is:

1. Always have a Carnet ATA with you, correctly filled out
2. Get your Carnet ATA prepared by a specialist that knows their stuff. Made my life easier.
3. Know what is required with the Carnet ATA - varies in various countries
4. Always declare the goods, especially if they are obviously goods (I used to have big aluminum travel cases and always got questioned)
5. Never arrive at the airport / border crossing outside business hours. The customs guys work Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. Outside these hours no-one will be around to do the paperwork!
6. And never bullshit the Swiss customs officers - they take their job very seriously, and will cause you a lot of hassle if you try and bypass the system.

So with the right paperwork, it is easy to bring things in and out of Switzerland.