I need to ship a laptop from the US to Switzerland. The shipping costs straight up are about $210, my question is whether I would have to pay anything extra to bring it into the country. I am not a permanent resident of Switzerland and the laptop is essentially a personal belonging. Do I have to pay VAT for this shipment? If I do how is VAT calculated? Can I get the VAT either discounted or refunded before I leave?

You will have to pay 7.6% import duty.

Some other additional questions:
Does it matter that I've only been here for 3 weeks or that I'm leaving in 2 months?
Is the VAT calculated based on the declared value of the shipment? Where do I pay the VAT tax?

Also in regard to your response, I heard that I didn't have to pay import duty, ony VAT which I am lead to believe are different somehow, is this true?

Also is there no edit button for posts?

The other thing I want to mention is that this is not shipping from a company, I'm having a relative ship out my computer.

The shipment cost which you has mentioned is too high, probably you select not a right way to get it.
I bought a laptop from amazon.com, couple of month ago, and paid about 50-80 CHF for shipping.

I selected a laptop which can't be delivered to Switzerland directly, because of that I ordered it to http://www.shipito.com/ and then got it from them. They provide pretty cheap shipping options.

In addition I payed 7.6% and about 30 CHF for clearance.

Yeah I received a PM from somebody suggesting USPS, which runs about $80, (its a heavy laptop).
But that withstanding, how do you actually pay the VAT tax? and does my situation give any way to either avoid the VAT or get it back when I leave?

Is there a reason you did not take it with you? Not easy to be classified as personal effects, when it gets sent at a later time... usually that means you have bought it new overseas...

Just for clarity, the 7.6% is the V A T - nothing to do with the import duty fee at all!

I am not sure that you will get them back.
How to pay:
first way: when the laptop will be in Switzerland you will get a receipt form Swiss post and in the receipt you will find how much you have to pay, they will charge you when you come to post office.
second way, you will get a laptop by for example DPD , and then in few weeks you will get a slip to pay a taxes.

My laptop broke the day I arrived here, so shipping one from my parents house was the option I am taking, but they didn't have a chance to ship it until this week.

So what your saying is that I ship it to my address here, and then I will receive the slip instead of a package and then go to the local post?
Also what is DPD?

With regards to VAT people online really like the idea of getting that refunded at borders, so would I just do that at customs on my way out?

DPD is one of the delivery company like UPS or DHL, but DPD have an agreement with swiss post...

About VAT, as far as I know you can get taxes back only in the case if you never used a device inside the country. But I am not 100% sure.

And just in case it is required, here is the website in EN for DPD.

Ah, but in this case it's a repaired item to be returned / guarantee-shipment. Have your parents declare it as such on the package (green form for post) and attach a copy of the confirmation (and maybe a copy of the old, original invoice with serial number) from the repair company. This usually does the trick.

Yep, that's usually how it works, unless the postman bothers to ring and you can pay (if there is anything) there and then.

But since it's a used item and you didn't actually pay VAT on it recently, there is nothing to claim...

The laptop I'm shipping is used, but not repaired. The laptop which broke is trash now and would cost me several times its value to repair

And recovering the VAT would of course only be applicable I end up paying it.

I just specced some 200 USD speaker stands using that site and postage came to a eye-popping 550 USD.

Tell your parents to go to the P.O. and mail it first class, which is the only way the USPS ships to Europe. They will be asked to fill out a form which includes, among other things, the estimated value of the object. What is your used computer worth, 500? 200? Whatever they put in that blank is what Switzerland will compute your VAT amount on this end.

Also on the form in the US at the Post Office is a line where they declare what they are shipping. Have them put "Used Household Goods" or "Used Personal Computer" or whatever. Just make sure it says "Used".

I have shipped a bunch of single items from my house in SC to here. I have never been asked to pay VAT on the declared value on any item that I specified as "Used".

The only times I have had to pay VAT is when someone shipped me a NEW item. The Poste here will deliver your item but they will also deliver a bill for the amount of VAT which you will pay just like any other bill.

That is the best I can explain the whole process and what I, personally, have experienced. Sorry about your computer. What a PITA!

When I first came to Switzerland, before my family relocated, I left my laptop with them on a home visit. My wife got DHL to ship it over. There was no VAT or duty to pay. There should also be no duty to pay on your replacement laptop - for a given value of "should" . So much depends on the lunar cycle and what is written on the customs form. She declared it as "company laptop for work".

The are a number of possibilities when the laptop arrives.

1. Nothing to pay
2. Pay postman/post office
3. You get a call from DHL (or whomever) when the pacakge is awaiting clearance, and they charge your credit card.

Ill probably declare it as a "Used Personal Laptop for school work" or something and cross my fingers. Thanks for all your input and shipping suggestions its been alot of help!

If you mark as a gift, I believe that you won't have to pay VAT.
However, if it is not a gift, then you shouldn't do that because it would be illegal and it's probably not worth risking.

If you are purchasing a new or used laptop, then you would have to pay VAT.
The VAT is not determined by Customs, it is determined by Switzerland.
I am from the US and it is like the equivalent of sales tax.

I believe someone else in the thread posted the exact percentage which I am not sure of, but as an answer to the main question, yes you will most likely have to pay the VAT.