We have done quite a bit of comparison shopping recently as we are currently trying to outfit our new apartment, and have consistently found pricing to be much better in Germany, even for the Swiss brands.

Other than the Möbel Markt in Dogern recommended above, here are a few more places we have visited (all more or less within 45 min to an hour drive from Baden/Zürich):

Dick Möbel in Lauchringen (http://www.moebel-dick.de/) - decent selection of mid-range items to a few designer lines, prices are fairly competitive

Möbel Brotz in Murg (http://www.brotz.de/mobelbrotz/index.htm) - wide selection of items for the budget-conscious and a few mid-range brands. We are about to order our Ruf bed from them as their quote turned out to be lowest among the 3 separate offers we got.

Schweigert in Maulburg (close to Lörrach - www.schweigert.de) - very wide range of selections ranging from the budget-friendly to a large number of designer lines, plus a good selection of lighting, custom carpet and drapery.

Seipp (http://www.seipp.com) with two locations - a smaller one in Waldshut and the main store in Tiengen, as mentioned above is more focused on designer items and thus is slightly on the pricier side - though you could still easily expect a 25% to 30% saving over the Swiss prices.

The parking lots of these stores are filled with cars with Swiss plates. We live quite close to the German border and regularly see trucks here making deliveries.

Will those German stores deliver to CH? Are there any duty consequences to doing this?

Try XXXLUTZ in Fredrischhafenc (you can pass Bodensee on boats also with the car).
If you buy lots of stuff, it is definitely worth.

yep.
They deliver, take care of border handling (with a charge), and you can avoid paying German VAT. Then you will get bill of Swiss VAT.

In fact - from conversation with the salesmen in those stores, a large portion of their sales come from Switzerland, and during our visits on weekends, the parking lots are packed with Swiss plates .

You simply need to let them know you are coming from Switzerland and they will automatically deduct the German MwSt (19%), add the Swiss MwSt (7.6%) and take care of all the necessary paperwork at the border. We bought our kitchen from across the border and the paperwork was no different from this side of the border.

In addition, with the only exception of the lower-end budget lines, most of the time delivery and assembly/installation are part of the service with no extra charge (sometimes this is denoted as "Servicepreis", as opposed to "Abholpreise").

Comparison shopping around definitely pays for itself, especially when shopping for bigger-ticket items. We are also ordering a set of Miele washmachine/dryer from Hettler in Waldshut - the same set that was recently advertised by Fust at 6,000 CHF - and the total price comes out to be just around €2,500, delivered and installed!

Having done our big furniture shopping, thought I would reply with what worked for us.

We tried to rent a van from Avis etc to drive up to Germany but had a hard timing securing one over a weekend. A local told us about www.unirent.ch. They have a good selections of vans (for CHF 109 per 24 hours + CHF 26 insurance and 150km free, they also rent cars). I recommend this place as it is easy to get to on the tram from the main station (less than 10 minutes, then a 5 minute walk) and good service.

We did not buy all of our furniture in Germany, but the pieces we did buy are very good quality and less expensive than in Switzerland. Our favorite stores include:

1. Mobel Market in Dogern - Very good selection for tables and chairs, kitchen supplies, area rugs etc.

2. Kreidler in Tingen - great selection of lighting, furniture (we are buying modern, some of the selectionw as too traditional). We ordered a custom kitchen table (takes 6-8 weeks) and they will arrange VAT (our price was net the difference, they do all paperwork), delivery, and assembly (all included in the price).

3. Mobel Dick in Tingen - huge store, lots of selection in everything.

4. Seipp - Although we were in the market for good quality pieces, we found this store very expensive and really no different than the better stores in Switzerland.

In Switzerland we bought at Pfister and Schubiger (the one in Dubendorf has a sort of outlet section; we found a great couch there for 30% off). We also bought a closet at IKEA (delivery and assembly was an additional CHF 500 and in hindsight we could have bought one at Pfister for the same price, and much better service).

Interested in other expereinces!

I would not reccomend xxxlutz. At least in Austria, they are very expensive, not necessarily a good cost/quality deal. And not very friendly staff ......

Ive been there, its an easy train ride from Schaffhausen plus a short walk. They have tonnes of stuff (I got lost in the couch section) -- and a couple of notches above Ikea. The carpark is full of Swiss cars and they are set up to do the transport and do customs for you. When I was there delivery was free but that might have been a special deal.

Right next to them is a much cheaper furniture shop that seemed to have cheap but a limited range of stuff. I'd guess that they would ship too.

With this convenience not sure I would bother with renting a van plus the custom hassle.

Hi,

I need to buy furniture for my lounge and I am looking at the Pfister / Schubiger sort of quality.
Are there shops like that available in Tiengen? Or any other German town near the border.
Also are there some appliances shops (I need a hoover, etc)?

I don't have a car so can I do everything by foot or at worst with a bicycle?

Many thanks

I've been around a number of furniture shops in Germany but they all turned very evasive when I asked about delivery to Zurich. I couldn't be arsed to rent a van and do it myself so I bought the stuff locally and it wasn't that much more expensive.

BTW, Schubiger Möbel are doing a 10% discount right now on almost all heir stuff based on the Euro exchange rates. I just bought a new sofa and a bed there. I've found Schuiger to be quite flexible in general and you can often haggle an extra discount or get some freebies thrown in.

For IKEA-stuff, Germany is definitely better though, if only because of the free coffee. On both sides of the border the staff are equally incompetent and thick-skulled though so don't expect anything like service that goes beyond free coffee.

Hi

But does IKEA in Freiburg deliver in CH ? Do they take care of paperwork at Border ?

Regards

precisely that! i bought my sofa there and a table plus some other things and i was impressed by a) the display (not only in the shop but ONLINE!!!) b) service (ok, the amount was maybe worth it for them;-) b) the process!

the shop has a swiss bank account, so you easily transfer the money with no extra fees on top. the wole delivery is possible to Zurich for free (maybe whole CH, i dunno) the tax issues was completely sorted! it was all calculated with the total price-> hassle free shopping. and the 12% VAT-savings were also great! i loved it.

For IKEA prices, it is not worth the trouble of paperwork - illegal import is not an option, of course. From a price difference of thousend francs upwards, it is worth letting the Germans deal with border handeling and drive the van. Even for a fee. That would be my policy.

One exeption: my folding bike. It's a german one. At the border, I could take the thing in the train and stop at Basel Bad German border. Paper work is not trouble at all for one single object.

Big YES! I wish I did. I filled my apartment with furniture from Ikea, Interio, and conforama () naively on a whim. I recently browsed some stores in Waldshut area and they had great stuff, leather sofas for half the price in ch, etc.

If only...

I thnk we weren't discussing IKEA-style stuff but more up-market furniture where the price difference can sometimes be quite big.