I soon need to buy lots of items to a flat - sofa, tables, TV and all other stuff you need for a flat. I was thinking of going to IKEA and do most of the shopping. I now wonder if it is worth to rent a van and drive to germany and purchase the items? Anyone know what the price difference is?

THanks

Swiss customs when buying furniture in Germany

http://www.englishforum.ch/daily-lif...port+furniture

No customs officer in sight ... now what?

I bought a nice TV there, and we saved a few hundred CHF. We declared it at the
border because we wanted to get our 19% German VAT back. We had to pay
7.6% to import it though, but we still saved a few hundred CHF.

Apparently you need to go back to the shop you bought the TV from
and give them the papers you got stamped at the border - how did you go about do this? fax it? or do you need to return in person?

If you are shopping for everyday things that you can rather buy at ikea, I would say that its not worth it to drive out petrol, and vehicle cost to Germany, and customs etc. rather than go to Ikea and get the basics that you wish to have, its hassle free.
I do not have experience from furniture shopping in germany, but if I was you, I would look at what I want, get some prices and see what it will cost in CH, and then look at german websites, and weight up the costs/effort/customs etc.

Look at the website of Otto's, Ikea, Fly, Interio, Migros...

Good luck, and enjoy the shopping. Sorry for not having specific experience, but I know that some of the bigger places in germany will also assist in transport/customs with things that you buy from them. Phone them, and ask how much it will cost extra etc...

We went to the shop in person. My wife is from Germany so we took the receipt
back to the same store while back on a visit, no special trips.

We bought our bed + mattresses etc.. from Germany and process was remarkably straight forward. Reclaim the German VAT and pay the Swiss VAT. Thus saving about 10% on an already good price.

Buying furniture, yes, if you are too posh to use Ikea.

Buying a TV, no. Prices are generally equal (from what I've found) and you *may* run into warranty problems.

I bought some of my furniture from Germany (just on the border with Switzerland) and I highly recommend it. Most stores on the border are frequently visited by Swiss customers, and so they do all of the duty free paperwork in store for you. They are also not opposed to negotiations, and I managed to get a discount, plus free delivery and installation.

In terms of price, I later found exactly the same furniture at Pfister but which cost CHF 1,200 more! So for me, it was definitely worth it!

I think it is at least worth having a look at what they have in Germany - they range from cheap to high-end furniture - to see if the style suits you. The thing with furniture is that it is something you really only want to buy once, even if you are going for something cheap.

My husband and I recently moved here from Germany. As we knew that it would be cheaper to buy things there- we purchased several items including a Plasma TV, surround sound system, kitchen items, a new bed, mattresses, clothing etc.

Commonly, we found though that instead of getting 19% VAT back, we were getting anywhere from 9-12% back as VAT- each shop we shopped at had a calculation, and would only give a percentage back. Apparently, this is common, and legal.

On top of that, since our items were being transported by a relocation company (relocation paid for by my husband's company) we'd have had to pay them USD 160 to get the tax back, plus the Swiss MWST.

We calculated it and decided we would lose money reclaiming tax- so we didn't bother doing it. We were lucky that transportation was paid for- we didn't lose money buying in Germany.

I guess this is just to say- if your assumption that its better to buy in Germany is based on the reasoning that you'll get the whole VAT amount back, check with the stores you intend to buy through, whether this is in fact true.

We bought a few thousand Euros worth of items- and never once did we get more than 12% back.

It is because they give you back the difference between the swiss VAT (ca. 7%) and the german VAT (19%)

Hello, what would be good place(s) to go to in Germany for furniture shopping, preferably close to the border, ie not to deep into Germany?

I only found Seipp which has stores in Waldshut and in Tiengen, about an hour driving from Zürich by car. Responses much appreciated!

19% German VAT is equivalent to 9.5% refund.
Consider these numbers:
Price without VAT =100
German VAT =19
German sticker price including VAT =119
Export refund = 19/119 = approx 16%

Swiss VAT = 7.6
Imported cost = 107.6
Saving = 119-107.6 = 11.4
As a fraction of German sticker price 11.4/119 =9.5%

We've bought things through Seipp and were very satisfied. We e.g. picked out a couch we liked in a fancy shop in Zürich and then called Seipp with the ref. number and asked for a price. As I remember it came out around 25% cheaper all in all.

I have heard quite good feedback about :
http://www.xxxlutz.de/alle-produkte/

In Fredrischhafen beside Bodensee.
Has anybody been there and any comment?
I am planning to go soon.

Are there any "cheap" german furniture shops that would do delivery in Switzerland or that are close to the border? I don't want to pay the Ikia prices as you don't get much for your money, but don't want to pay a fortune either...

Hello, looking for recommendations to buy good quality furniture beyond Zurich (shipping not a problem). We have heard of stores just inside the German border....is it worth going? Thanks

This place has been recommended to me by two sets of friends though not used them myself:
.ExternalClass DIV {;} http://www.moebelmarkt-dogern.de/




Interested in your opinion if you go

Good quality is available here, too, but it's often cheaper in Germany. Try Seipp for mid range prices.

braun in Singen has a great selection