I know there's a couple of services already in Germany and maybe France for having your international shopping and gift parcels sent to for you to collect yourself (of course you have to import them personally afterwards but even if you do declare the contents you only have to pay VAT and not the normal Post handling charge) but I saw this nice story on Swiss Info earlier.

Mandy Klein has set up a small business from home within walking distance of Constance railway station. She takes parcels on your behalf and charges a small fee for when you collect. Seems many of her clients are Swiss too!

Lieferadresse-Constance.de

This seems a great idea! Thanks GG!

Saw this yesterday too. And well, you were quicker, man.

Interesting.

There is still the problem of having to pay German VAT though, which is more than double the Swiss one. I see on her website that you can actually fill up the documents to get this money back. But with all the hassle, I don't think it is worth it.

Would be useful for stuff that can be delivered in Germany but not to Switzerland.

She has a big clientele, so something must make it worth it.
That's the stuff that she is mainly doing this for.
From here.

I use a service like this often. It's most useful for items that are below the Swiss customs threshold but above the CHF65- postal threshold. Even if you end up paying the most expensive German VAT, it's often less than the CHF18- inspection fee plus the Swiss VAT (and certainly less hassle).

As an added sweetener, often shipping charges with the EU are cheaper (or even free) than shipping the item to Switzerland.

I bought two things by post this week -- the one for EUR800 was sent to Switzerland so that I can save the German VAT. The item that cost EUR150 and had free shipping to Germany (vs. EUR23 shipping to Switzerland) was sent to Germany and I'll carry it over the border myself.

So let's see. On that EUR150 item, after tax refund you paid EUR130 (incl. Mandy Klein's fee), whereas the all in cost if it was delivered into CH would be around EUR170. Yup, makes sense.

but if you make like 100000 euro a year, why go through all the hassle ?

I don't understand if in those fee Swiss VAT is included and other custom taxes? If yes then great otherwise it would make the import illegal, wouldn't it?

When you import personally then you get 300 CHF personal allowance without paying taxes.

When an item is posted into Switzerland then it is about 65 CHF (including postage).

In my case, I work just across the border. Since I'm rarely home when parcels are delivered in any case, it's inevitable that I'll either have to go to the Post Office to collect my parcel, or across the border to a delivery service. Since both take roughly the same amount of time, it doesn't really make any difference to me.

Besides, I cross the border regularly to do my grocery shopping.

I don't know why people always tend to equate earning a good salary with a disregard for the value of money? Just because I can *afford* to waste money on excess charges, doesn't mean I should.

nice one, didn't see that one coming! Thanks

In theory, yes. In practice, I don't bother declaring the item at the border (as it is under the threshold for duty) but neither do I bother claiming back the VAT. If I had purchased the item just over the border, I would probably try to claim back the VAT, but for a mail order purchase where the VAT was only around ~EUR25, it's not worth all the administrative hassle.

So, in my case, the total costs were:

Delivery in Germany: EUR150 + EUR2.50 delivery service fee = EUR152.50
Delivery in Switzerland: EUR125 (ex-VAT) + EUR23 delivery + EUR 11.25 Swiss VAT + EUR 15 Swiss customs admin fee = EUR174.25

I could have claimed the VAT back and ended up paying just EUR127.50 for the item, but actually claiming back the EUR25 of German VAT and collecting it from the vendor, especially given that it was as small company and I don't speak any German, seemed too much like hard work.

Is there a similar service nearer the Basel end of the country? it would seem illogical to ship to Constance and then travel nearly three hours round trip to retrieve, but it's lovely for those who are closer to the border.

Yes, LAS Burg is the service I use. They're just across the border in Weil-am-Rhein, about 200m from the Rhein Center.

Their service is more sophisticated than their website implies. You're issued with a dedicated client account number, collection card, and PIN. When your parcel arrives, it's barcoded and you receive an automatic email or SMS notification. Turn up with your card, enter your PIN, and they retrieve your package for you. The charge depending on size and how long they hold the package -- count on a couple of euros for a hold of up to a week.

I've used them countless times and haven't ever had a problem. Parking available next door, more convenient (and shorter queues) than my local post office!

That's brilliant, thank you!

If you live in Switzerland and make 100000 EUR per year, ergo, 275 EUR per day, you typically spend something like 200 EUR per day towards taxes, pension fund, rent, electricity, health insurance, commuting, workplace lunch and essential staples.

After bills, you have, say, 75 EUR per day to spend on amazing gadgets and cool stuff. If your quality of life is much improved by giving 40 EUR of today's recreational budget to the Swiss Post Office, you should definitely do so - but many of us who live close to the border prefer spending all of it on new toys.

Just came across this thread and very interested in anyone has any feedback on Mandy Klein's service. Has anyone used her before?

I'm looking to get something but the retailer does not ship to Schweiz. This would be a great alternative as I can't find it anywhere else.

Any info anyone can offer would be super.

I have used her services, simple and painless. Recent one was from Leipzig to Konstanz free postage ( from this vendor who squeezed it all into a tiny letter ). Picked it up whilst shopping in Lago, Konstanz.

Previously, from Amazon DE ( prime ) and Amazon UK. Address style used: Klein-<my surname> etc. She can also purchase stuff on your behalf from certain vendors who insist on a DE credit / debit card such as Otto, Schwab, Baur, Heine, Eddy Baur, Sportscheck or Alba Moda.

More on this thread for some choice:

[Basel] Your own EU P.O Box

For some items, I do not use her service.

These are very small items ( marked as Abgabefrei by Swiss Post International Customs / Zollamt in a green sticker i.e. less than CHF65 ) where postage from DE is typically about EUR3.45 to Zürich directly.

PO Boxes in CH can be free too:

Post Box - for free?

Travelling to Konstanz twice a week, at times I used to collect mail and small items for 3rd parties in CH, cross the border and mail them off ( or a times deliver small items to the door having a GA ). Perhaps someone with time on their hands can see a business case and start something.