Folks, good morning -

I have a quick question I hope that you will be able to assist with.

I am looking to have a PC delivered to Germany from the UK. I will pay the UK VAT on this. No issue here.

If I take it over the border, will I be charged again for Swiss MwSt as well even though I have paid the UK Duty on it?

And if I am charged, the duty will it be on the amount over the CHF300 duty limit? (PC weighs in at around CHF925).

Or do I shove it in the boot, say nowt and drive straight through?

OR what would be the associated costs for import into CH directly - I have assumed it would just be the 8% of the value of the goods. So without UK VAT this works out to be a good item value of CHF770-odd....

Appreciate your thoughts.

Yes, you have to pay Swiss VAT regardless of any other VAT paid.

Yes, you can smuggle it, but risk a heavy fine of up to 4x VAT (plus the VAT).

Tom

Bugger......

Will that be on the full amount of the goods?

VAT is 8% of the value of the goods.

Tom

Thanks Tom - I was quite sure that this was the case, but appreciate you confirming.

So if imported directly into CH, would there be any additional taxes added apart from the 8% as well? I lose paying the UK VAT as is being shipped outside the EU, but am fully aware that i will have to pay the 8% when the good are entering the country - I have no issue with paying it as I still have a few CHF......

Are there any other hidden charges that the Grenzewache like to impose besides the 8%?

why go to all the hassle and expense of importing a pc from the uk?? last time I checked pc's where more or less the same price here as in the uk (in fact a little bit cheaper in a lot of cases)

I thought that this question might come up - I have done my homework and for the spec I am going to order you cannot get here in CH or DE as these are all pre-built and I believe will cost a small fortune. Hence why. And the PC will not come with a o/s or any other gumpf that people like to add, so I save money on a o/s license.

I have checked and this is by far the better option.

However, I do understand what you are saying.

why have it built? its simple to build youself, take a few hours at the most and its done.

Understand, BUT next month I will not have the time at all to do this.....for me this is the best option.

steg also sell barebones pc's without OS

I may investigate this , so thanks....as it stands for the moment, it is far better for me to import.

To answer your question, the most economical way of ordering this PC is to have it delivered directly to your address in Switzerland.

As the PC is being shipped ex-EU, the UK vendor should sell you the PC without VAT (£770).

Once it arrives here, you'll pay 8% VAT on the price of the PC (ex-VAT) plus the cost of the shipping. You'll also pay a CHF35- administration fee (as the goods are worth more than CHF500-, they don't qualify for 'simplified' customs clearance).

If you have the PC first shipped to Germany, the vendor will have to charge you UK VAT (and you won't be able to reclaim this). You'll still have to pay the 8% Swiss VAT (although not on the cost of the shipping), and if you import it personally (as opposed to via the post) you won't have to pay the CHF35- admin fee. You pay Swiss VAT on the full cost of the item (the first CHF300- are not exempt).

Brilliant - that is exactly the answer I was after - thank you very much. I also hope that this helps others as well.

do u have a link for the computer you are buying? im builing a new one soon so it may give me some ideas.

One word of warning: these prices only hold true if your parcel is delivered by SwissPost. If another courier is used, you're advised to check in advance on the price of the 'admin' charge for customs clearance. A quick search on this forum will show that FedEx/UPS/DHL can charge criminally-large amounts to clear your package.

In any event, even with the bigger admin charges that the couriers charge, you'll still likely come out ahead (and have the whole kit, delivered to your door, for less than the £925 someone in the UK would have paid for it).

I asked the courier company about this and they were a little clueless. I think I will still come out on top however. I will force them to advise, as they shoudl know their pricing structure.

BTW, total value of the PC would be £635 / CHF925 - so quite good value.

Thanks very much for the advice.

Hehe, that is usually the case with these companies

Kindly do share your link/store details though - this does look interesting for a gaming rig!

The CHF 656.00 package of motorcycle parts I got from the UK delivered by DPD last month was CHF 52.50 VAT and CHF 8.00 administration charge!

Tom

I just checked out these folk - looks like a CHF40 admin charge will be levied along with the 8% VAT.

I will still be quids in if shipped here......now where is that Credit Card........

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Go for gold - a lot cheaper and better spec than Media Markt and the std offerings over here - I doubt that STEG would be able to match or better - and more importantly everything is in English and I do not have to battle with the language issue. (Yes, I know I should be speaking Swiss-DE or German but sometimes it is not that easy....)