hello,

i have question about a sofa that i have found in Germany.
it costs 7500CHF and the very same sofa costs 1500USD in Los Angeles.

http://www.furnitureseen.com/Modern-...uiola/1/40/553

so i was thinking if the transport costs, tax etc. would eat up my savings.
how can i do it, simply with UPS, FedEx or what transport comps n possibilities would be appropriate to get the stuff over?

thx for your help!

A couple of comments to start with.

Priced From: $1,437.00 (Are you sure you are comparing the same thing in both cases?). Depending on the covering and number of "components" the price will change.

The German price will have the German VAT in it. Roughly 20% (sorry I don't have the exact %). This will be deducted from the price since it will be exported to Switzerland. You will then need to add the Swiss VAT (7.6%) plus a percent or two for duties. Plus the shipping from Germany of course.

If you decide to buy in the USA. Check where the factory is located (they build to order given the lead time indicated). If it is on the east coast, that will be better for shipping to Europe. You can get a price for shipping (sea freight) from the factory. The store might also reduce the price a little since they will not have the shipping cost from the factory.

You could also keep your eyes open for someone moving from the USA to CH. You could offer to pay some of their container. Order the sofa and have it shipped to them.

Good luck.

Sorry, just saw that the sofa is from Italy so forget the part about the factory on the east coast.

Why not do a bit of shopping in Italy. Prices might be less than in Germany. Spend a bit of time on the web. You might find someplace that has lower prices.

i have been to www.seipp.de in Tiengen, was at their store and had a look at things and i know what modules i want to buy. i am gonna ask them in LA/east coast shop if posible what my module set would cost in total, but the one you are seeing on the flick is about 7500CHF in Germany.

yeah, will have an eye on people moving here from US... in case thats not working, what would you assume this will cost to get over?

i am looking/researching for it since 2 weeks so i did a lot of web "studies" about it. the uS price is by far the cheapest and saving 6000CHF would even allow spending 2000chf on transport...

Yes. Before saying how much you might save, I would send an email to the LA store to ask for a price on the modules and material that you like. The US price you saw might be for only one module etc.

At least from there you can start to look at how much you might be able to save. Remember again that the German price is not CHF 7'500 but rather CHF 6'250 (net of German VAT). The American price (which is net of any VAT) will have to be increased by the US/CHF exchange rate which will be about CHF 1.15 (what you will pay on your Visa card).

Start with the email to have the base price.

i have pinned all module names, material, colours down an a sheet n gonna send this over to them in LA. thx big time!

Looks like a cool sofa , but I think the USD1,500 is not for a whole sofa - from this paragraph on the website you linked to:

I would say that you don't get a whole sofa for your USD1,500...

Best to check with them what the one you want would cost first so you can see if the savings make it worth following up.

yep, looks the same to me. have written an email n will check whats the bill like...

Don't underestimate shipping costs! It looks quite largish - shipping is calculated by volume and weight. If you can find out from the supplier how it's packed - and you'll want it packed properly - then I would suggest you get in touch with a freight forwarder. Ask a couple of companies for door-to-door. e.g. Schenker, UPS or other.

If sea-freight is mentioned (i.e. door-nearest port), it will end up in Rotterdam or Amsterdam and the cost of getting it to Switzerland from up there will most likely be double.... So you may want to consider air-freight (if that's at all possible).

Also remember that there will be import duties, handling and tax to pay (the forwarder will organise this all, but it will be added to your bill!)

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the amount exceeds the amount of CHF 2000.00 mentioned in one of the earlier posts here.