If he is importing goods and then re-selling them then it is commercial activity. Whether he's a company (GmbH or AG) or a sole trader, it's still business.

I went through this with an adviser once and it was deemed that a few parcels coming in a week, or a few bags of things coming across the border is not commercial but personal. If I then later choose to resell as a private individual (random example: on Ebay) then it still isn't commercial.
I can buy a quantity of stuff across the border for example as its on offer and a good price. Then I decide not to use that type/brand/variety any longer and want to get rid of the remaining units, I sell them on a website. Still not commercial.

It starts becoming commercial when the quantities go up and you're using an entire room or rent one especially for this purpose just to store your stock and you're doing this sort of thing most days for several hours a day. Though I have no idea exactly from which quantities upward it does become commercial or how this is gauged.
At some point it could be considered self-employment. It will also depend upon whether there is any profit or how high this gets.

I somehow think Grumpy might have a bit more knowledge than you on this one !


Maybe stop digging ?

B - when I charge VAT, I will set it off with VAT already paid. Correct?
C - why is VAT not required?

VAT would only be applicable if you sell to the Swiss customs territory. Swiss VAT does not need to be charged on exports going out of that territory i.e. to the EU or the rest of the world.

does the buyer have to pay VAT or not at all?

i am trying to consider the all-in price for the buyer.

If the buyer is not in the Swiss customs territory then they do not need to pay Swiss VAT. In other words, as said, you don't need to charge Swiss VAT on exports.

i understand this.

my questions is whether the buyer would need to pay VAT in his country. for example, a buyer from Germany will have to pay German VAT?

It depends on the value of the item that the buyer is importing into their country. Low value items may be exempted and imported duty free. https://www.zoll.de/DE/Fachthemen/Zo...wert_node.html

22,-- (euros) seems to be the upper limit for imports into Germany by post.

Normally, yes. Depends on the amount. Same for Italy, etc.

Tom

B. Not sure I understand your question. You have to sell to Swiss based customers with VAT. So it can be 100.00 CHF + 2.5% VAT (or 7.7% depending on what the goods are) or 100.00 including 2.5% VAT (2.45 CHF) depending on how you want to price it. Generally businesses sell to other businesses (who can claim the VAT back) plus VAT but to consumers including VAT.

C. Because you are exporting. Your customer abroad might have to pay local VAT and/or import duty depending on the import rules of that country. But you have no influence over that and it shouldn't be your concern.

ok thanks

Don't know if it is now uniform for the entire EU customs territory?

Certainly not !

If you're right then I guess the EU's 'harmonisation' hasn't got that far then.

Yes, that's a hobby business. If I buy a 2nd hand book on eBay or at a Brockihaus, read it then sell it on for a profit (even posting it to the EU or worldwide) then that's allowed as a hobby business (up to a certain limit of profit) as it's clearly not commercial. But both main questions on this thread have clearly been for commercial operations.

EU member states have always been responsible for raising their own taxes.

What you want is a clear explanation on your site that the buyer himself should check if he/she is allowed to bring the goods into the country, and that the buyer is liable and responsible for all occurring local costs like VAT and Import costs and any handling costs involved with importing the goods.

This to make things clear and avoid surprised unhappy customers, (tho a lot don't read anything anyway...)

You than sell to customers outside Switzerland without charging VAT, and don't care anymore on what happens on the buyers side.

That is basically how simple it is.

OP said he had a firm, so could be deemed commercial from the outset. Later user with similar query though, hasn't specified as far as I can tell.

Oh come on, he's clearly asking a question for a commercial operation.

We import a lot of goods all the time, but privately, not as a firm or commercially.