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07.12.2006, 03:57
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: Uk now after Neuchatel
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| | Re: Zoll payments http://www.post.ch/en/index/uk_mm03_einfuhr_von.htm?viewId=722
(link updated) http://www.post.ch/en/index/uk_ueber...infuhr_von.htm
or this one in case they change it again!!
Importing Parcels: Costs incurred by the recipient
If your parcel is delivered by a foreign postal service to the Swiss postal service, then: | Quote: |  | | | Value up to max. CHF 65* :
Postal customs clearance - no costs Value over CHF 65*:- gifts with value up to max. CHF 100 per person: no costs Payable upon receipt (COD):
- poss. State fees
(customs, VAT)
- Handling fee of CHF 10
if state fees are
incurred. | | | | | If however, the parcel is handled by couriers such as DHL, it will be cleared privately: | Quote: |  | | | Under 65 CHF. Private customs clearance From everywhere except USPS: Customs clearance costs of CHF 43 unless the sender chooses a different billing method (incoterm).
Over 65 CHF: the same but with the added 10 CHF admin fee and also taxes. | | | | | The problem I see is that the German Post has outsourced any parcels sent from Germany to anywhere within the EU to DHL. Now in theory, DHL would fall under private clearance, which would mean any parcel, even say a 100gram parcel with a 10 CHF small item in it would incur 43 CHF in fees. Anyone had any experience with this lately? I am guessing Amazon books are exempt from this since books still fall under Deutsche Post. | Quote: |  | | | Parcels from the USA are always cleared through customs privately (unless they are mailed via the slower sea and land routes). If fees (customs and VAT) are incurred, a customs clearance and processing fee of CHF 26 is charged for US parcels.
The following can be imported from the USA free of VAT and customs duties (and therefore free of any handling or processing fee):
•Private items: Parcels from individuals in the USA mailed to individuals in Switzerland (C2C) whose value does not exceed CHF 100 and which are declared as gifts.
•Commercial items: Parcels from businesses to individuals (B2C) or from businesses to businesses (B2B) with a value (incl. transport and customs clearance) of CHF 65. Returned items, replacements and repairs are subject to customs and VAT if the value exceeds CHF 65. | | | | | for the zoll page on getting parcels sent to you see http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=de
for the zoll page on taking goods with you into CH see http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=de
Last edited by muze7; 07.06.2007 at 22:00.
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11.03.2007, 22:22
|  | Newbie 1st class | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Zurich
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| | Re: Zoll payments
Hello all.
I'd like to buy some DVDs from the US. The total amount is around 240 Francs.
Now, am I right that I will have to pay:
- 10 CHF for admin
- 7.6% VAT : 18.24
TOTAL: 28.24?
Is that the final price? I don't want to have a nasty surprise and have to pay like 100CHF.
Thanks,
Last edited by j_in_ch; 11.03.2007 at 22:36.
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11.03.2007, 22:29
|  | The Architect | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Zollikon, Switzerland
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments
You will also have to pay VAT on the shipping costs. The 10 franc admin fee only applies if it comes by post. If you have it delivered by other means it could be higher.
Suggest you check their website to find out how long they take to ship or ask them.
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11.03.2007, 23:07
|  | Newbie 1st class | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Zurich
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments
Hi,
Thanks for your quick reply.
Supposing they use traditional post service, I won't have to pay any more than the VAT + 10CHF admin, right?
Sorry, but I find it all so confusing... | 
11.03.2007, 23:18
|  | The Architect | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Zollikon, Switzerland
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments
Correct. Make sure the supplier deducts the VAT from the shipment since it is leaving the EU. Otherwise you'll effectively pay the VAT twice.
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12.03.2007, 06:33
| Forum Legend | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Luzern currently
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| | Re: Zoll payments | Quote: | |  | | | The problem I see is that the German Post has outsourced any parcels sent from Germany to anywhere within the EU to DHL. Now in theory, DHL would fall under private clearance, which would mean any parcel, even say a 100gram parcel with a 10 CHF small item in it would incur 43 CHF in fees. Anyone had any experience with this lately? I am guessing Amazon books are exempt from this since books still fall under Deutsche Post. | | | | | DHL is part of German Post and simply hands it to the Swiss postal service hence you pay SFr. 10. Got one on Friday...
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12.03.2007, 07:23
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Zurich
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments
How about these so-called double-tax treaties? Can they be exploited^Wutilised so as to not be hit for both foreign VAT and local MWSt? Or are they only relevant for income tax? Or is it more a case of "whatever - pay us anyway..."?
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12.03.2007, 17:12
| Forum Legend | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Luzern currently
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments | Quote: | |  | | | How about these so-called double-tax treaties? Can they be exploited^Wutilised so as to not be hit for both foreign VAT and local MWSt? Or are they only relevant for income tax? Or is it more a case of "whatever - pay us anyway..."? | | | | | No there are three things to watch for.
1. Is the EU company VAT registered if no then you won't get the VAT back.
2. If Yes then do they do exports - seems like a silly question but although they might be registered and it is an export there is additional paperwork for VAT so not all companies will offer you the VAT back - this also does not mean they are pocketing it.
3. Yes and they will deduct the VAT - this is the optimal way because once the goods hit Switzerland there is no way of changing the VAT status...
If you are registered in CH for VAT then you need to ensure your Swiss VAT no is displayed clearly on the address part of the invoice AND ensure you complete some paperwork for Basel and Geneva which are the main entry points for freight into Switzerland.
And finally the system does work very well.
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12.03.2007, 19:13
| Junior Member | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: ZH
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments
I ordered something from the UK a few years ago that had a value of no more than Sfr 150. I was charged Sfr 53 duty. There is no way you can work it out as they make it up as they go along!
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12.03.2007, 20:11
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Zurich
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments
My favourite was ordering a couple of DVD's from Play. They got shipped on different days but obviously arrived in Switzerland the same day. The bastards taped both together so that they were over the import threshold and chaged me tax.
Fortunately I have a house in France so now everything goes there
Nigel
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21.03.2007, 08:55
| Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Secret
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| | solution: ebay...
It does not work for everything, but for movies and tv serials, ebay is great... also for many other items such as apparel or knickknacks.
Private Ebay sellers will label your package as "present", and you get off with no duty. Just ask for it! but most will do it automatically.
I even found a lady who ships groceries from the US, but it is bloody pricey for some granola - if you are desperate, that is a good trick though! http://stores.ebay.com/I-Shop-4-You
For books, amazon.de will ship any book that amazon.us has, you can search for the book using the IP code, and that is fine - the charges are lots lower through germany than from the US (but the books slightly more expensive). However, I found that in Lausanne, FNAC carries a good selection and will custom order for me free of charge...  that is way easier.
I need to check out the sky box. can you suggest a site?
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01.06.2007, 10:07
|  | Member | | Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Scandinavia (ex-Bern)
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments
I'm posting in this old thread instead of starting a new one because my question seems relevant, hope that's correct forum etiquette!
So, I would like to mail some boxes of books from myself in Denmark to myself in Berne (to my work address since I don't know where I'll live.)
I am trying to figure out what the situation will be with customs/duty ... I have read some information on the swisspost website (including that quoted above) and the EZV (swiss customs) as well.
I know that 65 CHF is the usual upper limit for parcels to go through without tax ... (provided they have the appropriate customs declaration stuck on the outside) but somewhere I think I saw a mention that for a box of books this figure was higher, maybe 205 CHF. Unfortunately I can't remember where I saw that now, and haven't been able to find it (I think it was somewhere on the swisspost website, maybe I have my Friday morning stupid head on but I can't find it now.) Since the value includes the transport costs, and a 20kg box costs about 100 CHF to mail from Denmark, the 65 CHF limit isn't very encouraging.
Anyone have a link to the rules? Or experience mailing books to themselves? (In, say, boxes of 10 or 20 kg).
(They are all used books, not worth much except to a bookworm with a hoarding habit.)
Thanks very much,
W
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01.06.2007, 10:18
| | Re: Zoll payments | Quote: | |  | | | a dreambox is a linux-based satellite receiver that does alot of what both a PC and a receiver can do  | | | | | I have a dbox2 in the UK. Useful pieces of kit | 
01.06.2007, 10:22
| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments | Quote: | |  | | | My favourite was ordering a couple of DVD's from Play. They got shipped on different days but obviously arrived in Switzerland the same day. The bastards taped both together so that they were over the import threshold and chaged me tax.
Fortunately I have a house in France so now everything goes there
Nigel | | | | |
Can they actually do that? I'm falling about laughing here. I think I'm going to take the bring it over myself from my address in the UK route. Declare everything is over 6 months old and cross my fingers!!
Saying that always write gift/present on all parcels sent abroad!!!
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01.06.2007, 11:20
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Zürich
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments | Quote: | |  | | | I'm posting in this old thread instead of starting a new one because my question seems relevant, hope that's correct forum etiquette!
So, I would like to mail some boxes of books from myself in Denmark to myself in Berne (to my work address since I don't know where I'll live.)
I am trying to figure out what the situation will be with customs/duty ... I have read some information on the swisspost website (including that quoted above) and the EZV (swiss customs) as well.
I know that 65 CHF is the usual upper limit for parcels to go through without tax ... (provided they have the appropriate customs declaration stuck on the outside) but somewhere I think I saw a mention that for a box of books this figure was higher, maybe 205 CHF. Unfortunately I can't remember where I saw that now, and haven't been able to find it (I think it was somewhere on the swisspost website, maybe I have my Friday morning stupid head on but I can't find it now.) Since the value includes the transport costs, and a 20kg box costs about 100 CHF to mail from Denmark, the 65 CHF limit isn't very encouraging.
Anyone have a link to the rules? Or experience mailing books to themselves? (In, say, boxes of 10 or 20 kg).
(They are all used books, not worth much except to a bookworm with a hoarding habit.)
Thanks very much,
W | | | | | Hiya Wednesday, i think you should be able to send your used books without paying taxes on them. Mark your parcel clearly and add personal belongings. I cant back this up with anything concrete but maybe someone else can offer more specific information.
Good luck with your move. | This user would like to thank Oldhand for this useful post: | | 
01.06.2007, 14:48
|  | Member | | Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Scandinavia (ex-Bern)
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments
OK, I get a little bit smarter through the day, so I did manage to find the swisspost link mentioning books: http://www.post.ch/en/index/uk_priva..._zoll_mwst.htm
"All items containing goods worth more than CHF 65 ( or CHF 209 in the case of books) are liable to VAT."
So it looks like I could get off VAT free as long as I put the value of my books at less than 100 CHF a box (given that postage will be around 100 CHF).
The other thing I am slightly confused about is that customs and VAT are two different charges, right? So my box of books could be liable for customs duty even if not for VAT?
(I did try contacting both Swisspost and EZV through contact forms on their websites to ask about this, but haven't heard anything back.)
Hmm, back to work.
W
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01.06.2007, 14:57
| Junior Member | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: uk
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments | Quote: | |  | | | "All items containing goods worth more than CHF 65 (or CHF 209 in the case of books) are liable to VAT." | | | | | Oh, but I wonder what exchange rate they use...
Because I've bought many dvd boxes on Amazon that come with a price of around £25 (good thing, they do deduct the VAT when you buy outside Switzerland  ), and I still had to pay VAT plus the 10 CHF of "handling".
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01.06.2007, 16:28
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Thurgau
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments
For those near to Schaffhausen you can always get it sent to the Post Office in Buesingen, which is Germany, but surrounded by Switzerland.
Buesingen on the High Rhine is German territory, even though it’s encapsulated by Swiss territory. Buesingen is part of the province of Baden-Wuerttemberg and it lies in the administrative district of Constance. There is no manned border if you travel from the Schaffhausen side. http://www.buesingen.de/englisch/index.html | 
02.06.2007, 09:28
| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments | Quote: | |  | | | "All items containing goods worth more than CHF 65 (or CHF 209 in the case of books) are liable to VAT." | | | | | I've never paid any sort of charge on stuff from amazon.co.uk and have had books worth way over 209 CHF in one delivery so I guess that the good old Zoll Lotto comes into play.
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02.06.2007, 12:10
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: Uk now after Neuchatel
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| | Re: Zoll [duty] payments
Wednesday, your situation should be different as you will move here. I remember that within 6 months of your arrival (and also in advance I presume), things that arrive in Switzerland as your pre-existing personal belongings can be imported duty free. (So no buying new electrical goods I mean).
What you should do is try and call someone in customs about how you would do this. Usually you need a packing list and to fill in a special custom form, which are all on the net, but the reason you might have to call is ask how it works if you are not there to clear goods through customs yourself. I know it is possible though. Would save you a lot of costs, as you can ship all books etc. together...
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