For up to 8 days it is not an issue. Declare it at a manned border (to the Swiss) upon entry.

I went yesterday to the shop where I bought my glasses to get the VAT refund. However they did not ask to see my import duty receipt from the Swiss customs. So I guess I could have gotten the customs forms stamped by the German customs and then just carried on into Switzerland without bothering to pay the import tax - or am I missing something here?

In general the Germans won't care wherever you paid Swiss duty.

Must have been expensive glasses (considering German prices!), though, since till 300 CHF it's all free on the Swiss import side..

Yes, the glasses cost me over 1500 euro

Yes you miss something. The telephone line from German customs to Swiss customs. It is known that they give each other tips about incoming goods which might be smuggled.

Tip of the day... don't go and first pay your swiss tax and get your receipt swiss stamp before you go to the German Border guy to get his stamp...

They get VERY grumpy those germans

(he did stamp but gave me a germanical telling off - it was for my new winter tyres I had just bought and got fitted over there)

Well yeah, you first have to export before you can import :P

More like: You can't export when you already did the import.

Last Friday I got a letter from the Swiss customs asking me for a copy of the receipt of the import duties I paid on my glasses. They had been informed by the German customs that I had requested a refund. I have actually lost the receipt and had paid the duties in cash but luckily they were able to find a record of my payment after I told them which customer post I had paid at and on what date and time. So it is indeed important to pay the Swiss import duty as they are informed of goods being imported by the German customs.

This would be something new.

If it's true, probably it's not the German customs as they don't seem to keep a record. So it must be the shop where you bought the glasses. Or some German institution. Still I find it hard to believe...

I got a letter from the Swiss customs saying that the German customs had given them this information!

Did the Swiss customs send you the amount you spend together with some document or just a letter without detailed information?

When I get the stamp from the German customs they just give the documents a quick glance, there is no way they get all the details or make a copy of the document

Another possibility is that the shop where you bought the glasses sent directly the information to the Swiss customs. We are talking about handing client data to another state. This ought to be illegal

A third possibility is that the German state centralizes the data from the shops and sends it to CH. Maybe but I am not aware of such an agreement. And given the effort to implement the automatic exchange of financial information, I really doubt such an agreement is in place.

And a fourth possibility is that someone reported your shopping. I remember I read an article about Swiss customs using detectives. I think this was related to expensive items and getting the client data based on car plates, which can be found out online in most cantons

Stores have to declare to whom they sold when claiming back the VAT, so the German government has all the info needed. Lets not forget that there is also fraud going on where people "export" things, but in reality the goods return to or stay in Germany and never get declared in Switzerland and it is just an easy way of getting some extra bucks with friends or family.

Germany could ask Switzerland if goods have been imported, if not than Germany could take the position that the goods never have been exported (if they have not been brought into any other country they surely must still be in Germany..) and deny a refund.

Importing/exporting is a tax issue, expecting that country's don't try to check on this as much as they deem needed is naive.

Indeed Germany could, but it would be of no use. The lack of evidence on the Swiss side doesn't necessarily mean that the good wasn't imported into Switzerland. Furthermore the Swiss customs have no records. You can even pay cash or using the Swiss customs app - no personal data required. In this case the Swiss customs should require an invoice for each transaction reported by Germans. Customs paid or not paid.

I paid cash and the Swiss customs were able to trace the payment.

They keep track of transactions, it is tax money, they are not just going to throw it in some anonymous bucket. I have paid cash and always got a receipt.

And even if so. The burden of proof is on the consumer/importer, not on customs.

If you pay using the app (quickzoll), there is no ID required. I remember paying by cash and I don't think they asked for an ID or even make a copy of the forms.

How do you think this worked?

Only if the law says so. If two countries decide to amend their laws so it's not just legal, it's mandatory, what are you going to do?

Only that in this case there is no agreement.