Hi,

A few weeks ago in a stroke of genius I decided to post a small box of Dewalt SDS drill bits to myself in Zurich from the UK purely to avoid paying for hold luggage. However they never arrived in Zurich

Our of interest does anyone know if this is a restricted item to post perhaps in Switzerland? I've also since heard of a customs inspection process that can be imposed - could this account for a package MIA?

Thanks,

Andy

It should arrive, probably with a bill.

I've had packages via Royal Mail arrive 3+ weeks late, intact, no inspection, with no good reason for long delay. Seems delays happen at consolidation points where bulk shipments prepared to go across channel. Have faith, it may still arrive.
You might get inspected depending upon what you mean by "small box of SDS drill bits." Wouldn't take too many pieces of larger diameter / length drills to go over value limit.

Did you stick on a customs declaration?

Letters are exempt but parcels need the declaration, even if the value is less than ca. 80 CHF and therefore fee exempt.

Drill bits are pretty obviously a parcel - if you didn't wrap them properly, they'd anyway probably be disposed of as dangerous at the first sorting place.

If you didn't declare them, then expect to get a bill for inspection and administration.

Nope didn't declare anything, which I did suspect I needed to. Annoyingly I following the guidance of the lady behind the counter in the Manchester post Office I was in and no declaration was attached. I reconciled that to myself because the items were not new and the value low.

Oh well.... I'll await the inspection process and fee

Not entirely correct, the value that triggers import duties is lower and the shipping price is included in the total value! So a simple $5 piece sent over UPS could pay taxes, based on the total value.

From the post website FAQ:

As a rule, every consignment from abroad is liable to customs duty and VAT.

There is no special tax-free limit as with passenger traffic, only a fee exemption limit. Accordingly, customs duties and value added tax are not charged if the amount calculated is less than CHF 5.00 per customs declaration, whereby customs and VAT charges are considered separately. Gifts sent from private individuals living abroad to private individuals in Switzerland are duty-free up to a goods value of CHF 100.00. Goods purchased on the Internet do not satisfy these conditions. They are subject to duty in accordance with the general provisions.

The upper limit of the goods value (incl. transport costs) for an import exempt from VAT is:

8% VAT (applicable to majority of all consignments) => CHF 62.00
2.5% VAT (special goods such as books) => CHF 200.00


https://www.post.ch/en/business/a-z-...ustoms-and-vat

To be a nit picker. Duty does mostly not depend on prize put total weight of the shipment. Like tax it is only actually collected if it is over CHF 5.

Most things are duty free. Except stuff from US origin.

Duty rates can be looked up here: www.tares.ch

Not really what has been happening to me in the last 6 years. Anything over CHF 65,00, except books, are usually picked up by customs, I get a ratio of about 60% caught /40% not. Sometimes, if the customs officials have doubts, they send you a letter asking for the receipt for proper calculation.
A good example was 16 stickers I ordered from Belgium. They came on a B5 envelope, but the sender marked it with a CN23 sticker with a total value of $80. I had to pay import duties for about CHF80, 8% VAT and about CHF25 for handling from the post.
It was a simple envelope with a CN23 customs sticker.

I ordered once a arcade cabinet from the UK, about 30 KG, total value about £300 pounds and paid the same percentage, 8% VAT plus about CHF25 for handling from the post.

So it's the first time I hear about weights... maybe for other type of imports?

VAT is just VAT, customs duty are based on taric code it is in addition to VAT.

Sorry, still don't get what you mean. See attached image:

1 - Total value of the package (declared plus shipping value) CHF 135.04
2 - Duty payment zone 2 (US) CHF 16 + 3.00% of value https://www.post.ch/en/business/a-z-...earance-prices
3 - VAT of both import value and duty value (8%) CHF 12.40
4 - Total to pay

So, what is this taric/tarif code you both keep mentioning? I have several like this, never saw this tarif code.

It's been working like this with the Post, DHL, UPS, DPD, you name it. The Duty Payment varies with operators - DHL and UPS are usually the most expensive. DPD sometimes does not even charge it, just the VAT.

Attached Thumbnails

 

Strangely enough I ordered some bits from a company in the U.K. a few years back... it took almost 6 weeks to arrive and when it did, written in red marker was:

Switzerland NOT SWAZILAND

You people must really love your drill bits.

That's not duty payment, that's customs processing costs.

Duty payment is very low (and usually zero), and depends on weight and country of origin.

Tom

You do not get it because your German is not so good, or you did not read your link. Correct translation is:

1 - Import value of the package (declared value plus shipping value)
2 - Customs clearance fee zone 2 (US) CHF 16 + 3.00% of import value
https://www.post.ch/en/business/a-z-...earance-prices
3 - VAT (8%) on both import value and clearance fee CHF 12.40
4 - Total to pay

Your package had only tax, but no duty. Either because the content was duty free or applicable duty was bellow CHF 5.

The customs clearance fee is charged and pocketed by Post, DHL, UPS, DPD, you name it for processing and clearing your package. This is not duty.

__________________
"Okay, I just hope we don't wake up on Mars or something surrounded by millions of little squashy guys."

Thank you for the clarification: you are right - my German is not that good and I did not read the document properly - as I failed to find the duties costs on the Post link, I assumed the duties were included in the processing fee.