Hi everyone,

I have a question, I want to buy my MTB from Germany and I want to know how to get the VAT deducted when I go and buy it. And then how to pay the VAT for Switzerland.

Another think that I figure out is that when you buying online the bikes, they don't deduct the VAT from the online store.

Thanks for any tip or help,

present your swiss residency permit and passport when buying
get the stamp at the border
take the form back to the Germans (or post and get refund)
also declare it when entering Switzerland (3 metres after "leaving" Germany)

Depends on the store.

www.evanscycles.com based in the UK definitely do remove the VAT on non-EU sales. Whether they are cheaper than buying from a store in Germany I don't know.

I recommend www.roseversand.de

They take care of the customs and deduct the VAT directly from the invoice if bike is delivered to Switzerland.

Or you can try bikepalast in salzburg, austria.
Very good range (of exotic) products, they will deduct the 20% GST when you fill in the details (adress).
Sometimes even the shipment cost nothing, small parts(tires, stems, bars etc) are usually 15 Euros.
You have to pay customs (and taxes) at your local post office.

another nice approach is to go to a local bike shop here and negotiate a discount...you will get one...if you work and pay taxes why not support local businesses? you will use your local bike shop for maintnance so why not develop a relationship?

More info here on bying bikes in Germany: http://www.englishforum.ch/sports-fi...lon-bikes.html

Unless im reading it wrong, the cheapest hard-tail MTB (pre-tax) on there is 999 EUR (1400 CHF)... which unless you're experienced will be a bit overkill for the average beginner.

Are there any German bike stores which sell (and deliver) a more "entry level" set of bikes from brands like GT, Commencal, Specialised etc?

At the moment I am struggling to find anything that beats Decathlons Rockrider 8.1 in terms of spec and value for a quality beginners MTB, it's just a massive pain to pick one up and the Decathlon website looks like it doesn't deliver them... unlike the UK, grr.

If i'd have been quicker off the mark i'd have bagged a Commencal Combi Disc 2009, Claud Butler Cape Wrath D27 or GT Avalanche 1.0 2009 and had it shipped over... but alas all that's left in the UK for these bikes in the stores that do ship abroad is a Small size frame, which is sadly no good to me.

Ok, just been Google-Fu'ing like an e-Sifu and have found the following bike shops that have good prices and ship to Switzerland...

http://badbikes-online.de/shop/catal...se?shop_param=

http://www.fahrrad.de/fahrradartikel...-produkte.html

https://www.boc24.de/c/Mountainbike____11543__11529

Will update with more as I find them.

EDIT - http://www.bike-discount.de/

That Rockrider does not look too bad, for the price (I would choose other tires).
If you want to do mail-order, I'd recommend Rose, too, though.
They have a very good reputation - especially for their pre-sales technical advice - though I'm not sure if they have English speaking telephone staff.
999€ is really entry-level IMO. Below that and you get very heavy frames and weak (or heavy or both) wheels. Incidentally, the 999€ AL 200 Factory is 1.6kg ligher than the Rockrider. And 1.6kg means a lot, if you have got to ride up 1000m of altitude difference. More so for a beginner.
Of course, it depends on how often you use the bike and for how long you want to ride it. If you keep it for five years, 999€ is not too bad.
The bike I bought in 2005 was a bit more expensive (2100 CHF), but I do use it a lot (some year more km by bike than by car...).

For a beginner, I would nevertheless recommend a (competent) local bike-shop, though. They can measure and setup the ideal geometry and sitting position for you on your bike - something a mail-order shop simply can't do.

I personally don't think you don't need to spend 999 EUR for a good entry-level bike, i've done enough research to see what's out there, and the UK bike forums are full of praise for bikes like the Rockrider 8.1 which have very solid specs. Also realistically for me, 1.6KG saving on a bike for my uses isn't going to fuss me into spending 70% extra, especially when we are talking about trails such as the Uetliberg and other "light and average" runsetc. As for local bike shops... I checked them out here and many of the same bikes online are there, but for around 50% extra. Personally when it come to purchasing I support myself through doing my own research and then buying the best value I can, rather than pay more just to feel better about supporting a local business that I have no emotional connection to. Not to be harsh or cold, but that's the way i've always shopped and i'm fine with it.

However thanks for the advice, it's appreciated nonetheless.

Well, it does actually look good on paper.
But it's a bit too heavy for a 2010 bike. I guess my current bike comes in at around the same weight (I never asked and didn't care back when I bought it...). But it's from 2005....
And sorry - the UK has what mountains?
;-)


As I said, a lot is personal preference.
I assume, a lot of people would think that anything below a BMW or Audi A3 is "not a real car".
(I own a 2001 VW Lupo....)
In the same way, entry-level bikes for me are the 999€ ones.

Well, if you only spend 500€, it's probably not worth doing large repairs in Switzerland anyway. Better throw it away and buy a new one ;-)
1h of work= 80 CHF easily.
So there's no point in building a "relationship" (which doesn't really exist anyway, to be honest) with a local shop.

Have you considered Canyon ?

http://www.canyon.com/_en/about_us/d...tml?hptclc=114

I ride a Marin Quake myself but I'm thinking of a Canyon next. Excellent components for the price. Knowledgeable friends have had good experiences and recommend them.

No worries, cheers anyway.

Nice thought. I recently bought a Price bike (www.price-bikes.ch) which I am delighted with. These are made in Uster (ZH). The dealer I bought it from gave me a 20% discount for buying a display model from the shop.

See also the Price catalogue (in German):
http://www.price-bikes.ch/katalog/_p...atalog_web.pdf

Canyon generally get excellent reviews for their bikes. Only downside is they can't send to Switzerland direct - the Canyon name here is owned by another bike company (their products are nowhere near as good). For Switzerland canyon.de use the name "Coast" and you have to order from them (and last time I checked at prices nearer Swiss norm as well).

Or you need a friend in Germany to receive delivery. Canyon are quite happy to sort out the VAT if you go this route - a friend of mine did it and all worked fine.

yeah some just need to save a buck or two and travel across borders to make a point...

I bought my Specialized in Uster from the shop on Seestrasse by Greifensee..got a good discount (10%) of the 2009 model (already discounted) and good advice along with measurement...I'm sure these guys will take care of me on futher purchases and servicing...I think they also make some custom-built bikes....here is their site www.chaelbli.ch

No, it's to save (usually significant) money on a bike of same or similar spec, pure and simple, there's no "point" to be made either way. A 40% saving is a 40% saving.

I don't know what downside you are referring to with Canyon.

Canyon ship "direct" to Switzerland and the product is exactly the same spec and price as for other markets except that the Canyon decals are covered with (removable) Coast stickers. 19% German MWSt is deducted at purchase and you have to confirm that you understand that you are purchasing a German Canyon bike and not a Swiss one.

Can't see how you would get the bike delivered to a friend in Germany and still be able to reclaim the 19%. A supplier is only allowed to sell ex-VAT when he has proof of export (either a customs stamp or shipping documentation showing delivery to a non-EU country)

well, I could get into a bit of a discussion here but will not...just hope you are paying the Swiss tax at the border