Hello all, We are planning to go to Konstanz this weekend and this is first time we are going. any suggestions for shopping ..what is chaper there when compared to Zurich.

Constance is a great town. There is a shopping mall as well as many stores in the old part of town.

What is cheaper than in Zürich? Almost everything...!

If you intend to take a car, you may want to reconsider - the train service from Zürich to Kreuzlingen / Konstanz is excellent, and probably faster than trying to find a parking space there (especially on a Saturday).

Decent sized shopping mall with a lot of nice surrounding stores. Just being along the Bodensee is nice enough. Train from Kreuzlingen stops just across from the mall and main shopping area.

Search and you shall find another 141 posts....

Shopping in Konstanz, Germany

There has already been a thread about Konstanz. Here.

I love Konstanz. The only place I would avoid is Lago, the shopping centre near the station. There was nothing there for me, but it is a matter of personal taste of course. I would take a stroll by the lake and through the old town, where you'll see plenty of shops, a department store and Edeka supermarket if I remember correctly.

How much does the train journey cost?

Depends where you're travelling from and whether you have a halbtax card.

Try sbb.ch.

If you're looking for the new collection in clothes it's not worth to go now.
Sales now, with new stuff arriving end of August.

Do you make your own bread ? In Zürich in the Reformhaus 1 kg. spelt flour (geschrottet) costs Fr. 7. In Konstanz 2 Euros !

Nearly all cosmetics are half the price than here in ZH.

etc.

Groceries ! You pay half the price you would pay here.

If you like Golden Syrup:
I found it in Karstadt in the food section (down the escalator from the ground floor, there is a shelf with BBQ sauces, Golden Syrup, marshmallow fluff, cheddar cheese sauce etc.)

Sorry, but I cracked up

You mean geschrotet (shredded), not destroyed (geschrottet) don't you?

Thanks for the laugh and the flour tip
btw, OP: Ditto on the cosmetics! Especially in Müller and DM...

Hi,
I go about twices a month,
great shopping ,good restaurant and cheaper
ask for the Tax formular that most every shop will fill out for you
and then show it with your Swiss Ausweiss at the custom office in the Konstanz train station.
There is a nice bio store .
The day trip with half tax card from Wallisellen wich is in zone 21
one extra zone from Zurich is CHF 26.
Remember if you spend over 300CHF you will need to fill out a form at the custom in Konstanz,
so you can pay the Swiss Tax they do some control in the trains.

It's called "Ausfuhrschein" - just ask for it and you're all set - if not sure how to fill in the spaces, just ask a salesperson, people there are very helpful.

Hi

I go to Konstance shopping at least once a week by train because I have a GA. Sometimes I go with friends who have a half tax card and they pay about Chf 27 from Zurich Oerlikon. There's direct train from Zurich Main station or Zurich Airport to Konstance station. There's a big shopping mall called Lago and it's just 5 minutes walk from Konstance station.

Remember to ask for the tax free form ( usually white or green ) ... fill them up and get them stamped at the counter in the station before taking the train back to Zurich. You'll get about 7 - 19 pct rebate depending on what you buy. You get back the money from the shops the next time you go back or sometimes at Zurich main station ( money changer counter next to SBB office )

Cheap household stuff ( shampoo, shower gel etc ) at DM and groceries at Aldis ....both located in the basement of Lago.

Feel free to PM me if you need more info

Happy Shopping !!

Don`t forget your bewiligung and make the stamp in the border, you receive the tax back after

Can anyone suggest some good store for kids toys and games ? Will that too be cheaper than in Zurich?

Could you elaborate a bit on what you have to do if you buy more than 300 CHF?

I don't want to be the guy who goes to jail for buying a tv without doing the proper paperwork Just kidding. Do you do it at the place where they stamp your german tax form?

Simple answer just about everything in germany (except maybe electronics) are cheaper then Zurich!

Buy the stuff in Germany. Pay in full, including German VAT. Get the store to fill out an "Ausführschein" or Tax Free form for you. When you cross the border back into Switzerland, stop at the border crossing and have the German authorities stamp the form. (You'll have to be sure to write your name and address on the form, and show your proof of residency, i.e. your passport and "B" or "C" permit). If your total purchase is less than 300 CHF per person, you're good to go. If your purchase is more than this amount (or it is a big-ticket item which can't be divided), you'll have to go to the Swiss border guards and pay the 8% Swiss VAT. When you've got the German stamp on the forms, take them back to the store and they should pay you back the 19% German VAT.

Now, some stores work with the "Global Tax Free" system and will tell you that they don't give refunds in the store. In this case, you have to go to a "Global Tax Free" office (there is one in Karstadt in Konstanz) and they will refund the tax, minus their "processing fees" (which are about half of the total VAT).

And, you should try to reclaim the VAT within 3 to 6 months. Some stores will accept the forms up to 2 years later, but some smaller stores may complain if the forms are more than 6 months old.

This advice is actually not quite correct. The 300CHF is determined on the net price so if the german price minus the VAT is over 300CHF then you are liable to pay the import.

You will also find that it tends to be based on a single invoice so if you have a couple of invoices and you exceed the amount but are not excessive then it is likely that the tax will not be imposed. However dont assume this as it will depend on the officer involved if they say pay then do what they say.

If anyone is interested, I just found out that the Lago shopping mall will be open on Sunday October 21 from 1pm to 6pm.

Since it's officially listed on the city's website as well ("Verkaufsoffener Sonntag in Konstanz"), I suppose that many other stores will be open as well but I don't know for sure.