I brought my TV and other entertainment electronics from the US knowing I would need a step up/down transformer converter given the difference in voltage. I've searched online for a couple hours (checking many of the sites recommended here) and a few stores with zero luck. I've found one online store that I think was selling one at 500 watts, but I'm thinking I'll need at least 2000 watts. (I'm not a whiz at this stuff, but with a reasonably large plasma, surround sound with a subwoofer, etc., 500 watts will definitely not cut it).

Does anyone have any hands on knowledge/experience buying one in Switzerland? I've even looked at Amazon.de, and it doesn't seem any of the sellers are willing to ship to Switzerland. I did find one seller on Amazon.com in the US who will ship to Switzerland, but it takes 2-3 weeks and costs at least $100 to ship.

Word of advise to those moving to Switzerland from the US: buy a transformer in the US before you leave. In fact, get one high wattage one for your entertainment system, and then a few lower wattage ones (much cheaper) for appliances that cannot handle the higher voltage in Europe.

would this help maybe ?

http://www.conrad.ch/ce/de/Search.ht...=mainSearchBar

After we moved here and realized our 120 eletronics wouldn't work here (brilliant, I know), we actually ordered one from Amazon in the US. It was much cheaper even with shipping and arrived within a week. BTW, we bought one big enough to run our treadmill so it shouldn't be a problem finding one for what you need.

If you're in Zürich, check out Pusterla on Hohlstrasse. They normally have several different models in stock.

Have seen these on ricardo.ch but none listed today.

tutti.ch has two listed, one 300w and one 100w:

http://www.tutti.ch/schaffhausen/gar...0w_7812688.htm

http://www.tutti.ch/schaffhausen/gar...0w_7812686.htm

Thanks for the tips!

bonaire - I may just go your route since Zürich is a bit tough for me right now. Your post reminded me I had found one online store in Switzerland that sold industrial-looking transformers, but they were starting at around 500 CHF. That's far more than ~100 for the one on Amazon plus the ~100 for shipping.

Mullhollander, thanks for looking. My TV alone is 400-500 watts (it's a plasma, which apparently use a lot of power) so those are not going to cut it.

This is more what I have in mind, if they shipped to Switzerland: http://www.amazon.de/Bronson-VT-3000...ansformer+volt

Many residents of Switzerland have postal addresses in Germany so that products can be ordered for when the seller won't ship to Switzerland. There's a list of these postal address companies on the German border, e.g., Waldshut, in this Beobachter article:

http://www.beobachter.ch/konsum/kauf...resse/#c309029

Considering the price of electronics, it might be better to just buy new ones and keep the old one(s) for when you go back.

I'm not sure if I agree regarding buying new electronics. Paying ~$200 ($100 if you get before you come) for a transformer that allows me to use 2,000+ CHF worth of electronics seems more economical than buying all new things. And for lower wattage stuff, in the US you can find transformers for <$20 (for say 100 watts).

If you do as I say and not as I did and buy transformers in the US ahead of time, I imagine you could save yourself the trouble of buying a lot of new electronics here. I would recommend at least 1 high wattage transformer and maybe 4-6 low wattage ones (check your electronics to see what you might need). If you buy this before you come, you could probably get all of this for ~$200. Hopefully someone benefits from what will likely prove an expensive mis-expectation on my part.

A lot of modern electronic stuff these days is dual voltage anyway, so maybe you can get away with just changing the power chord or using an adapter? Check the small print in the handbook and on the back of the device before splashing money on something you maybe don't need.

1kW:

http://www.conrad.ch/ce/de/product/5...banner&altxid=

Tom

amogles, this is true of some things. Our phones and computers for instance can handle a wide range of voltage. Our iMac works great, as do our iPhones. For those you just need the adapter for the plug. But all of my entertainment electronics are 120V only, as are a number of other random things like our lamps, etc. But yes, this is good advice. If I was a bit more prepared, I would have checked the voltage on all of my electronics. In retrospect, it would have been worth the time. Crossing my fingers our waffle maker doesn't also need a transformer!

st2lemans, yes, that is a good example of the 500+ CHF gizmos I stumbled on that you can actually get here. Worth the wait ordering from the US, I think.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Transformator...-/151143053592

About EUR 200, with shipping.

Tom

Try digitec.ch

you can order online and get it delivered or pick up at several store locations. Great customer service and prices.

We have bought all our electronics from here and are extremely happy with them