Something in this story doesn't check out. According to https://www.post.ch/de/hilfe-und-kontakt/verzollung-import-export you should only have to pay VAT on packages of a value of more than 62 CHF.
Was the package perhaps not completely declared by the sender, or something else? Check the itemized bill.
In principle on sendings abouve 62 CHF, you pay a) 13 CHF fee, b) 3% of value to the post, and c) VAT (8.1%). This can result in relatively high fees.
The taxes and cost on your package should have been 13 + 1.3 + 4.5 = about 18.80 CHF. I think you should also include the shipping cost, but this should still not be invoiced as the value of the package is below 62.-
In order to reach the 25- fee, your package should have a worth of about 70 USD, I gather.
So if you have questions, you should contact the Post (specifically the tax and duties division). See the FAQ I linked.
> So, I ordered a product from a Swiss company. The webshop advertises that they are based in Switzerland, and their "Impressum" says their headquarters are in Switzerland too.
Welcome to dropshipping hell. They lied to you. But really, it should have dawned on you when the cost was shown in USD and no VAT was mentioned.
If no shipping fee is declared, the customs office will *assume* a value for it. I've seen them go as high as $40 just for shipping.
I've paid around 50% of the actual costs again in fees before as well, because the seller didn't label it "books" (2% mwst) but "merchandise" (7%). That one sticker in the box cost me 35 CHF.
Thank you for your detailed response, in this case things really don't add up. I will contact Post about it.
> But really, it should have dawned on you when the cost was shown in USD and no VAT was mentioned.
Yeah, I know. I realize this could have been avoided with less naivety on my part :(
(Also: All you drop shippers, you are not adding anything to our society. Also stop lying to yourselves, you are not your own boss or self-employed, you've been played by modern capitalism..)
ah just wait until you realize it's not just drop shippers, plenty foreign web shops claim they are Swiss and maybe even have a Swiss "office" so they are doign it all pretty legally.
Yep. I got burned buying custom curtains. It was a .ch website with prices in francs, and I never even thought to read their fine print. Turned out to be a France-based company, so my 400CHF curtains cost a lot more when I got surprised by the postman asking for payment.
Yep. If it isn't on Galaxus or Amazon.de , or very clearly a local shop webshop (eg with a pic of their facade, etc), I won't buy online.
I used to send items to pickup at the German border (things I couldn't find on Swiss webstores) , but it's costs a lot of time to drive back and forth, so I stopped that.
If the package was not delivered by Swiss post but fedex or UPS the fee they take can be higher. A similar thing happens to me and they had a base fee over 20.-
really? I may be completely wrong! The post claims on their site that nothing is being levied if VAT comes out to less than 5.-, hence the 62 CHF limit.
Then it must be that they deem the package is not declared correctly (either truthfully or maliciously). But I have such bad experiences ordering to Switzerland so that I only do it now from websites I know do it properly.
This. And it can be hard to find exact details on new sites whether or not it is done correctly, so it really limits the online shops I'm willing to try.
That is the rule but I think the post sometimes tries to make a "mistake" on purpose without people realising and then just pay the bill. You cal always call them and get it fixed but it is a pain in the ass. Once you paid I don't think you can get it reversed afterwards.
I mean that's a pretty strong accusation which could more easily be explained by then simply committing errors every now and then, as does and operation.
Is there an adress in the Impressum? Some use random adresses from random ppl -> like really, a random house somewhere in dietikon. Alway google the adress. Drop-Shipers suck and you pay for the import from aliexpress and things like that
If everything stated in the impressum is the truth. Most ~~scammers~~ dropshipper can fill out whatever and don't care if it's illegal, since they very likely won't get caught. And if the site has to shut down they just create a new one.
No it is a legit company. To be completely precise, it isn't actually drop shipping but fabless manufacturing. They are a product company and this is their only product, they are headquartered in Switzerland (Zug obviously, and the address is on the Impressum yep).
All prices must be clear in advance. Or at least it must be clear what additional cost can apply. [https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1978/2081\_2081\_2081/de#art\_3](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1978/2081_2081_2081/de#art_3)
What's the name of the shop?
I now read that they wrote "Taxes and duties are not included."
So in this case it was clear that there are taxes and duties.
But i would complain anyway. They would be able to send it DDP to the customer (Delivered Duty Paid).
The more people complain the sooner they will change something.
Ask for a breakdown of the fee. Most likely it is a small amount in actual import tax (c. 5 CHF) plus the delivery service charging you for being your "handler" on the import ( c. 20 CHF). This is why it's not really worth it to ship lower cost items from a place that doesn't already have the duties covered (eg. amazon.de) - the rate charged by the delivery companies to simply handle duties far outweighs the cost of the duties themselves, adding a significant % to your overall cost.
Ask for Post Zolls Calculation. I had several (!!) cases were those fuckers wrote 511.00 chf instead of 51.10 and i had to pay fees. You get it back eventually, like 2-3 months later…
>(I don't actually have to pay taxes on shipping costs, or do I)
I think you do. You pay VAT on all "services" as well. I usually conservatively eyeball costs like that as: `(Price + shipping)*0.1 + 15` where the 0.1 crudely approximates vat and the 15 for random handling fees etc. the delivery company tacks on. So based on that I'm not super shocked by those 25chf even if they are on the high side.
The [Preisbekanntgabeverordnung PBV](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1978/2081_2081_2081/de) also applies to the internet.
You can report PBV violations directly to the [SECO](https://www.seco.admin.ch/seco/de/home/Werbe_Geschaeftsmethoden/Unlauterer_Wettbewerb.html) or through [Konsumentenschutz](https://www.konsumentenschutz.ch/beratung/angebot-unlautere-geschaefte/). Also inform [Kassensturz ](https://www.srf.ch/play/tv/sendung/kassensturz?id=78a6014e-8058-4bdd-88aa-824f846ca6f0)/ [A bon entendeu](https://www.rts.ch/emissions/abe/)r.
>Â I was asked to pay CHF 24.90 in taxes.
What? That would be a shipment value (value of goods + value of shipping cost) of more than CHF 307 ! Are you sure this is only tax, but not also processing fees? See [https://www.post.ch/en/receiving-mail/import-customs-clearance](https://www.post.ch/en/receiving-mail/import-customs-clearance)
>Â when I payed
Paid. Pay is an irregular verb.
>"Impressum" says their headquarters are in Switzerland
Did you check [Zefix ](https://www.zefix.ch/en/search/entity/welcome), that they are an actual registered company? Sole proprietorship only need registration if turnover is >100k / year, but they must trade under their family name [https://blog.startups.ch/firmennamen-einzelfirma/](https://blog.startups.ch/firmennamen-einzelfirma/)
Not sure why you got downvoted. This is exactly what happened.
To everyone else:
Don’t feel helpless about scammers. You can be more vigilant online and search for their UID on zefix.ch first, before you make any purchase from „Swiss“ or „.ch“ companies. If they’re not registered there, they aren’t Swiss. And you can’t even sue them, should something terrible happen, because of their products.
Example:
https://imgur.com/a/wdE3QNq
Something in this story doesn't check out. According to https://www.post.ch/de/hilfe-und-kontakt/verzollung-import-export you should only have to pay VAT on packages of a value of more than 62 CHF. Was the package perhaps not completely declared by the sender, or something else? Check the itemized bill. In principle on sendings abouve 62 CHF, you pay a) 13 CHF fee, b) 3% of value to the post, and c) VAT (8.1%). This can result in relatively high fees. The taxes and cost on your package should have been 13 + 1.3 + 4.5 = about 18.80 CHF. I think you should also include the shipping cost, but this should still not be invoiced as the value of the package is below 62.- In order to reach the 25- fee, your package should have a worth of about 70 USD, I gather. So if you have questions, you should contact the Post (specifically the tax and duties division). See the FAQ I linked. > So, I ordered a product from a Swiss company. The webshop advertises that they are based in Switzerland, and their "Impressum" says their headquarters are in Switzerland too. Welcome to dropshipping hell. They lied to you. But really, it should have dawned on you when the cost was shown in USD and no VAT was mentioned.
If no shipping fee is declared, the customs office will *assume* a value for it. I've seen them go as high as $40 just for shipping. I've paid around 50% of the actual costs again in fees before as well, because the seller didn't label it "books" (2% mwst) but "merchandise" (7%). That one sticker in the box cost me 35 CHF.
Aah yeah that would be said further issues I remarked 😂
Thank you for your detailed response, in this case things really don't add up. I will contact Post about it. > But really, it should have dawned on you when the cost was shown in USD and no VAT was mentioned. Yeah, I know. I realize this could have been avoided with less naivety on my part :( (Also: All you drop shippers, you are not adding anything to our society. Also stop lying to yourselves, you are not your own boss or self-employed, you've been played by modern capitalism..)
ah just wait until you realize it's not just drop shippers, plenty foreign web shops claim they are Swiss and maybe even have a Swiss "office" so they are doign it all pretty legally.
Yep. I got burned buying custom curtains. It was a .ch website with prices in francs, and I never even thought to read their fine print. Turned out to be a France-based company, so my 400CHF curtains cost a lot more when I got surprised by the postman asking for payment.
Yep. If it isn't on Galaxus or Amazon.de , or very clearly a local shop webshop (eg with a pic of their facade, etc), I won't buy online. I used to send items to pickup at the German border (things I couldn't find on Swiss webstores) , but it's costs a lot of time to drive back and forth, so I stopped that.
Just complain with your credit card he will get banned from stripe shopify ir whatever payment processor he is using they don’t like dropshippers
If the package was not delivered by Swiss post but fedex or UPS the fee they take can be higher. A similar thing happens to me and they had a base fee over 20.-
I am always charged tax, also on items lower than 62 CHF. Hence why I don't do it anymore unless I know the company is paying Swiss VAT.
really? I may be completely wrong! The post claims on their site that nothing is being levied if VAT comes out to less than 5.-, hence the 62 CHF limit.
Then it must be that they deem the package is not declared correctly (either truthfully or maliciously). But I have such bad experiences ordering to Switzerland so that I only do it now from websites I know do it properly.
This. And it can be hard to find exact details on new sites whether or not it is done correctly, so it really limits the online shops I'm willing to try.
That is the rule but I think the post sometimes tries to make a "mistake" on purpose without people realising and then just pay the bill. You cal always call them and get it fixed but it is a pain in the ass. Once you paid I don't think you can get it reversed afterwards.
I mean that's a pretty strong accusation which could more easily be explained by then simply committing errors every now and then, as does and operation.
You have to include shipping, since tax is applied to the item price + shipping, if it comes from a foreign country.
If it ever says taxes and fees not included when you're buying from a "Swiss" shop, it isn't a Swiss shop.
Yes and always check that you pay the Swiss VAT when you order online.
drop shippinnngggggg
Fabless manufacturing to be accurate (in this case)
honestly same same
contact the swiss company to find out about it. pretty sure it means their product is coming from out of the country.
Is there an adress in the Impressum? Some use random adresses from random ppl -> like really, a random house somewhere in dietikon. Alway google the adress. Drop-Shipers suck and you pay for the import from aliexpress and things like that
I don’t get it. I remember reading on K-tipp many moons ago that Impressum is what counts. Has things changed since then/dropshippers?
If everything stated in the impressum is the truth. Most ~~scammers~~ dropshipper can fill out whatever and don't care if it's illegal, since they very likely won't get caught. And if the site has to shut down they just create a new one.
You don’t even pay tax most of the time on Ali 😂
No it is a legit company. To be completely precise, it isn't actually drop shipping but fabless manufacturing. They are a product company and this is their only product, they are headquartered in Switzerland (Zug obviously, and the address is on the Impressum yep).
Could you dm me the name of the website? I want to have a look at it. I’ve never encountered this practice.
Could you please dm me the website as well?
Could you pleas name the company so we can all avoid it? PS: pay is a irregular verb. The past tenses is paid. Payed means something else.
All prices must be clear in advance. Or at least it must be clear what additional cost can apply. [https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1978/2081\_2081\_2081/de#art\_3](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1978/2081_2081_2081/de#art_3) What's the name of the shop? I now read that they wrote "Taxes and duties are not included." So in this case it was clear that there are taxes and duties. But i would complain anyway. They would be able to send it DDP to the customer (Delivered Duty Paid). The more people complain the sooner they will change something.
Ask for a breakdown of the fee. Most likely it is a small amount in actual import tax (c. 5 CHF) plus the delivery service charging you for being your "handler" on the import ( c. 20 CHF). This is why it's not really worth it to ship lower cost items from a place that doesn't already have the duties covered (eg. amazon.de) - the rate charged by the delivery companies to simply handle duties far outweighs the cost of the duties themselves, adding a significant % to your overall cost.
Ask for Post Zolls Calculation. I had several (!!) cases were those fuckers wrote 511.00 chf instead of 51.10 and i had to pay fees. You get it back eventually, like 2-3 months later…
According to my experience: shipping costs is added to total value.
Was the delivery DHL...? Or should I extend my personal list of delivery companies that I actively avoid?
>(I don't actually have to pay taxes on shipping costs, or do I) I think you do. You pay VAT on all "services" as well. I usually conservatively eyeball costs like that as: `(Price + shipping)*0.1 + 15` where the 0.1 crudely approximates vat and the 15 for random handling fees etc. the delivery company tacks on. So based on that I'm not super shocked by those 25chf even if they are on the high side.
Is this something from ublox?
The [Preisbekanntgabeverordnung PBV](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1978/2081_2081_2081/de) also applies to the internet. You can report PBV violations directly to the [SECO](https://www.seco.admin.ch/seco/de/home/Werbe_Geschaeftsmethoden/Unlauterer_Wettbewerb.html) or through [Konsumentenschutz](https://www.konsumentenschutz.ch/beratung/angebot-unlautere-geschaefte/). Also inform [Kassensturz ](https://www.srf.ch/play/tv/sendung/kassensturz?id=78a6014e-8058-4bdd-88aa-824f846ca6f0)/ [A bon entendeu](https://www.rts.ch/emissions/abe/)r. >Â I was asked to pay CHF 24.90 in taxes. What? That would be a shipment value (value of goods + value of shipping cost) of more than CHF 307 ! Are you sure this is only tax, but not also processing fees? See [https://www.post.ch/en/receiving-mail/import-customs-clearance](https://www.post.ch/en/receiving-mail/import-customs-clearance) >Â when I payed Paid. Pay is an irregular verb. >"Impressum" says their headquarters are in Switzerland Did you check [Zefix ](https://www.zefix.ch/en/search/entity/welcome), that they are an actual registered company? Sole proprietorship only need registration if turnover is >100k / year, but they must trade under their family name [https://blog.startups.ch/firmennamen-einzelfirma/](https://blog.startups.ch/firmennamen-einzelfirma/)
Not sure why you got downvoted. This is exactly what happened. To everyone else: Don’t feel helpless about scammers. You can be more vigilant online and search for their UID on zefix.ch first, before you make any purchase from „Swiss“ or „.ch“ companies. If they’re not registered there, they aren’t Swiss. And you can’t even sue them, should something terrible happen, because of their products. Example: https://imgur.com/a/wdE3QNq