I apologize in advance, but after searching around, I have found myriad different answers to this question.
When we move, we're changing our address with all of our accounts, etc, but we still must provide the USPS with a forwarding address. I'm considering paying for an address at Mailboxes Etc. They will then forward at intervals of my choosing, our mail and packages to us in Switzerland. It's a fabulous service from what I can tell as they'll go through and weed out the obvious junk mail and then send the rest along to me. This will be no problem for mail/documents as they will not be subject to any customs, VAT or import fees.
But if we order something, say some clothes from J.Crew, and have them send that, how are the funds due calculated? Has anyone done this? Say for example we order some clothes that are worth $200.
It seems pretty solid that VAT is 7.6%. That's about 16 CHF. No problem. What other charges are there? One thread said that the Swiss Post will charge 43 CHF and then calculate the 7.6%. That's a little different!
If anyone has actually done this with any success, and knows what else is charged on top of the 7.6% when shipping with either USPS or UPS, I'd love to hear about it!
Neither my husband's family nor my own seems to be willing to receive and forward mail for us.
Not sure about what Mailboxes Etc. is going to charge you but I can tell you that once every two weeks or so the man who forwards our mail from the US to here pays anywhere from 6-10 USD at the USPS for a big manila envelope of our mail. We receive it anywhere from 7-14 days later.
As far as goods or packages, there is a spot on the international mail form that Mailboxes, Etc. will fill out that declares the value of the item. When it arrives here in Switzerland, you will receive a bill for 7.6% of that declared value, which you pay to La Poste just like you pay your regular bills.
Last year my mother sent me a pair of glasses that I forgot at her house. On the package she declared the value at USD100 and I had to pay CHF25 in customs duties to the letter carrier to receive the package. That is more than 7.6%.
Way more! What method of shipping did she use? I have heard that DHL, FedEx and UPS (among others, I imagine) slap a 20 CHF fee on all packages just for fun.
It's appalling when clueless shippers describe for customs purposes used (and previously used in Switzerland (say)) goods as if they were new. Repaired goods are subject to tax only on the value added by the repair; previously declared and imported goods are tax-free. There is a tension between the insured (replacement) value and the market (eBay, Customs) value. Beyond that, tax is usually waived on goods sent to tourists and other temporary soujourners, goods that will be re-exported.
I know some horrific stories, specifically one where the first CD-ROM sent as a subscription to a legal database was listed for FedEx customs purposes as $4,000 and taxed by Customs (and paid by FedEx) at something like £500. We refused it, of course; in the end the publisher had to pay for their own stupid mistake.
For mail that consists mainly of letters and documents, one might consider htttp://earthclassmail.com which will also forward parcels, but at a price. They have a joint venture with SwissPost http://www.swisspostbox.com/en (described at: http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009...ail-online.ars ) -- it's very clever, very efficient. But not cheap. An included service in the USA version is direct deposit of checks received.
The eye glasses were sent from the US by standard first class mail in a small box. As I needed the glasses, I reluctantly paid the CHF25 and promptly called Swiss Customs to complain. The person I spoke to on the phone was polite and understood my predicament but said there was nothing they could do. As my mother had listed the value on the customs slip at USD100 and did not indicate that it was a gift, Swiss law required that I pay the fee. What I still don't understand is how they calculated that I should pay CHF25 for glasses valued at USD100.
Even more confusing, a few months ago I ordered a hard cover book from Amazon.co.uk valued at GBP20.00. I anticipated having to pay a Swiss customs fee but when the book arrived from Germany, it was in my mail box and no fee was due.
The 7.6% VAT is NOT the only charge. You will also get an administration charge. For things like FedEx it is normally pretty small. The problem I have had is when sending small parcels with the regular post system, which gets dealt with by a company which appears to be part of La Poste but is in fact separate, and they have a standard admin fee of in the region of CHF40...
There are countless threads on this topic already. Have a look at the similar threads listed below.
There is an admin fee on top of the 7.6%. The minimum is 18CHF through Die Post (normal post) going up to between min 30-40CHF for DHL, Fed-Ex etc. This also applies to gifts.