Does anyone know if I buy things from German online store if I get VAT refund form? I could give shipping address as one of the store outlet and get collect the goods from there and ask for VAT refund . Has anyone done this ?
Hi,
Doesn't work that way, you need to physically have the goods cross the border and get your papers stamped or registered electronically.
Amazon DE will remove the VAT if they ship the goods to Switzerland... some other shops do it too.
I will have goods with me physically as I am getting it from the store using the online platform to buy goods not available in store and getting it shipped to the store and asking for bill and VAT refund form
As far as the supplier is concerned he has shipped within internal borders.
Their is no automatic right to VAT refund, only if the retailer want to do it....
simplest way to find out is probably just ask them...................
Not for all goods. At least in my experience.
But they levy Swiss VAT even if the purchase is below 300 CHF.
Amazon has stopped doing this. They are now pocketing the difference in VAT rates.
Amazon Italy still applies Swiss VAT
amazon.de charge the net price before german Vat and then add the Swiss Vat.
Do you have an example of your post "Amazon has stopped doing this"?
This is correct. The 300 free is not for shipped items, only hand carried.
Tom
It seems not all sites from Amazon apply the same rules, if I select from amazon.it there is no reduction for selecting my swiss address whilst on amazon.de switching from swiss to german postal addresses changes the actual item price. Also there are independent sellers on amazon, that don't make any VAT changes what ever the address.
I've looked at my Amazon order history and could find invoices with 0% VAT until 2018. As of 2019, they have added the 7.7% VAT.
Not sure about amazon.de, but on amazon.it I get the Italian VAT removed and Swiss VAT added at checkout (but not earlier, so you see prices with Italian VAT when looking at a product page)
My comment about VAT rate differences being pocketed by Amazon applies to Amazon.de. Till sometime last year, final prices would drop when one placed an order because they would take out the German VAT and add the lower Swiss VAT. Now, you pay the price listed on the website. And the price does not change whether the deliver address is Swiss or German.
I just checked Amazon.it and they do indeed take out the Italy VAT and add the lower Swiss VAT bringing the order value below the listed price.
When I look the individual prices don't change but the VAT amount does.
Yep, that's how they pocket the difference.
Just checked with an item (Hazet 190/79 tool box). Delivered to Germany price is € 289.96, delivered to Switzerland it is €262.42 which is very exactly the correct price.
Are you sure you look at things sold by Amazon and not by an Amazon Marketplace Dealer.
However, what has changed: They now take into account your location. If you browse Amazon.de from Switzerland you already see the Swiss price (7.7% VAT) from the beginning and no longer German prices (19% VAT). Accordingly, it is now the other way round than in the past, if you ship the item to Germany the price will increase.
PS: Said toolbox is much more expensive on Amazon.it (€ 350.71) than on Amazon.de ! And on Amazon.fr it is €307.30 which can neither be explained by the VAT differences .
Ok, this is a possibility. In which case, I stand corrected.
That is not even possible because of the way VAT is calculated, accounted for and reported. If they charge the wrong rate they are going to have to hand it over to the German government.