I have never used them before but want to buy some stuff that doesnt ship here... Which ones do you use and recommend? I'd prefer the "Zurich to Basel" border region over driving to Konstanz...
I know that there are plenty of shops along the CH border in Germany that accept parcels for you (so you can shop on Amazon and shops that only deliver to the EU... as well as save the extortion fees for custom checks when sending stuff to CH).
When we lived in Basel, we used LAS Burg, which seems to be the most popular establishment in Weil am Rhein. Good service, quite low prices. Downside - cash only (at least still a year ago).
Now, after moving to Aargau, we use MyPaketshop in Bad Sackingen. Slightly more expensive, but accepts cards and recycling of the packaging material is included in the price. One additional plus for you might be that the nearest border crossing is always empty, so you never need to waste time stopping, explaining what you bought and how much it is worth (which might happen quite often in Basel if you show up with non-local license plates).
We use Paketdepot in Lörrach. It has parking out the front and you don't need to drive into the centre of the town (assuming you come from the border).
If ordering from Amazon they have some Amazon Lockers near the border where you can get things delivered to and it costs nothing.
I find Waldshut-Tiengen to be the most convenient for me.
With Amazon if I can I'll send to a gas station in the area. I usually will combine for a drive up Schluchsee, and pick up on the way back so it works and they're also open Sunday which helps a lot with traffic etc. But they only keep the stuff for 7 days, so you need to act and can't just leave them there.
If the seller can't deliver there or I buy non-Amazon I send to Europaketshop in Koblenz. It's right after the border crossing, so very easy access. They always had a station to throw cartons etc, but recently they made it much nicer so it's easy to get rid of superfluous packing clutter if you want to spend a couple extra min there. That just needs a bit better planning because of opening hours, but they keep packets for as long as you needs them so you have time to go get them. This is a great solution for stocking up over a period of time and then taking all at once.
When I was figuring out which one to use, Grenzpaket in Jestetten appeared to be the quickest to drive to from where we live.
https://paket-ohne-grenzen.de/
Been happy with them so far..
Hi All,
As i have never used one of these Packet Shops (i know right, should broaden my horizon :-)), would someone kindly explain how it works when you come back over the Swiss boarder?
Do you have to declare everything that is over 80 CHF or a certain price/product?
Do you have to fill in any forms to declare anything?
Does the Packet shop assist you in declaring the goods for boarder control?
Or as risky as it is, just drive back over the border hoping you don't get stopped?
Not much threads on "Packet shop" here, hence why i asked the question in this thread.
Thanks
K
For general goods that you would reasonably ship to a place like this, if there are valued below 300 CHF/person you don't need to declare anything.
If they're above you should, or run the risk of paying the VAT + 3xVAT as a fine. You can do this with paperwork at the border crossing and them being closed because you crossed outside opening hours or from a small crossing, is not an excuse. You can also download the Quickzoll application which is quite easy to use. I did this when I entered CH with olive oil from back home and it was late on a Sunday and didn't want any surprises in a potential random check.
I joined up with LAS-Burg about 4 weeks ago and have used them almost weekly since. Following on from karol.k's comment, I can confirm that they are still a cash-only operation, which is a bit irritating but not a showstopper.
Good prices, conveniently located for public transport and quite near lots of shops too.
While I have not been using any of the packet shops have I imported stuff into Switzerland and as a private person is it dead easy: You stop at the border, take the receipts, walk into the booth and say "I'd like to declare my shopping, here you are". The guy will look at your residence permit, the receipts and then start to type around on some 1970s table calculator. in the end he presents you a bill. Thats only necessary if your shopping is over 300 CHF per person . So if the wife and I cross... its 600. It gets a two stop process if you first want to get the paid VAT from the German side back, but that as far as I understand wont happen with mail order goods(?).
To answer my own thread: I have in the meantime signed up and tried out https://www.mypaketshop.com/
Seems to be one of the biggest and most popular of the businesses. Located in Bad Säckingen, 2 mins from the border, which is closer for me than all the Basel area options. Sign up went flawless, ordered two individual shipments, got emails whenever they arrived and picked them up. Place is quite busy, but well organized. I was allowed to leave the packaging material there, they will recycle them. Next to it is a large and nice Rewe supermarket, so I was easily able to combine the pick up with some cheaper grocery shopping... One of these things I should have done for a long time I guess.
Swiss Paket in Waldshut. Used it for years, and quite happy.
During COVID times, they would answer re requirements/checks/controls, cancelled fees for long-term storage if you couldn't collect due to COVID restrictions, and also forward packets if needed.
Good choice! In terms of shopping, nearby Schmitdt’s is much nicer than Rewe.
I would like to mention a small family business here that has worked really well for us in the past ~4 years: Baris in Lottstetten.
Here is what I like about them:
- It is actually a (Turkish) grocery store/butcher. So you can already do a decent amount of shopping there. DM and Lidle are within walking distance, plus a Kebab and a Chicken place and some Cafés.
- The staff (almost all family I guess) are very nice people
- It is closest to Zürich city by car and train I guess.
- Its fees have been cheapest whenever I casually looked for alternatives. Of course Iḿ not 100% sure and it doesn't matter "much".
Thanks
Best
I have used Mössmer Pakete for years in Jestetten about 200m down a sideroad almost opposite to Aldi.
Bumping this thread - same request, new location.
As I'll be in Bellinzona soon, and I rely heavily on Amazon for several regular purchases, does anyone have any suggestions of a packet shop / Las Burg replacement on the Italian side?
Thanks