Buying from Switzerland

[graham1945]

Has anyone got any experience of buying used basses from Switzerland - duty, VAT, ad nauseum. 
Thanks,

Graham

[Hellzero]

Yep, both ways. Costs a fortune. You'll have to pay for the VAT, customs duties out of Switzerland, customs duties in the incoming country and extra fee for the courier : that makes a lot of money.

Better asking if the seller can send from Germany, France, or Italy.

Don't worry, they are used to this (if they really want to sell abroad).

Edited June 13, 2020 by Hellzero
Not a negative sentence...

[BlueMoon]

I was lucky to bag a Marleaux Consat on a popular auction site. The guy who actually won the auction was based in Switzerland and - when he realised -chose to pull out of the deal owing to all the additional charges he faced. I was the second highest bidder and the seller (based here in Belgium) honoured my last bid. Sad for the guy in Switzerland.

[graham1945]

Thanks hellzero and bluemoon. Pretty much as I expected. I’ve agreed a purchase from Switzerland and we’re jumping through hoops to finalise a deal. If I wasn’t so set on the bass I would have cried off ages ago. I’ll post the results - if it happens!

[Graham]

Customs duties out of the country? That's pretty unusual? Countries rarely put barriers against exports of uncontrolled products

[Hellzero]

Yeah, I know, but Switzerland is really a strange country, nice but strange...

Edited June 14, 2020 by Hellzero
Is not us

[graham1945]

I think I’ve got over it. Will post when I have the bass.

[graham1945]

Well, we managed to get over the problem, so I now have a used bass I’ve been searching for for four or five years.

The deal has highlighted the problems that we are going to encounter when trading used equipment with the EU from 1st January 2021, unless legislation changes.

 

[julfam]

On 13/06/2020 at 10:41, Hellzero said:

Yep, both ways. Costs a fortune. You'll have to pay for the VAT, customs duties out of Switzerland, customs duties in the incoming country and extra fee for the courier : that makes a lot of money.

Better asking if the seller can send from Germany, France, or Italy.

Don't worry, they are used to this (if they really want to sell abroad).

!!!???

That’s wrong! no customs out, only the import taxes in your home country. There is no such thing as export barriers.

(I am in Switzerland)

Quite a few sellers accept to send from France, Germany to avoid taxes (due to YOUR home country once again). I would not do it though, it’s illegal.

You can expect to pay the same taxes as if you were buying from the US otherwise.

Basically most probably what UK citizens will have to pay in the future when buying anywhere in the EU...

Edited July 1, 2020 by julfam