How to sell in Switzerland from the EU with an online business?

The Swiss economy is considered solid. Often at the top of the income per capita rankings, Switzerland is among the world's top performers in terms of purchasing power, but also in terms of living costs. In addition, the Swiss franc is often considered strong against the Euro and the dollar. Some factors strongly influence purchasing power, such as insurance premiums, which weigh heavily on a household.​

Electronics is the best-selling category online, representing 24% of the online market. Fashion, and shoe sales come second with 17%, followed by the housing category. This trend was also revealed with Digitec Galaxus, the reference sales platform for the online electronics market, with the largest turnover in Switzerland.

Galaxus.ch is the most competitive online sales platform in Switzerland. There are 2 companies in the same group. Galaxus offers all the assortments, while Digitec specializes in the online sale of digital products. Digitec Galaxus with 2.7 billion francs in turnover in 2023 is the marketplace(s) where to sell its products in Switzerland. However, it insists on the response and delivery time to the customer, at the risk of excluding you. There is no annual fee, but it charges a predefined percentage per product category for each sale.

Switzerland-EU Free Trade Agreement 

To facilitate trade between Switzerland and the European Union (EU), a free trade agreement exists. Certain products can thus be imported and exported without customs duties by European companies. Please note that agricultural products are excluded from the agreement, but facilitated under the bilateral agreements of 1999.

More information on the​ Swiss-EU free trade agreement

Legal obligations in Switzerland

Foreign companies must comply with Swiss obligations regarding online sales. The e-commerce site must rely on a strict legal framework (Switzerland and EU) by guaranteeing the transparency of information, clear contract formation, compliance with legal guarantees and the protection of consumer data. A single click can be enough to secure a contract (after pressing the "buy" button). It should be noted that Switzerland does not provide for a maximum delivery time.​

Find all the details on Swiss legal obligations in e-commerce

New VAT obligations from 2025

From January 2025, Switzerland is strengthening its VAT obligations for marketplaces and online sellers. Previously, foreign companies were only required to pay VAT if their turnover exceeded CHF 100,000 on "small shipments" (VAT less than 5.-). Today, marketplaces (defined as a digital platform facilitating transactions between third-party sellers and end consumers) must register if the platform generates a turnover greater than CHF 100,000.​

We offer our customers a commercial domiciliation and tax representation to import your goods into Switzerland. Our warehouses located on both sides of borders facilitate all your transactions. 

Discover all cross-border services.

Read the​ European VAT guide for full details.

Import procedure

Goods imported into Switzerland must be declared to Swiss customs, either in writing or electronically.

Electronic customs declaration

The e-dec web service allows companies to electronically transmit their customs declarations, thus facilitating the import process.

If you want to test Swiss e-commerce market opportunities first, this is definitely possible. For example, try a Google Ads campaign or sell your products on a Swiss marketplace to find the product that sells.

We take care of​ putting your products online on the marketplaces and manage the logistics. If you would like to know more about​ Swiss marketplaces or our offers, contact us! We will be happy to discover your project.