Switzerland : In Switzerland, many online consumers are often subject to unexpected additional fees. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs now wants to oblige foreign online retailers that are active in Switzerland to list all fees customers need to pay when they order online.
In many cases, consumers who shop online have to pay customs fees to the supplier. But some online retailers don’t warn customers about such third-party costs and most of them don’t specify the expected amount customers need to pay.
And it can be totally surprising if consumers place an order on what they think is a Swiss online store. Because anyone who buys from a shop with a .ch domain, doesn’t automatically expect that the retailer delivers from aboard.
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs wants to spare Swiss consumers such unexpected bills. That’s why, since this month, foreign retailers need to comply with Swiss laws on price disclosure and unfair competition. This applies at least as long as they specifically address Swiss consumers with their online store.
