zalando.de only delivers to addresses in Germany, so you cannot have an order sent to Switzerland from it at all. Swiss shoppers are served by zalando.ch, where prices are in Swiss francs including Swiss VAT and the parcel arrives domestically with nothing to pay on delivery.
Confidence is high on the underlying fact rather than on a nuanced tax outcome: the German terms are explicit that delivery is within Germany, and the Swiss storefront exists in parallel. The weakness is that Zalando's FAQ pages render via JavaScript, so the country-list page could not be read directly and the checkout was not tested with a Swiss address.
Zalando's German terms and conditions state plainly that orders are delivered within Germany, and the German storefront's shipping information and checkout are built around German delivery options (DHL, DHL Express, Hermes). There is no Switzerland shipping page, no CHF pricing and no import-charge clause on zalando.de, because the Swiss market is served by a separate storefront: the zalando.ch terms mirror the same clause for Switzerland and say the prices shown at ordering are final prices including the applicable VAT, so a Swiss order placed on the .ch site involves no import VAT or handling fee for the buyer.
What complicates it is that people do get German-Zalando goods into Switzerland by indirect routes. Parcel-forwarding services such as MeinEinkauf.ch and ColisExpat give you a German delivery address, receive the Zalando parcel and then clear it into Switzerland for a flat fee from about CHF 17.90 that includes postage and duties. In that case the import VAT and clearance cost are real, but they are charged by the forwarder rather than by Zalando, and Zalando itself takes no responsibility for the Swiss border. Assortment and prices also differ between the two storefronts, which is why some shoppers try to buy on the German site in the first place.
If you route a zalando.de order through a forwarder or a German pickup address, you become the importer: expect 8.1% Swiss import VAT plus the forwarder's or carrier's clearance fee, none of which Zalando covers or refunds on returns.
“Bestellungen liefern wir Ihnen innerhalb Deutschlands aus.”
“Bestellungen liefern wir Ihnen innerhalb der Schweiz aus.”
“Die zum Zeitpunkt der Bestellung angegebenen Preise sind Endpreise, inklusive der gültigen Mehrwertsteuer.”
“Gratis Standardversand & Rückversand ab CHF 39.90*”
“most international Zalando marketplaces do not deliver to Switzerland”
“Ab CHF 17.90 - Porto, Zoll und Abgaben inklusive”
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