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Selling to Switzerland via Amazon FBA: Is it Possible?
Anyone looking to conquer the attractive Swiss e-commerce market is likely also planning to sell to Switzerland via Amazon. Most online retailers are already familiar with the platform, as many of them use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to distribute their products. This service outsources storage, delivery, and returns management to the e-commerce giant, which significantly streamlines and simplifies the sales and shipping process.
Moreover, by having Amazon handle the complex logistics, it becomes easier to tap into international markets. This theoretically makes Amazon FBA an attractive option for all companies looking to expand into Switzerland.
But can you even sell to Switzerland via Amazon FBA? Currently, selling to Switzerland via Amazon FBA is unfortunately not an option. While selling FBA inventory to other countries is normally possible, Switzerland is an exception.
For online sellers who still want to win over the lucrative Swiss market, there are alternatives, especially selling on large domestic marketplaces like Digitec Galaxus, which already have a larger market share than Amazon anyway. In practice, however, strict customs restrictions and high import fees present major obstacles when exporting to Switzerland.
Therefore, collaborating with a strong local distribution partner with a comprehensive fulfillment offering is recommended to bridge the strict customs border. Service providers like SURS not only have extensive industry expertise but also local product warehouses – this makes it possible to optimally solve the logistical and legal hurdles of entering the Swiss market.
Can I Sell to Switzerland via Amazon FBA?
To this day, Switzerland is one of the few countries in the world that has not yet been reached by Amazon's overwhelming global market dominance. In fact, there isn't even a country-specific website – Swiss consumers have to use the German, French, or Italian sites instead.
This special status also applies to Amazon FBA: sellers are generally unable to use this service for sales to the Alpine country and therefore cannot sell to Switzerland via Amazon. This is primarily due to the local Value Added Tax (VAT) law, which was changed in 2019 and imposes special requirements on VAT registration and processing for foreign companies.
The regulation has far-reaching practical consequences for anyone shipping goods to Switzerland: foreign mail-order companies that deliver small consignments to Switzerland and exceed an annual turnover threshold of CHF 100,000 have since been required to register with the Federal Tax Administration (FTA) and remit Swiss VAT. The current standard rate is 8.1 percent. Crucially, the CHF 100,000 threshold does not only refer to Swiss revenues but to the company's total global turnover from taxable services. A retailer with CHF 80,000 in revenue in Germany and CHF 30,000 in Switzerland would therefore already exceed this limit. For a platform like Amazon, this regulation poses a significant administrative challenge: since the introduction of platform taxation on January 1, 2025, mail-order platforms are legally treated as the service providers themselves and are thus directly liable for tax – regardless of whether an individual seller reaches the threshold or not. This makes FBA shipments fundamentally more complicated, as the platform must ensure correct tax processing for every transaction. For Swiss consumers, this has a direct impact on the final price: the additional tax burden of 8.1 percent noticeably increases the purchase price and reduces the competitiveness of foreign providers compared to locally based retailers.
In any case, Switzerland is neither an EU member nor part of the European Economic Area (EEA) and also has specific customs regulations that result in high import fees. Therefore, delivery from Germany and other EU countries to Switzerland is generally associated with major hurdles.
For the specific import process, it's worth taking a closer look at the numbers: import tax is generally only levied if the tax amount of a shipment exceeds CHF 5 – which corresponds to a goods value of about CHF 65 at the standard rate of 8.1 percent. Below this exemption limit, so-called small consignments are processed in a simplified manner by customs. In addition, there are customs clearance fees from the parcel service providers: the Swiss Post charges a flat rate of around CHF 11.50 for this, while international courier services like DHL or UPS charge variable service fees that can be significantly higher depending on the type and weight of the shipment. A concrete calculation example illustrates the cost impact: for a product with a value of CHF 50, in addition to the purchase price, there are about CHF 4.05 in import VAT and a customs clearance fee of at least CHF 11.50 – in total, the overall costs for the recipient increase by about 15 to 30 percent. For retailers shipping their products cross-border from the EU, this cost factor is a serious competitive disadvantage.
For sellers who want to serve the Swiss market, this means: a physical presence on site is actually unavoidable. However, this is often neither economically feasible nor sensible – therefore, online retailers must use alternative fulfillment methods to distribute their products in Switzerland while complying with legal requirements.
In this situation, distribution partners like SURS offer an optimal solution. We essentially act as a local FBA replacement and take on the same functions that would normally be covered by Amazon FBA. This enables companies to import and distribute their products in Switzerland smoothly and efficiently.
What are the Alternatives to Amazon FBA for Switzerland?
In Switzerland, local marketplaces are an attractive alternative to Amazon. The three largest providers are currently Digitec Galaxus, Zalando, and Manor:
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Digitec Galaxus currently holds a position as the market leader and scores with a diverse and broad product range. An integration for retailers is possible, but the selection is relatively selective and is based on criteria such as size and IT infrastructure.
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Zalando is primarily known as a specialist for products in the fashion and beauty sector and has built a reputation as a fashion leader across Europe. A partner program has existed for Swiss retailers for several years.
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Manor started as a traditional department store but has successfully made the transition to an e-commerce company. The offering is constantly being expanded, with a current special focus on categories such as cosmetics, textiles, and jewelry. Those who want to become a retailer here should be able to provide excellent product information and outstanding customer service.
In addition, there are also specialized providers such as Home24 for furniture.
Unlike the globalized Amazon platform, Swiss marketplaces are better tailored to domestic customer needs, which makes targeted product placement particularly promising. Amazon also offers extensive marketing opportunities, but there is also extremely high competition.
As for logistics, Amazon's vast and automated warehouse network is hard to beat, but in Switzerland, it is only of limited relevance due to incomplete market penetration. Selling on a Swiss marketplace, on the other hand, requires setting up local storage facilities, which is not an option for many companies.
This is where SURS comes in: we enable a connection to all relevant local marketplaces and, thanks to our local warehouses, solve all logistics and fulfillment problems. SURS thus takes on the role that would normally be covered by Amazon FBA – only more effectively and cost-efficiently.
Unlike Amazon, we charge neither storage fees nor shipping costs and also waive a sales commission. With us, there is only a listing fee per SKU, after which we purchase the goods and take care of the further distribution process. This simplifies the cost calculation for our customers to a crucial extent and simultaneously reduces the risk. Not least because the products are distributed not only via Amazon but on multiple online platforms.
The cost advantage of the local fulfillment model becomes particularly clear when compared directly with cross-border shipping from the EU. With cross-border shipping, customs duties, import VAT, customs clearance fees from the parcel service provider, international shipping costs, as well as the significant costs for returns across the customs border add up to a total burden that systematically puts pressure on the margin. Returns are particularly costly, as each returned shipment must be cleared through customs again and processed administratively. With local fulfillment via SURS, these items are almost completely eliminated: there is only a one-time listing fee per SKU, while storage, shipping, and returns are handled as simple domestic processes. Using the concrete example of a product with a value of CHF 50, this can be illustrated: with cross-border shipping from the EU, the buyer or the retailer – depending on the agreement – incurs additional costs of up to CHF 15 for customs, VAT, and customs clearance alone, before even a single return fee is incurred. Through SURS's local fulfillment model, these costs are completely avoided, which substantially improves both the retailer's margin and competitiveness against Swiss providers.
SURS as a Distribution Partner for the Swiss Marketplace
SURS stands out not only from Amazon FBA but also from other distribution partners through its comprehensive range of services, which goes beyond mere fulfillment. With our own Swiss warehouse, we can handle the entire logistics and distribution process for both B2B and B2C customers. SURS also takes on numerous other business areas, from market launch and product listing to handling customer inquiries, returns, and warranty cases.
In any case, Switzerland is neither an EU member nor part of the European Economic Area (EEA) and also has specific customs regulations that result in high import fees. Therefore, delivery from Germany and other EU countries to Switzerland is generally associated with major hurdles.
With this comprehensive all-in-one offering, SURS clearly distinguishes itself from similar service providers and is thus the ideal partner for making the leap into the Swiss market.
What is Amazon FBA and How Does It Work?
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a comprehensive service that allows sellers to delegate the entire storage, packaging, and delivery of their products to Amazon. Amazon FBA also includes complete customer management, especially the handling of customer inquiries, returns, and refunds.
Sellers send their products directly to Amazon, where they are stored and ultimately shipped directly to customers. Similar to dropshipping, the online retailer does not need to maintain their own warehouse.
Amazon FBA enjoys enormous popularity across industries and comes with numerous advantages for sellers. These include, in particular:
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Simplification of the logistics process: The storage and shipping of products are both costly and involve great organizational effort. This complex part of the value chain is completely transferred to Amazon thanks to FBA, which saves enormous financial and time resources that can be used elsewhere.
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Handling of customer service: As part of the FBA program, Amazon also takes over all customer support. The fast returns management, in particular, has always been considered one of Amazon's greatest strengths – retailers can benefit from this here. Since no investments in warehouse infrastructure or customer communication are necessary, an e-commerce business can be scaled efficiently with Amazon FBA.
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Prime Eligibility: FBA products are part of Amazon Prime and are therefore shipped particularly quickly. In addition, the Prime logo has now taken on the meaning of a quality seal – this leads to higher visibility, trustworthiness, and ultimately also to higher sales.
Signing up for the FBA program is relatively straightforward. A prerequisite is an active Seller Account, through which the FBA dashboard guides retailers through the registration process. However, online sellers must not forget that Amazon retains a portion of the sales proceeds – the exact amount depends on the product and price but is usually between 7 and 15 percent. In addition, Amazon deducts the shipping fees from the proceeds and also charges storage fees depending on the size and weight of the products sold.
Small products are therefore more cost-effective, and especially with fast-moving consumer goods, storage costs remain manageable. The faster a product is sold, the lower the FBA fees, so online retailers should definitely optimize their product listings and follow platform-specific SEO practices to increase profitability. Nevertheless, sellers should be aware that Amazon FBA can significantly impact their profit margin.
The fact that FBA is nevertheless so popular can also be explained by Amazon's global outreach. Due to its high reach and worldwide delivery network, Amazon FBA offers easy access to new international markets. Selling to Switzerland is a rare exception here.
Note: The reverse is not true. You can sell from Switzerland to the EU with Amazon FBA.
Conclusion: Selling to Switzerland via Amazon FBA is Not Possible
Anyone who wants to sell to Switzerland via Amazon must look for alternatives, as the Swiss market is not within the reach of Amazon FBA. An experienced local distribution partner offers an optimal replacement solution: SURS has its own Swiss warehouse and is therefore able to handle the entire logistics process. With this comprehensive order fulfillment service, all hurdles to entering the Swiss market can be easily overcome.
FAQ
Is Amazon Available in Switzerland?
Switzerland doesn't have its own Amazon-specific site, but Swiss consumers can use the German, French, or Italian websites instead. Many products are available to Swiss buyers, though not all.
How Popular is Amazon in Switzerland?
According to the latest figures, Amazon generates about 900 million CHF annually in Switzerland. However, Amazon is not the market leader and lags far behind Digitec Galaxus, which generates more than double that amount.
What Are the Swiss Alternatives to Amazon?
Swiss marketplaces like Digitec, Manor, and Zalando are legitimate alternatives. However, online sellers must consider factors such as selective criteria for seller programs, high customs fees, and numerous legal hurdles. Therefore, working with a strong local fulfillment partner is highly advisable.
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