Ordering vapes for delivery inside Germany is straightforward. Shipping to Austria and Switzerland is a different exercise — and the differences are not about distance. One is about customs; the other, since 2026, is about the sales channel itself, explained in the Austria vape laws guide. This guide explains what actually changes at each border and why "EU warehouse" is still the phrase that should decide where you buy.
The key distinction: EU vs non-EU
- Austria, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium: all EU member states. Goods moving between them are in free circulation — no customs duty, no import VAT event at the border, no clearance fees.
- Switzerland: not in the EU (nor in the EU customs union). Every parcel is an import, with customs rules that are much stricter for vapes than for most consumer goods.
- Norway, the UK: also outside the customs union, each with its own regime — the UK has banned disposable vape sales entirely since 2025.
One thing that list does not tell you: being inside the EU means goods move freely, but it does not mean every member state lets you buy these products at a distance. Austria restricts retail to the tobacco monopoly and prohibits online sales; the Netherlands has banned remote sales to consumers including cross-border deliveries; Poland prohibits online, telephone and mail-order sales of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. Our shipping and restricted countries page keeps the current list.
Ordering from Germany to Austria: what changed in 2026
Austria is in the EU, so there is no customs border between Berlin and Vienna. In 2026, however, it also became one of the hardest EU markets to reach with a parcel. The revised Tobacco Act, published in January 2026 and in force from 1 April 2026, brings nicotine e-cigarettes, e-liquids and nicotine pouches under the national tobacco monopoly, restricts retail to licensed Trafiken and licensed specialist shops, and prohibits online sales — including cross-border consumer deliveries from other member states. Separately, the European Commission approved Austria’s national prohibition on placing disposable e-cigarettes on the market on 22 June 2026, with the sales ban taking effect at the end of 2026.
The practical consequence is simple. The lawful route for a consumer in Austria is an in-person purchase from a licensed outlet, and the lawful route for an Austrian shop is the licensed wholesale channel — not a parcel invoiced to a private address. We therefore do not offer consumer distance sales to Austria, and our shipping page says so rather than letting an order through that could not lawfully be delivered.
Two further points. The same reform added a volume-based excise duty on e-liquids and a per-weight duty on nicotine pouches, so Austrian shelf prices rose from April 2026 — that changes what you pay in a Trafik, not what a parcel would cost, because the parcel route is the one that closed. And the monopoly is a retail rule, not a manufacturing ban: a licensed Austrian outlet can still buy stock through the wholesale channel, which is what our trade desk deals with. Delivery times for the markets we do serve are in our EU delivery times guide.
Switzerland: the rules are genuinely different
If you are also looking at northern destinations, our guide to Poland, Czechia and Sweden compares three markets that all still allow disposables on the shelf — and explains why one of them cannot be supplied by parcel at all. Switzerland is a common request and the answer surprises people. Three points matter:
1. Postal imports of vapes are effectively closed
Swiss customs treat mailed e-cigarette shipments as prohibited imports. A parcel sent from Germany to a Swiss address is liable to be seized at the border — the sender loses the goods, and the recipient gets a letter, not a device. This is not a courier preference; it is customs policy.
2. Personal imports on travel are allowed, within limits
If you physically carry products across the border, Swiss allowances for travellers aged 17+ cover up to 250 ml of nicotine-containing liquid and 25 disposable devices duty-free per day, alongside a general goods allowance of CHF 150 for VAT purposes. Above the limits, duties apply per unit and per millilitre, plus Swiss VAT.
3. Local rules vary by canton
Several Swiss cantons have banned the sale of disposable vapes, a measure upheld by the Federal Supreme Court. Buying and using e-cigarettes is legal from 18 nationwide, but where you can buy them depends on the canton.
The single rule that avoids every problem
Buy from stock that is already inside the customs area you live in. When the goods sit in an EU warehouse before you order:
- No customs event occurs — the shipment is domestic-to-domestic within the EU.
- Taxes on the liquid are already settled, so the price at checkout is the price you pay.
- Delivery is 3–5 working days with a tracking number rather than weeks of uncertainty.
- Returns and take-back obligations work normally, including the German take-back scheme for devices bought here.
That is what our EU warehouse range exists for. The alternative — a cheap listing shipping from outside the EU — is where seized parcels, unexpected duty bills and undeliverable returns come from. Our EU warehouse explainer goes through the mechanics.
Paying across borders
VAPEXXL runs on SEPA bank transfer, which works the same way for a German buyer and for a buyer in any EU market we can lawfully supply: no currency conversion, no card-fraud friction, and a payment trail your bank recognises. The SEPA payment guide walks through the process step by step, including what to put in the reference field so your order is matched quickly.
For wholesale buyers outside Germany
If you are stocking a shop in a market that permits distance sales, ordering is the same as domestic — same warehouse, same invoicing, same transit times, with volume pricing on request. Austria is the exception on this page: sales there run through the tobacco monopoly, so supply has to move through a licensed wholesale channel, and an invoice posted to a private address is not that channel. Ask the wholesale team and we will tell you plainly whether we can supply your market before you commit to stock. For Swiss retailers the picture is different again: you need an import route that handles customs and the Swiss duty properly rather than a postal parcel. The wholesale guide covers the compliance and margin side.
FAQ
Can I order from Germany to Austria?
Not as a consumer. There is no customs duty and no import VAT between Germany and Austria — both are in the EU single market — but Austrian product law is the barrier: since April 2026 vaping products sit under the national tobacco monopoly and online sales are prohibited, so a cross-border consumer parcel is not a lawful route. Buy in person from a licensed Trafik or a licensed specialist shop.
Can VAPEXXL ship to Switzerland?
Not as an ordinary consumer parcel. Cross-border mail order of these products into Switzerland requires a domestically registered seller and the Swiss per-millilitre duty to be settled, so a plain parcel from an unregistered foreign webshop is not the compliant route. Business customers with an import arrangement in place should talk to our trade desk. For individuals, carrying products across the border within the personal allowance is the compliant path.
How long does EU delivery take?
Typically 3–5 working days with tracking. Border-free EU transit is the reason a German warehouse beats a cheaper listing from outside the EU on arrival time, every time.
Are there extra taxes on arrival?
Not for EU destinations — liquid duty and VAT are already included in the price of in-warehouse stock. See the Germany vape tax guide for how the duty works.
Switzerland is the other non-EU neighbour with strict import rules; the two cases side by side — including Norway’s 2026 sales ban — are covered in our Norway and UK shipping guide.
