News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Australia Post halts transit shipping to US as 'chaotic' ... by sschueller on Thursday August 21, 2025 @05:23AM (#44970700)
Did you know Switzerland has a free trade agreement with China? We have the same strict/very similar strict rules as the EU does.

In Switzerland if you import dangerous junk and sell it in your store, you are liable. Of course the end consumer can also directly purchase from China as well but then it is their responsibility (Eigenverantwortung).

Customs will also confiscate fake brands and for example radios that violate frequencies rules (unless you can provide documents that you are allowed to operate such a device, ham radio license etc.)

Re:Australia Post halts transit shipping to US as 'chaotic' ... by rob74 on Thursday August 21, 2025 @06:05AM (#44970945)
And if my neighbor purchases a cheap battery-powered product that violates all electrical regulations from TEMU and the fire started by it burns down my apartment too, who's responsible then? I guess my neighbor, and the insurance will probably cover the costs, but I will still have lost the apartment and all the stuff that was in it. And customs will maybe look at big shipments, but can't hope to check even a tiny fraction of the millions of small packages.
Re:Australia Post halts transit shipping to US as 'chaotic' ... by graemep on Thursday August 21, 2025 @06:47AM (#44971173)
"n Switzerland if you import dangerous junk and sell it in your store, you are liable."

The same in the UK, and a lot of other countries. The retailer is responsible to the customer, the importer or wholesaler to the retailer.

> Of course the end consumer can also directly purchase from China as well but then it is their responsibility

Providing an easy workaround to safety regulations does not sound like a great idea to me. If you let consumers easily buy unsafe things it will lead to problems. Consumers often do not even realise that things do not meet standards, especially if they buy it through somewhere like Amazon.

You could argue that consumers should do their own checks, but then why have the regulation of what can be sold in the first place?

Re:Australia Post halts transit shipping to US as 'chaotic' ... by sschueller on Thursday August 21, 2025 @06:56AM (#44971229)
We have a big thing in Switzerland called "Eigenverantwortung". You need to take responsibility, the state will not babysit you at everything. You have the freedom to purchase abroad but at your responsibility.
Re:Australia Post halts transit shipping to US as 'chaotic' ... by graemep on Thursday August 21, 2025 @10:42AM (#44973406)
I like that. Here in the UK we have definitely gone too far far the other way, and I dislike the effect its having. A lot of people seem to want want the state to tell them what to do.
Re:Australia Post halts transit shipping to US as 'chaotic' ... by comrade1234 on Thursday August 21, 2025 @06:56AM (#44971227)
> If you let consumers easily buy unsafe things it will lead to problems.

It's Switzerland.... I can buy fireworks rockets as big as my leg at the grocery store just before Swiss national day.

Re:Australia Post halts transit shipping to US as 'chaotic' ... by comrade1234 on Thursday August 21, 2025 @05:51AM (#44970858)
The article is mostly about duties. If you buy from someone outside of Switzerland that doesn't take care of the customs fees it's a pain for you. I once bought something that was only around 40chf from someone in the eu but then had to pay an extra ~40chf to Swiss customs for tax + plus handling fees (they had to open the box, inspect it, repackage it and send it to me).
Re:Australia Post halts transit shipping to US as 'chaotic' ... by stinkbeetle on Thursday August 21, 2025 @07:09AM (#44971307)
Free trade? With no adjustment given to the CO2 emission intensity of production or CO2 emission per capita which are much higher in China than Switzerland?

That's basically subsidizing climate change and encouraging production to move to dirtier regimes. Seems fairly wild.

Re:Australia Post halts transit shipping to US as 'chaotic' ... by MandieD on Thursday August 21, 2025 @05:51AM (#44970863)
In Switzerland if you import dangerous junk and sell it in your store, you are liable.

Oh, that's why amazon.ch redirects to amazon.de... In general, manufacturers and retailers have more legal responsibility for what they sell here in Germany than in the USA, but it feels like Switzerland takes that even further, in good but more expensive ways.

Re:Australia Post halts transit shipping to US as 'chaotic' ... by comrade1234 on Thursday August 21, 2025 @05:56AM (#44970893)
There is no Amazon in Switzerland. Well, they probably have an office here for tax schemes, but there's no Amazon service. Instead we have Galaxus which is awesome and so I fully expect Amazon to buy it one day and ruin it.