Zoho Inventory Consultant in Switzerland

Buying in euros, selling in francs and valuing stock

A typical Swiss distributor buys from EU suppliers in euros, sometimes from Asia in dollars, and sells to Swiss customers in francs. Some also sell to EU customers in euros. Zoho Inventory, together with Zoho Books, needs to handle each of these flows without manual conversion.

The design decisions I settle with finance and the fiduciary:

• Base currency of the organization, normally francs for a Swiss entity, which determines the currency of stock value.
• Supplier currencies fixed on each vendor, so purchase orders and bills default correctly.
• Price lists per currency for customers billed in euros, rather than converting franc prices at the rate of the day.
• Exchange differences between purchase order, goods receipt and payment, handled in the ledger as the fiduciary directs.

Stock value then rests on the rate used at receipt plus landed cost. I check how Zoho calculates this for your edition with a test purchase in euros, and compare the result with what the fiduciary expects at year end.

Swiss businesses also count stock for the annual accounts. I prepare a count procedure per warehouse with count lists, variance review and a valuation report, and run a trial count in one area first. The product's general strengths are on my Zoho Inventory page.

Imports, customs and landed cost into Switzerland

Because Switzerland is outside the EU customs union, goods from EU suppliers cross a customs border just as goods from Asia do. A forwarder or customs broker clears them, and the company receives invoices for freight, duties where they apply, broker fees and import VAT, often separately and later than the goods.

Landed cost in Zoho Inventory then needs clear rules:

• Capitalized charges: which costs enter stock value, such as freight, duties and broker fees, as your fiduciary decides.
• Import VAT, which is normally a recoverable tax rather than a cost of stock, and is booked in Zoho Books or the ledger as advised.
• Allocation of shipment charges to items by value, weight or quantity.
• Late invoices: what happens when the broker's bill arrives after some of the goods are sold.

Customs rules, tariff classification and preferential origin are matters for your broker or advisor. Inventory can store the tariff number and country of origin on each item so the broker gets consistent data, but the declaration is not filed from Zoho.

Zoho Inventory's landed cost options are simpler than a full ERP's, so I test them with a real past import before go-live. If several currencies, split containers or goods sold before clearance are common, those limits will show.

Warehouses on both sides of the border

Some Swiss companies keep stock in Switzerland for Swiss customers and a second stock at a logistics provider in Germany, France, Italy or Austria for EU customers. Others hold consignment stock at customer sites or at an EU distributor. Each setup affects how Zoho Inventory is structured.

Design points I agree with operations and finance:

• One warehouse per physical location, including external providers and consignment sites, so stock is never invisible.
• Transfers that match the border crossing, with goods in transit visible and the customs step recorded when goods move between Swiss and EU stock.
• Ownership of stock: whether stock in the EU belongs to the Swiss entity or to an EU subsidiary, which may require a separate Zoho organization and intercompany flows.
• Tax implications of holding stock in another country, which are for your tax advisor and can be significant.

Where a logistics provider runs the EU warehouse, its system holds the physical count. I define which messages pass between the two systems, from orders to goods receipts to stock snapshots, and a regular comparison so differences surface quickly.

If two legal entities share stock, the setup quickly becomes multi-company. The multi-company page explains when that points toward an ERP.

Swiss Post, couriers, marketplaces and webshops

Swiss online sellers often ship through Swiss Post for domestic parcels and use couriers for express or international shipments. Many also sell through Swiss marketplaces such as Galaxus alongside their own webshop, and some reach EU buyers through international platforms.

Zoho Inventory can connect to some channels and carriers directly, others through a connector or shipping service, and what is supported depends on region and shifts as integrations are added or retired. So the first step is a written check with Zoho or the connector provider:

• Can your shop system and each marketplace exchange stock levels and orders, one way or both ways?
• Whether Swiss Post and your couriers are available for labels and tracking from Zoho, or need a shipping service in between.
• How returns from customers and marketplaces come back into stock.
• How marketplace payouts and fees are reconciled in Zoho Books.

Item data matters more than the connector. Product titles and descriptions in German, French and Italian, written by your team, consistent barcodes and units, and one article number per sellable item prevent most listing and stock errors. Integration options are described on my system integration page for Switzerland.

Invoices, QR-bills and when an ERP fits better

Zoho Inventory manages orders, stock and shipments. Swiss VAT on invoices, the QR-bill payment part and payment matching are finance tasks handled in Zoho Books for Switzerland or the fiduciary's system. Sales orders pass to invoicing with the right tax codes, currency and customer language, and I leave the tax treatment to the fiduciary. How your Books edition produces the QR-bill is confirmed with Zoho, not assumed.

For goods sold to EU customers, VAT and customs on the EU side are separate questions for your tax advisor. Inventory supplies the order and shipment data; it does not decide the treatment.

Zoho Inventory stops being the right tool when:

• Trading involves contracts, shipments and currency exposure that need dedicated trading or treasury functions.
• Production or assembly goes beyond simple kits.
• Several entities share stock and need intercompany flows and consolidation.
• The warehouse needs system-directed putaway, wave picking or scanning at every step.

In those cases Odoo in Switzerland or another ERP is worth comparing. My Swiss ERP consultant page and the Zoho page for Switzerland cover the wider choice.