Well if you cross the right border it won't cost you anything ;), if you want to be legal about it they will just charge you swiss VAT at the border, I don't think there is anything more to it.

You may be able to claim EU VAT back though

Simple - buy the goods in France, take your passport and Swiss residency permit, and when you pay ask for the VAT reclain form.  I think any amount over Euro 70 qualifies.  The shopkeeper fills in the form and gives you three copies.  You drive back over a main border crosssing (eg motorway at Gaillard- smaller customs bureaux won't process this) with your goods or a shipping note if the goods are to be delivered  back into switzerland and go first to the French border customs who stamp the forms and keep one, then you walk next door to Swiss border customs who will also stamp the forms and keep one.  Whether or not Swiss customs ask you for their 8% VAT depends on the type of good and the amounts involved.  Either way you then post the form off to the shop's vat reclaim administrator (they shop will give you the envelope) and a few weeks later you will either receive the 20% eu vat back onto your credit card (less an admin fee), or get a cheque in the post which you then need to find a french bank to accept, or a notification that the shop will give you the money back directly.  Normally, thankfully, it just goes back on your credit card stress-free but some shops like to make it difficult.  Because of the admin fee you will always get proportionally more of the 20% eu vat back as the amount you purchase goes up.

Hope that helps!

Different but related question. Are there, for lack of a better term, delivery-addresses-for-rent services across the French border? It's quite popular along the Swiss-German border for online retailers that don't deliver to Switzerland. With the short distance, France would be even more suitable. Does anybody know of such a service?

I don't know but maybe a good business idea. German prices are very good though.

Patrick... maybe you should make some french friends :-)

Who says I would want my friends to know what I order?

I'm guessing that German online retailers have less restrictions when delivering to France than to Switzerland with those horrible EU regulations and all (/sarcasm). That would make collecting quite easy.

It just might be a bit tricky getting a VAT refund before declaring your goods at the Swiss border.

there are the http://www.relaiscolis.com and also http://www.kiala.fr/ 

As far as I understand anyone can use relais colis but Kiala is only if you order from a supplier who works with them.

The exact process will depend on whether you buy the goods in France while still living in France (in such case you would not obtain a refund of the French VAT, but you could ask for an exemption of the Swiss import VAT if you import the goods in Switzerland with your moving furniture) or if you buy the goods after having moved to Switzerland (in such case, you could ask for a refund of the French VAT and you would have to pay the Swiss VAT).