how to pick up/print international website train tickets using SNCB?

So it seems that the Amsterdam to Brussels and Brussels to Paris allow PDF printing - though they warn once you print, you've used your ticket and do not get a refund. However, it does not give me the same option from Paris to Lausanne and it is much cheaper to use SNCB than the Switzerland site. Any other ideas?

Here's what the SNCB site says

"Your tickets can be collected at the ticket desks of 104 stations in Belgium as soon as you receive your booking reference (at the confirmation of your booking) until the very day of travelling. Ticket collection is also possible at the vending machines of the following stations abroad: Luxembourg, Amsterdam CS, Arnhem, Breda, Den Haag CS, Rotterdam CS, Schiphol en Utrecht CS.
If your tickets were paid for with a credit card, the owner of the card will have to produce it personally when collecting the tickets."

Does this mean I could pay for them via a real person vendor at the Amsterdam station (keeping in mind I won't be able to buy it with a US credit card)?

Thanks :)

Got my ticket from Paris to Lausanne for 48 euros. Any thoughts?

I'm so disappointed though. The fares I previously saw in Amsterdam/Brussels/Paris are now double the price. Any thoughts on about how much they will cost to buy now vs at the station if we decide to be spontaneous and decide when we are there?

From Amsterdam to Brussels you don't need to purchase tickets in advance. Instead of taking the Thalys, simply take the regular inter-city trains; fares are about 35 euros and no advance reservations are required. From Brussels to Paris only Thalys provides direct service, you're better off using www.thalys.com.
When the website asks you where you live say "Belgium". This way you can either print your tickets out at home or pick them up in Belgium.
Paris to Lausanne is a bit trickier, you can try www.tgv-europe.com When it asks you where you live say choose the UK. You should be able to either printer you tickets out at home or at a station/SNCF boutique in Paris.

Echoing Michael... there is no good reason to prepurchase tickets for the national rail systems of the Netherlands or Belgium. Thalys, though, is a different story.

If you book now at thalys.com, you can get an Optiway fare of €43 for Brussels-Paris on 3 July. (The cheapest discount fares are gone.) A standard fare ticket bought at the station costs €86.

You mentioned SNCB boutiques. I think you may be confusing the lettering. There are SNCF boutiques, but they are part of the French national rail system and are located in France.

Thanks for the clarification. I was confusing the lettering on the train companies. Oops.

I got my ticket from Paris to Lausanne using http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/ and just chose to pick up my ticket in Amsterdam since I will be there for sure (no printing options but I really like their website). They still had some specials on it and I got it for 48 euros - much cheaper than using anything else.

I kept trying to use TGV but when I chose the US site I was directed to Raileurope so gave up on it. I will try using another country as origin.

Good to know about the national train system from Amsterdam to Brussels. That means I don't have to rush yet since all special fares are sold out and costs will be about the same.

Regarding Brussels to Paris, I also saw the full fare is 86 euros (ouch!). Does anyone know if the Opticomfort (the tier right before full price that is an option until 1 day prior to travel) tend to sell out ahead as well? Or is it possible to get a day or two in advance? We're trying to decide whether we are going to plan that part of the trip yet or save it until we are in Europe.

Thanks!

Meant Optiway...

The Optiway fare for Brussels-Paris has four levels: 43, 52, 63, and 71 euro. Seats at the lower levels are virtually certain to be gone well before 3 July--and there's no guarantee that any seats will be left at the higher levels. If you wait until one day before departure, you'll probably have to pay full fare.

To book in English on www.tgv-europe.com and to keep from being bumped to the Rail Europe site, choose Great Britain as both your country of residence and the country in which you will retrieve your tickets. You will be able to pick up your tickets at any SNCF station or boutique in France, even though you originally chose Great Britain.

"It does not tell me I can pick it up at different SNCB boutiques"

Difficult to know which Nora meant, because SNCB=NMBS= Belgian rail, as opposed to the French SNCF.