John F. Morse wrote:

I am curious though, just how much does it cost someone in the UK to order
from a company in the US? Is there just postage (shipping), or does one or
both countries charge some export/import "tax" on the goods?

We have to pay VAT (20%) on all imports plus duty depending on what the
item is classed as, sometimes you get away with it on small items (and
then ought to pay voluntarily).

But the real killer for a lot of American companies is shipping, it's
not uncommon to see $50 or $75 international shipping even on cheap
items, not always of course.