Andy Burns wrote
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,

Thats because they use a courier service rather than their postal service.

Their postal service is much cheaper than that, but many dont use it at all.

not always of course.