Paul - i know what you mean about customs and charges. We have also been stung with stuff recently when bringing in gear from the US. A few things we have picked up are
a) Get the crate fumigated at the other end, or use a plastic pallet. It's much cheaper over in the US than getting customs to do it
B) get a letter from the US stating that the equipment is 100% made in the USA - you avoid the 5% import duty thanks to the free trade agreement
c) shop around, and shop around more for shipping. Our original quote of $2000 US to ship came down to $800US for some gear - that's a significant saving.
