Hi,
I've bought items from Revington and Neil's stuff is good and proven.
Shipping from England is expensive. At one point or another, I think I've tried the Royal Mail and all the international carriers. There are no bargains. DHL is who I usually use, if I have a choice.
It's impossible to predict shipping charges, since they are based on size, weight and method. Sent by "slow boat" things might cost less, but can take many weeks or even a couple months to arrive. There is also the question of how beat up things get spending, say, two months in shipment.
If you aren't in the UK, you don't pay VAT and it's often included in the prices you see quoted on British web sites or in catalogs. Some state prices both ways (Rimmers), or clarify on their website or in their catalog. If unsure, ask. It's significant... 17.5%.
Last time I had something shipped directly, import duties on "car parts" were 30%. Import duties on "classic car parts" were 10%. Again, a big difference. It pays to ask that it be described accurately on the declaration form. The shipper will usually determine the import duty amount and collect it from you. Sometimes they don't.
I usually check to see if an item is available in the U.S. or Canada via an importer. For example, Ken at British Frame & Engine works closely with Racetorations in England, (among others). Going through Ken means that in his final price I'm paying import duties on the wholesale price, not the retail price. Ken is also pretty savvy and up to date about the best means of shipping and getting things here in reasonable time. And, because it's likely a batch of items being shipped, my order included with other folks' orders, the cost of shipping per item can be significantly bit less than if I were ordering directly.
Another little (and legal) trick, assuming you're in the U.S.... work with a Canadian importer. There don't appear to be any duties on things going from England to Canada, and there are lesser or no duties on items coming from Canada to the U.S. I get UK-made Land Rover parts from Canada all the time, at substantially lower cost than I can buy them within the U.S.
Hope this helps!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif