Import duty is a bit hit and miss really. I bought a carbon yoshimura from america for £205 inc p&p and ended up paying just under £50 when it arrived in the UK. Thats VAT and 5% import duty. I didnt mind as it was still £50 cheaper than buying one from over here.

As said, some people will put 'gift' or 'sample' to avoid paying the vat and duty, although many people are reluctant to do this now as i think it affects the insurance in some way.

edit, as posted above, if that item was lost or damaged for any reason, youd probably only get £30 back.