I've seen a pet cage i'd like to buy. In the UK it costs £282, in the US it costs £128. I begrudge paying the UK price. If i get one shipped over from the US will i incure tax and duty charges? How can i find out how much these may be and if possible can i avoid them? Anyone any ideas?

I don't think you can avoid them unless you are sent it by a person as a normal parcel gift. Even then you are supposed to.

What normally happens is the courier involved pays these charges on your behalf and won't hand the parcel over until you've paid the duty on it.

I suspect your pet cage will still end up being cheaper, though not as much of a bargain as you might have hoped. I don't know of the exact duty rates but you could ask someone such as DHL customer services what sort of ball park you are looking at.

Thanks, i've contacted the suppliers to see what they would normally charge. I'll wait to see if i get any replies then way up the pros and cons.