Thanks Sheila for the Mountain Hardware tip. I do really want merino though if possible. I haven't given up on finding it yet!

It's not just tax, it's the Royal Mail - they've taken to adding an "international postage" surcharge to everything that comes in from outside the EU. I don't know if they do it with non-commerical parcels too - it can be hard to make that distinction sometimes. I could ask my sister (in Oregon) to send me something but hate to use something this expensive as a first attempt. Hmm. I guess I'm just not BRAVE enough to pull the trigger and take my chances, as it'll be such a major headache to sort out if it doesn't fit.