Experiences with ordering from MEC in the US

I've ordered from MEC twice. I remember it taking about 10-14 days for both orders to arrive, and I wasn't charged anything beyond what I paid for shipping from MEC. The Post Office delivered the packages – I had to sign for them, like most international packages I've received

^^^

I second John's experience here.
Ordered ~200 USD worth of merchandise in Jan or Feb of '2014.
USPS brought it home (PA, US) in just a bit over a week, no extra charges. No customs duties.

That seems pretty painless. Thanks for the info!

I believe US Customs does not charge import duty or tax on a valuation of $200 or less by law. Anything more is subject to duty, but may or may not be charged. I always use the postal services because they don't rip you off for brokerage fees like UPS and some other courier companies.

You folks south of the 49th really don't know how good you have it regarding this.
It's a constant struggle here, not to mention the exchange rate.