The key thing with European purchases these days is finding a small retailer who doesn't properly understand the new rules. If you're lucky you can get shops that will exclude the VAT but let you place an order under the £135 threshold meaning it sails through UK customs. The bigger shops R2 bike etc have minimum order amounts (over £135) meaning you'll get picked up by UK Customs.
The key thing with European purchases these days is finding a small retailer who doesn't properly understand the new rules. If you're lucky you can get shops that will exclude the VAT but let you place an order under the £135 threshold meaning it sails through UK customs. The bigger shops R2 bike etc have minimum order amounts (over £135) meaning you'll get picked up by UK Customs.