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@Soweto888
I've escaped duty charges the last three times I've bought something from the US: Universal Cycles in Portland marked down the value of a stem without me even asking them to do so; Ben's Cycles sent a seat post and another stem which both slipped through the net.
The whole gift thing is rapidly turning into urban myth. Gifts are only exempt from VAT if the value of the item is less than £36. They are only exempt from a duty charge if the value of that charge is less than £10. So even if you could find someone willing to mark your purchase as a gift, it would only be useful for low-value items.
Just out of interest, what's on your shopping list?