Yes, UPS is outrageous. I paid $110 for a skimmer that included shipping if I remember correctly. I paid $54 in UPS brokerage and duties. The kicker was that I didn't receive the bill from UPS until
3 months later! What do I do then? Can't send it back, it's busy on the tank!
Fedex or Purolator are much cheaper for brokerage. Snail mail seems to be about the same. Duties are hit or miss...doesn't matter the cost of the item...I think they just choose randomly which ones get dinged and which ones don't.