I need some new gear in my studio. I could actually buy it here for more than twice it's cost in the states (even thought it's made in Italy), but it would be a lot cheaper for me to order it from the US.

My fear though is that customs is going to smack the crap out of me with various charges. What's in the box will look to them like a bunch of metal and plastic parts, a spirit level and 4 cordura bags (no electric parts). The invoice will be for about US$400.

I'm trying to understand what I can realistically expect to have to pay to import this. Is it 7.6 VAT plus a handling fee?

If that's the case, it's still much cheaper for me to import it, as the local price for the same things is over CHF1000.