There is a threshold here in the Netherlands of something like 48 euros (I'm not sure what it is exactly). Anything valued above this amount is subject to duty, which is around 30%.
On the other side of the coin, spare a thought for our poor cousins in the States. In two instances now, when my other half has sent packages over there, US Customs have refused to release them unless the social security number of the recipients were included in the paperwork! Try telling a customer stateside that, even though you're 1,000s of miles away and in a different country, you must have their social security details when processing a financial transaction with them! It sounds awfully suspicious, even to the most understanding of customers.
Even worse, in one of these instances the recipient was a mature student from overseas. They had a study visa and all the documentation needed to show that they were legitimately living and studying in the States. However, US Customs refused to release the package to them. Why? Because they weren't a United States citizen!
In the end, a sympathetic Customs official suggested that all the paperwork - invoice & Customs documentation - be altered and made out to a friend of the student who was a US citizen. That way the other person could collect the goods on the student's behalf!
Sadly, I'm sure that any dealings with Customs - on either side of the pond - are only going to get worse.