I have recently shipped couple packages to USA with UPS and arrived without problems.
USA to here, Belgium, is same bullshit with taxes/vat like its since hmm 1-2 years or so (at least i never had to pay anything like that all the hmm 25 years before ordering there, just one time with a book from Sotos) always paying something (at least 20euro) but if don't find it in Europe it's still worth ordering or sometimes it would be available here much later and more expensive when ordering yourself even when having to pay tax/vat. But of course I understand distributors/labels have to make some profit.
