Unless the order is particularly bulky or heavy and requires a courier service, Dave Ryan normally ships items via Royal Mail, with La Poste taking over when the parcels reaches France. Unlike other European postal systems, La Poste does not bother to collect VAT prior to delivery, which means you won't be paying anything. Since January, I have placed three orders with Perry Miniatures and two with North Star : all five shipped via Royal Mail and were delivered free of charges and VAT by la Postel (I am based in Paris).