Originally Posted by
der_saeufer
As of 2016, packages valued under 800 USD enter the US duty-free. REMOVED BECAUSE I CANT QUOTE ANYTHING WITH LINKS
Packages over 800 USD are dutiable on the entire value of the shipment. I'm not sure where you got the idea that items from Europe are subject to 100% duty, because they're not.
Your method works, but I'm surprised you can't find a grey-market seller willing to ship directly to the US so you can also avoid 19% German VAT.
There was a small subsection on a CBP FAQ page that listed France, Germany, and one other country I can think of off the top of my head as have 100% duty. It wasn't the entire EU.
I've tried several websites and when I get to the shipping website, they all stop the purchase by stating they can't ship that item to my country. I'd love to find one that actually works that way I could bypass all of this.