Customs finally figured out my scheme!
I've been ordering items from Amazon UK at values under £50 for many, many years, and they never figured out that pounds was different from dollars... UNTIL TODAY.
So my £46 order was converted to US$ and then to Philippine pesos. In short, it came to $90-something, and I ended up paying Php 1500. What I found a bit ludicrous was that the 10% customs fee was added to the total amount (item, shipping, documentary stamps, etc.) before 12% VAT was charged again. It felt like I was paying taxes on my taxes.
I really can't complain, since I've gotten away with the sterling prices for many years, anyway. And 1500 as customs for 8 rare, not-on-R3 DVDs (Amazon UK has a huge sale with discs under £5) really isn't bad at all.