We do still get away with it sometimes in the UK. If the parcel is sent via the normal postal system then the postman/woman is supposed to collect the VAT and duty before deliverying the parcel. Sometimes they can't be bothered though. The new keyboard that I bought for the US the other day escaped this way (and yes it was worth more than £18).

If a parcel comes via Fedex, UPS etc then we are pretty much assured to get a bill for VAT/duty, even if the bill doesn't arrive for a couple of weeks.