I recently decided that I wanted a better PIC programmer than my home made device, and decided on a PICKIT2.
I looked at Farnell and Microchip online, and found that Microchip was a bit cheaper, so I registered and started the buying process, only to find the crazy shipping charges.
So, I quickly abandoned Microchip and bought from Farnell. The device arrived in reasonable time and no hidden shipping costs, if I remember correctly, shipping is included in the displayed price, just have to add the VAT.