Hmm. Shipping from Europe is not that expensive; for example, JPC (a large German music retailer) ships to the US for €13, apparently independently of what you order. So it probably isn't the shipping.
Customs perhaps? I'm not familiar with the situation in the US, but that's the only thing I can think of.
But yeah, it's similar for Europeans with the ETR releases – more extreme actually due to USPS's crazy shipping fees. For a $25-30 record, you'll pay an additional $50 shipping. There are cheaper options (slower and/or not registered, usually around $25), but ETR/Brookvale don't offer these... And of course, if the seller doesn't declare it as a gift or with a lower value on the customs form, you get to pay even more on arrival.