It's not even a question of there being a conspiracy, it's just a combination of incompetence and apathy. As an example of how easy your scenario is to achieve

It's not even a question of there being a conspiracy, it's just a combination of incompetence and apathy. As an example of how easy your scenario is to achieve I received a letter from the courier division of the Norwegian postal service last Saturday. It asked me to complete a form and the form was this: [ ] I agree to pay a fee (subject to change) and to pay the import tax on the package and on every other package ever. [ ] Send my package back to the UK and I'll never receive anything ever again unless I agree to choice one the next time. So, pay the fee and agree to the T&C or GTFO. Having already paid for the item and it keeping my car off the road I was left with no choice but to cough up the (extortion) fee.