I think alot of the reason for price difference is that there are not as many wholesale type musical shops in the UK compared to the US. Without alot of competition the prices remain high which sucks for us here in the UK.
I always found that the best way to get cheaper stuff in the UK was to 'befriend' a local music shop and then get them to sell you stuff at a discount cos you shop there all the time. I normally get about 10%+ off most stuff by doing this.

Hope thats an idea you can use.

Neal