Hi!
Buying a brand new one the same from China is under the £135 threshold for taxes and high import duties, so there's no need to buy from him – it could, as you say, be a ploy to deliberately avoid selling to the UK!
As I said, I didn't have to pay a lot over the purchase price of £254 for the TR210 I bought from AliExpress!
I don't know whether my Friend's v.p.n. is still available, but if it is I'll see what p & p for the same item is from France or Germany!
Chris Williams