I know, it means visiting is VERY expensive at the moment and there's no point shipping skates/dresses etc in as it costs the same as it does over here.
Are you talking visiting the UK from the U.S., or visiting the U.S. from the UK?
As near as I can tell, MK and Wilson blades (made in the UK, I think, though it is always possible some are made abroad) are cheaper from the UK than from the U.S.
E.g., look for new Coronation Ace at a couple British discount skate suppliers
http://www.iceandrollerskates.com/product/jwcapara# £128=$167.68
https://demonxtreme.com/section.php/898/1/figure-skate-blades £148.99=$193.18
vs a few American discount discount suppliers
https://www.northerniceanddance.com/ice-skates/skate-blades/john-wilson-blades.html $219
http://www.skate-buys.com/jowifiskbl.html $272
http://www.cozzisports.com/product-page/john-wilson-coronation-ace $219
I don't fully understand taxes and tariffs, so maybe this is wrong. And it might depend on mail order vs visiting. I also didn't check all possible sources. But at first glance, MK and Wilson blades are cheaper in the UK.
(Of course, eBay sometimes offers better prices, for a specific pair in a specific size - but that may be more likely to get you warped or otherwise defective blades, since that is the obvious place for a store to dump defective blades, that doesn't affect its reputation. And that probably applies to eBay in both countries. For that matter, I have mixed feelings about buying blades sight unseen - you can at least look for warped blades when shopping in person.)
(Based on the instantaneous exchange rate £1=$1.31)
Perhaps I would get a different result for stuff from U.S. and Canadian companies, like Jackson/Ultima, SP Teri, Graf and Riedell.
BTW, I would love to find a cheap Chinese, African, etc. supplier of good quality figure skating blades and boots... Anyone here experimented with that? Chinese manufacturers have more or less sewn up most of the cheap rental skate market, but I'm not sure of stuff a few steps above.