Bengay was one small example which I picked because it was the first off my head. Assuming that a Dutch import business bought it from the shelves of Walmart for the normal price, sales tax and all, they would have to be somehow paying €260 per kilogram for shipping for the price to be what it is; shipping, or taxes, can in no way come close to explaining the price being five and a half times higher.

There are several methyl salicylate products available in the Netherlands, but they all are available for a similar i.e. extortionate price.

In a country with easier to navigate laws, you can start an import business and sell the products locally. Sure, there is a price increase due to VAT, shipping, handling and business expenses, but this is typically reasonable. For an example of a low-volume perishable food product, I'll take stroopwafels. Here in the Netherlands, where they are made, a 200 gram bag costs between €1.50 and €2.40 depending on the brand. In America, the same 200g bag costs €2.40 at Trader Joes (which is $2.79.)

That's between a 0-60% price increase - and that's for a perishable, low-volume, inexpensive food product sold in a luxury grocery store.