To limit unreasonable fees and duty ask them to ship via government postal service, no UPS or FedEx.
Don't bother. Seaskin won't do this. They only offer FedEx shipping to the US, as of the past few months at least.
I can't remember exactly what my customs bill was. I think it was $90 and I bought the drysuit and an undergarment (a few mos ago). Later when I bought only an undergarment, I didn't get a customs bill because I guess the total was lower? The drysuit was a small portion of the customs fee, but the undergarment was charged at a higher rate.
I have a Seaskin Nova (trilaminate) drysuit (it's my 2nd drysuit so I do have one to compare to) and so do 2 close friends. If you are on a budget I would recommend going with Seaskin for the drysuit as well as getting their undergarments.
I think the Nova is a well-made drysuit and I'm pretty happy with mine, although I did have some initial leak problems. My 2 friends haven't had any problems. If I were doing it again, I'd avoid the Si Tech P valve, and I'd avoid the Apeks Low Profile dump valve. I also would give consideration to neoprene socks over the attached boots. Their attached boots are really robust. My dive buddy loves them but I am not a huge fan. While they may never, ever wear out, they limit my ankle mobility some and trap some air.
I got the plastic YKK zipper and I like that. I'd strongly recommend the wider suspenders option. I got several of the reinforcement pads but IDK if you really need those. The suit fabric feels pretty durable. I take a lot of stuff in my pockets and I got the Expedition pockets. I'm glad I got the biggest pockets. But - the bungees in the pockets are inadequate and had to be replaced after only a couple of dives because they fell apart (easy to just thread in some more robust bungee), and the sleeve that holds wet notes is too narrow for mine. I got the Si Tech Quick Neck replaceable seal, and the Si Tech oval wrist seals, to which I added the Waterproof Ultima dry glove system (purchased from DRIS). I had a glued in latex neck seal in my other drysuit which served me well for 2.5 years, but I like that the Si Tech is user-replaceable and when my latex seal failed, I upgraded my other drysuit to the Si Tech as well.
Seaskin undergarments are good quality, they are made to measure just like the drysuits, and they are so cheap! Really Seaskin stuff is an incredible deal when you compare it to other brands. I have both the 250g and 150g undersuit and I'd recommend the 250g if you only get one. My local water is upper 50s F. If you plan to use a P valve, ask them to cut a hole in the undersuit for the P valve tubing. It's a nice touch. Be careful when unzipping the drysuit over the shoulder - I've snagged the undergarment fabric and put a hole in it, unfortunately. I'm going to patch it with some tent repair patch stuff.
I also picked up a set of their base layer, which is like a wicking layer only, not really to add any warmth. Make sure you look at the size chart closely, though, I needed a surprisingly large size in that, but I followed the chart and they fit really well. You may want a base layer made of wool or something for extra warmth instead. Uniqlo in the US has some nice cheap stuff that works well for a base layer, too (I get the Ultra warm ones).
I think if cost is a factor, I'd really look hard at the Seaskin stuff. It seems to be a really good value and they were helpful to me in working out my leak issues from afar.
To answer your question about will you really be warm, well... the trilaminate drysuits will keep you dry (ideally). Warmth comes from the undergarments, the amount of weight you take so you can loft the suit properly, and keeping your head and hands warm. I used wet gloves for the first year I had my drysuit, but dry gloves are so much warmer. I also had some water channeling up my sleeves since I have prominent wrist tendons, so the dry gloves solved that issue as well.
Make sure you get a really good hood. I've tried a few and I have settled on the Waterproof 10/5 as my Goldilocks hood. Warm enough but also very comfortable. I have a K-01 hood that is an 8mm, which I find VERY uncomfortable. It is just too squeezy and gives me duck face and jaw fatigue. Maybe I'd try the K-01 5mm but I won't wear the 8mm unless I'm traveling somewhere colder than here. Personally I use a bibbed hood that I tuck under the warm neck collar on the suit, but some folks use short hoods with drysuits.
If you have any other specific questions about Seaskin, I'd be glad to try to answer. Going from diving in a wetsuit to a drysuit has increased my enjoyment of local diving so much. I'd say that my drysuit is about the favorite piece of gear I own. That was the reason I got a 2nd one, to have a backup for any time one was out for repairs.
