Hi WoodCollector, some good news! Seems the guys he hired had pieces already cut and drying. Samples have been cut from these logs to your size of 8" square by 24" long.
Fungayi tells me has these logs: 5x dry Jacardanda, 5x almost dry Ironwood, 5x almost dry Kiaat and 2x wet Mopane.
Perhaps you'd be interested in a sample of the first 3? I think he'll also be able to arrange a picture of the Mopane when it's dry. Would you also want a pic of the Jacaranda for grading?
As for transport, DHL Zim said he'd need to bring the wood to their office in Harare (he is about 140 km away). This could be a small problem as he doesn't have transport.
DHL also mentioned the wood may need a fumigation certificate, although it seems to me this only applies to wooden shipping containers. Anyway, I think Fungayi will know where to have the wood fumigated but that might also present a transport problem.
It sounds like you have a good relationship with shipping companies, so if it's possible to arrange for a courier to collect the wood as well as check the size and type, that should guarantee everything goes smoothly.
As for the exact price, perhaps it's better discussed in private?
I would be interested in a sample of the Jacardanda and the Kiaat. The Ironwood is not high on my list right now but time to time i purchase some so i will take a sample of it now for future reference but i do not need it in bulk right now. Mopane i would be interested in dry.
I need an exact address as to where the 3 samples would be located at so i can call and see about shipping them, and when we get into larger orders i can have them picked up at that same location with larger trucks.
As for fumigation, it is not needed on Kiln dried wood, but if his is air dry he would probably have a better change of getting it kiln dried than fumigated. The bacteria and fungus they are worried about dies at 160 degrees F and a document from the kiln will get it through customs.
Send me the location of the wood in a PM and i will see what we can do to get it picked up, Once i get the shipping situated i will place the $65 in escrow with any trusted forum escrow of your choosing to be released upon confirmation of pickup. If the samples are up to par, i might make a flight over there after the first of the year to check out the operation and purchase a small vessel load of wood to be shipped back in person while i am there.
The vessel i have access to holds 20, 8x20' ISBU containers and i would need to be able to have all of them filled to make it profitable for me. The price on leasing the ship as a whole is the same no matter the weight so the wood could still be wet so long as the bark was removed (invasive spices act requires the bark to be gone to prohibit the transportaion of bark dwelling insects) If we were to divide the load equally 50% Kiaat, 25% Tambootie, 20% jacardanda and 10% ironwood, my estimate is the load would pay you guys $81,250 and would require cutting between 200 and 600 trees then squaring them up for shipment.