I used to pay something similar for getting a vendor to send to me out to Eastern Europe via DHL (standard Royal Mail / national post was just not an option for me out there). But I selected that service and knew how much that would be. It was so much as he literally had to run another legit business through it (was posting makeup and cosmetic products I think) and had a DHL account. That's how he got his drugs through with them without any suspicion. That said, he did disappear off the face of the earth years ago, so maybe he did get busted in the end.
There's a reason 99.9% of vendors will only use national shipping methods. It's the safest option for them and for customers.
Personally, I wouldn't use him until this strike is over. Not for the money, but for safety. Unless you're comfortable receiving via a courier rather than national post.