It is possible to get decent Indian sandalwood for $2/gram direct from India. An old source that has been trusted over many years by oud aficionados. Their sandalwood was still of above average quality last I checked - much better than plantain oils being sold for $10 per gram.
I am not confident it is legally exported as the bottles always say something other than sandalwood.
Admittedly it's a risk because it's coming from India and it's been about a year since I've ordered. I am certain at some point either the price will go way up with the quality will go way down but it hasn't happened yet.
Obviously when you see oils selling for $200 per 3ml you are paying for something extra, usually for a small reseller to buy and distill small amount of wood themselves with no economy of scale (a disadvantage) and, one hopes, no mass production shortcuts (a huge advantage)
