Starting on 2 January 2017, you will receive a certificate of origin from us with every purchase to document the fact that the palisander or bubinga wood used in your instrument comes from legal
harvesting and trade.
The reason is the following:
At the World Wildlife Conference in Johannesburg in September 2016, all palisander and bubinga species were added to the so-called CITES Appendix II. The inclusion in CITES II means that starting on 2 January 2017 trade with these wood species will not be prohibited entirely but will be subject to restrictions. This will involve a lot of additional bookkeeping for producers, wholesalers, retailers, and guitar makers, but not for you.
What do the new trade restrictions mean for musicians and owners of instruments?
A verification document is recommended for resale. As a rule, this is the commercial invoice (which you receive from us) or a certificate confirming that the instrument was made using legal CITES II wood. If you do not have such documentation, the customs officials or the competent regional authorities may confiscate the products if they are being offered for private sale. If you have kept your invoices for instruments purchased before 2 January 2017 or can provide other clear evidence (e.g., inventory in your tax return, import documents...) that the instruments were purchased before 2 January 2017, you should keep these documents in a safe place and leave a copy with the instruments. No further measures are necessary for the time being.
The reason is the following:
At the World Wildlife Conference in Johannesburg in September 2016, all palisander and bubinga species were added to the so-called CITES Appendix II. The inclusion in CITES II means that starting on 2 January 2017 trade with these wood species will not be prohibited entirely but will be subject to restrictions. This will involve a lot of additional bookkeeping for producers, wholesalers, retailers, and guitar makers, but not for you.
What do the new trade restrictions mean for musicians and owners of instruments?
No additional verification documents are necessary for ownership as such.
Travel inside the EU:No special precautions are necessary for travel inside the EU.
Travel to non-EU countries:Instruments made of the wood species in question may be taken to non-EU countries without verification documents as long as the weight of the wood protected by CITES II in all musical instruments together is less than 10 KG. The weight of transport containers and accessories is not included.
Resale:A verification document is recommended for resale. As a rule, this is the commercial invoice (which you receive from us) or a certificate confirming that the instrument was made using legal CITES II wood. If you do not have such documentation, the customs officials or the competent regional authorities may confiscate the products if they are being offered for private sale. If you have kept your invoices for instruments purchased before 2 January 2017 or can provide other clear evidence (e.g., inventory in your tax return, import documents...) that the instruments were purchased before 2 January 2017, you should keep these documents in a safe place and leave a copy with the instruments. No further measures are necessary for the time being.