CITES regs query

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jdgmjdgm Frets: 850
edited June 2018 in Guitar
Folks
I'm thinking - just thinking - of buying a guitar from USA and getting it shipped to the UK, and don't want to fall foul of CITES. The guitar is a 2004 Gibson and the current owner bought it in 2012. 
Does anyone know anything about what paperwork I might need to get, if any? The regs are only supposed to apply to newer guitars but I wouldn't want to take a chance on buying it then customs destroying it! This isn't an ebay thing so I'd have no chance of getting my money back if it all went wrong. Theoretically it should be ok (I think) but obviously I want to be sure before parting with my wedge!
Has anyone imported a guitar from the USA in the last year or since these regs came in?
Thanks.

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Comments

  • ElwoodElwood Frets: 452
    edited June 2018
    Is there something special about that one?

    Aside from CITES you'll also have addition duty and costs to pay - why not buy inside the EU?

    This is quite useful for CITES stuff:
    https://www.andertons.co.uk/cites-law-guitarists




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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14034
    tFB Trader
    You will legally require a CITES certificate to leave the USA and one to arrive in the EU - You can't acquire the EU version until you get the USA version - If you can get it into the UK without then it is more luck than judgement

    The ruling via the UK authorities for CITES is was the guitar legally imported into the EU before 1/1/17 - If so then no CITES required, but even though this guitar is older than 1/1/17, it was not imported into the EU, so yes a CITES certificate required

    If it is a private seller then chances they won't be bothered and many retail outlets would rather try and sell it into the USA and ignore export as the hassle and time is a pain

    Can take 4-8 weeks to get appropriate CITES for import/export
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  • jdgmjdgm Frets: 850
    edited June 2018
    Many thanks for your timely replies.
    I've emailed a query to the UK CITES Management Authority in Bristol, but it looks like a bureaucratic minefield and I'll probably leave it.
    I'm fairly sure the current owner won't have a clue about the origin of the rosewood on the fingerboard, and won't want to fill in CITES forms either.
    BTW the guitar is a 2004 Gibson L4-S, quite rare and a nice looking piece too.
    Thanks again gents.
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  • hotpickupshotpickups Frets: 1813
    I'm not much of a fan of this CITES crap :(
    Link to my trading feedback:  http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/59452/
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14034
    tFB Trader
    I'm not much of a fan of this CITES crap :(
    no one is other than a few jobsworthy and they are under pressure
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14034
    tFB Trader
    jdgm said:
    Many thanks for your timely replies.
    I've emailed a query to the UK CITES Management Authority in Bristol, but it looks like a bureaucratic minefield and I'll probably leave it.
    I'm fairly sure the current owner won't have a clue about the origin of the rosewood on the fingerboard, and won't want to fill in CITES forms either.
    BTW the guitar is a 2004 Gibson L4-S, quite rare and a nice looking piece too.
    Thanks again gents.
    it is a minefield and a mess - Most private sellers would rather ignore an overseas request and sell within their customs boundary
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