FAQ

Bank card: Visa or Mastercard (with 3-D Secure authentication when applicable).

PayPal and PayPal Later: fast and secure online payment.

Bank transfer: payment details are provided upon completing the order. Processing may take 24–48 h after funds are received.

Apple Pay / Google Pay: may be available depending on your device, card and payment gateway.

For security, we do not accept cheques or card details sent by email.

No. Maderas Barber has no minimum order requirement. You can purchase a single piece of tonewood.

Prices on maderasbarber.com are displayed without VAT. During checkout, once you enter your country and delivery address, the system automatically calculates whether VAT applies and adds it to the order total.

Intra-community businesses (outside Spain) with a valid VAT number registered in the VIES system receive invoices without VAT. Enter your VAT number during registration or checkout for the exemption to apply automatically.

Orders shipped outside the EU are invoiced without European VAT. However, the recipient may be liable for import duties and local taxes upon delivery. These charges are managed and paid by the customer to their local customs authority or courier, and vary by country.

Never send card details by email. If your card payment fails, you can:

• Choose bank transfer as an alternative.
• Contact us at info@maderas-barber.com or call +34 961 34 03 01 to receive a secure payment link.

Shipping costs are charged on the invoice and vary depending on destination, weight/volume and carrier. Available options and prices are displayed at checkout based on your delivery address. Customs duties and destination charges, if any, are not included.

Maderas Barber ships with FedEx, DHL, Correos Express, TIPSA, UPS and Moldtrans. Available options are shown automatically at checkout based on your destination. For bulky or fragile tonewood shipments, we select the carrier that best ensures material integrity.

• Preparation (all destinations): 4–5 business days.
• Mainland Spain and EU: once dispatched, delivery in 24–48 h.
• United Kingdom and non-EU Europe: same preparation; delivery may be delayed by customs procedures.
• United States and rest of the world: same preparation; estimated transit +4/5 days plus customs clearance time.

Timeframes are estimates and may vary due to order volume, peak demand or documentary requirements (e.g., CITES).

Yes. We regularly ship to these destinations via Correos and Moldtrans. Orders are invoiced without mainland Spanish VAT. Local duties (DUA), IGIC (Canary Islands), IPSI (Ceuta and Melilla) and other local charges are managed and paid by the recipient at destination.

For shipments outside the European Union, the recipient is responsible for paying import duties and local taxes and for managing customs clearance with their local authority or courier. These charges are not included in Maderas Barber's prices and vary by country.

Maderas Barber insures all shipments. If you detect damage, report it within 24 hours of delivery to info@maderas-barber.com, attaching photographs of the outer packaging and the damaged product. Keep all original packaging until the claim is resolved.

Yes. You have 15 calendar days from receipt to return products in their original condition with intact packaging.

• Maderas Barber covers it when the return is due to breakage, manufacturing defect or incorrect shipment.
• The customer covers it for withdrawals (change of mind).

Email info@maderas-barber.com with your order number and the reason for the return. Once we receive and inspect the material at our warehouse, we will process the refund or exchange.

Returns are not accepted for customised, modified, transformed or custom-cut items, as they cannot be restored to their original condition.

CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement that regulates trade in protected species through a system of permits and certificates. In the context of lutherie, CITES controls the international trade of certain tonewoods including rosewoods (Dalbergia spp.), ebonies (Diospyros spp.), mahoganies (Swietenia spp.) and other species. Maderas Barber handles all necessary CITES documentation for orders that require it.

No. Purchases within the European Union do not require CITES documentation for protected woods, with one exception: Dalbergia nigra (Brazilian rosewood), which requires CITES documentation regardless of destination, including within Spain and the EU.

Your invoice will include the CITES reference number associated with each product, which you will need if you later export instruments or wood outside the EU.

Maderas Barber charges a €60 fee per order in two scenarios:

• When the order ships outside the EU and contains species requiring a CITES re-export certificate.
• When the order includes Dalbergia nigra (Brazilian rosewood), regardless of destination, including Spain and the EU.

The €60 covers administrative fees and processing. There is no limit on CITES-listed pieces per shipment: the fee is per order, not per piece.

Maderas Barber sells the following CITES-regulated tonewoods, all with proper documentation: bois de rose, bubinga, campincerán, mahogany, Honduras cedar, cocobolo, Madagascar ebony, granadillo, palo rosa, palo rojo, Amazon rosewood, Indian rosewood, Honduras rosewood, Madagascar rosewood, kingwood, samanguila and sonokeling.

Visit the CITES page on maderasbarber.com for detailed information on each species and its regulatory status.

Yes. The Spanish CITES re-export certificate takes approximately 2 weeks to process. For shipments to the United Kingdom, the customer must additionally apply for a UK CITES import permit, which takes approximately 3 more weeks. Maderas Barber will not dispatch the order until all required documentation is in place.

Since Brexit, shipping CITES-listed tonewoods to the UK requires two documents:

• CITES re-export certificate (Spanish): processed by Maderas Barber, ~2 weeks, €60 fee.
• CITES import permit (UK): applied for by the customer using form FED0172, ~3 weeks, subject to UK fees.

Maderas Barber will not ship the order until the customer provides a copy of their UK CITES import permit by email.

It depends on how you use it:

• Personal stock, not for sale: retaining the purchase invoice is sufficient.
• Selling raw wood: you must declare it to the CITES authority in your country beforehand.
• Making finished instruments or parts: finished products are exempt from CITES and no declaration is needed to sell them.

In Spain, declarations are made through the CITES office at the Provincial or Territorial Directorate of Trade (SOIVRE).

For MB Exclusive references, numbered pieces and individually photographed products, the images correspond to the actual piece you will receive. For all other items, photographs are representative of the species, cut and grade: you will receive a piece of the same species and specifications, with natural variations in grain pattern, figure (flame, curl, bearclaw), colour and fibre orientation inherent to solid wood. No two pieces of tonewood are identical.

Bookmatched means the top or back is obtained from two consecutive halves of the same billet, opened like the pages of a book, to achieve symmetry of grain and figure. This technique is standard in lutherie for soundboards and backs of guitars, violins and other string instruments. For MB Exclusive or numbered references, the bookmatched set shown in the photograph is the exact piece you will receive.

Yes. All figures (flame, curl, bearclaw, quilted, birdseye) are natural unless otherwise stated in the product listing. These characteristics are highly valued in luthier-grade tonewood for their visual impact and, in some cases, their relationship with the acoustic properties of the wood.

In solid wood for lutherie, variations in colour, grain pattern, figure intensity, density and minor differences from the type of cut (radial/quarter-sawn or tangential/flat-sawn) are normal. These characteristics are inherent to the natural material and do not constitute defects. Quarter-sawn is the standard cut in lutherie because it maximises dimensional stability and acoustic transmission.

Unless otherwise stated in the product listing, material is supplied rough-sawn (without final machining). Where additional services such as thicknessing or custom cutting are available, this is specified in the listing or arranged on request.

Many products offer a drying option, and you can select MB DRY references: materials with over 10 years of seasoning and a target moisture content of ≈ 11% or below (MC%). If a product does not carry the MB DRY designation, we do not guarantee optimal moisture content for immediate use.

In all cases, we recommend acclimatising the wood to your workshop environment before machining, gluing or finishing.

Store wood in a dry, ventilated location with stable temperature, away from direct heat sources, direct sunlight and sudden humidity changes. For flat pieces (tops, backs, sides), stack with spacer strips (stickers) between each piece to promote even moisture exchange and prevent warping.

We recommend acclimatising wood to your workshop environment for at least 1–2 weeks before machining, gluing or finishing. If there is a significant climate difference between the origin and your workshop (relative humidity, temperature), extend the acclimatisation period. The goal is for the wood to reach hygroscopic equilibrium with the environment where the instrument will be built.

Maderas Barber offers thicknessing, side bending, controlled drying, custom cutting and photo selection (personalised piece selection by the customer via photographs). Availability varies by species, format and stock. Contact us by email or phone to confirm availability.

Customer service: info@maderas-barber.com · Tel. +34 961 34 03 01

The team handles enquiries about tonewood, lutherie, CITES regulations and orders.

Yes, warehouse visits are by appointment only, from 07:00 to 15:00. Request your appointment by phone or email. It is an opportunity to personally select your tonewood pieces from available stock.