Ordering
and Payment
Terms
For international orders, we require either
payment in full or a US$500.00 non-refundable
deposit by wire transfer on all orders prior to us obtaining an export permit.
The balance is due prior to us shipping the tusk. The CITES
permit is generally valid for export from Canada for three months from the
time of issue. If the tusk is not shipped prior to expiration of the
permit, the permit must be returned to the Canadian CITES authorities to
be cancelled. Failure to pay within 45 days of our informing you
that we have received the export permit will result in our cancellation of
your order and the loss of your deposit and your ability to order from us
again.
Sales within Ontario
No additional paperwork or documentation is
required for the sale of tusks delivered within Ontario. HST
is applicable within Ontario. All sales within Ontario will have
the following statement on the invoice: Not for export from Ontario
without proper permits.
Sales within Canada
An inter-provincial transportation permit
is required to ship tusks from Ontario to other provinces or territories
(even if picked up at our office in Toronto). HST will be charged on all shipments within
Canada. A US$500.00 non-refundable deposit is required prior to us
obtaining transportation permits. Payment in full is required prior
to shipping. Failure to pay within 45 days of our informing you that
we have received the transportation permit will result in our cancellation
of your order and the loss of your deposit and your ability to order from
us again.
Export Controls from
Canada
Walrus are marine mammals and are
subject to CITES import/export control. The Ministry of
Fisheries and Oceans in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, issues all export permits for
walrus
tusks from Ontario. It usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to obtain a
CITES export permit.
Import Controls in
Your Country
No shipments to the United States are
permitted because of
restrictions imposed by the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.
We will not sell tusks in Ontario to U.S. residents if we believe they
intend to smuggle them back into the U.S.
Commercial shipments to the European Union
are becoming increasingly restrictive. Personal shipments
are generally permitted. To save time and effort, please check
with your CITES officials before ordering from us.
Shipments to
Switzerland and Norway are permitted with proper CITES
documentation.
Shipments to most Asian, Latin
American, and African countries are
permitted with proper CITES documentation.
The Canadian CITES authorities make the
following statement on letters to us accompanying the permit:
"Although your shipment meets Canadian CITES export requirements,
please be advised that some countries have enacted additional legislation
that is more stringent than that of CITES. It is your responsibility
to ensure that the importing and export requirements of the (country) have
been met. Failure to do so may result in seizure of your
shipment."
If you fail to ensure that you can legally
import a tusk, we will not be responsible for the seizure of any
shipment. Please make appropriate inquires with your authorities
prior to ordering from us. This is not an impulse purchase.
Shipping
The tusks are shipped in boxes. All
shipments are sent freight collect. The tusks must be
shipped by a freight forwarder because the permits need to be stamped by
Canada Customs prior to leaving Canada and stamped again upon entry into
your country. We cannot ship tusks by mail.
Shipping costs vary with the size of the
tusk and destination. Expect to pay about US$300.00 for freight
charges. This charge included pick up from our
office, CITES export processing with Canada Customs, air freight, and insurance. All of the
charges were minimum fees, so larger tusks or multiple tusks should not be much
different. You may wish to see about doing your own customs
clearance to save money. You may have to pay for a veterinarian
inspection to inspect
the CITES paperwork. Expect to pay VAT as well.
To save money, you may wish to combine a
walrus tusk purchase with a narwhal tusk.
Care of the Tusks
Rub the tusk with VaselineTM every now and then to
prevent it from drying out. The tusks will crack if they are
allowed to dry out.
Genus and
Species
Genus and species: Odobenus
rosmarus rosmarus.
Nearly all of the walrus tusks come from animals that were killed by local hunters
for food, not for the tusk alone. The government of Canada
restricts the number of walrus.
What is CITES?
CITES is the abbreviation for the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora. Nearly all countries belong to CITES
(holdouts include places like North Korea).
The goal of CITES is to regulate the trade in species that are under
threat somewhere in the world. The
commercial trade in some animals or products made from those animals
is completely prohibited (e.g., pandas and tigers). Others are
permitted, but the trade is monitored (most items covered under
CITES), and a few are listed by one or more countries that want to
monitor trade in a specific animal or product (e.g., crested
porcupines in Ghana or abalone in South Africa). All marine
mammals are regulated by CITES--even if they are not considered
endangered. See the official CITES website at www.cites.org for more information. |
