Delivery arrangements vary with every instrument we sell, from using a courier to deliver worldwide, to meeting at a convenient place.  Therefore the website prices do not include shipping.  The cost of getting your kora to you simply depends on how much packaging and delivery costs us – we will charge it at cost.

• • How? If being sent by courier or parcel service we take the bridge down to protect the kora in transit (and reduce the shipping costs). This means that you need to put it back up, and retune the kora.  We have a helpful video  to help you do this and have been told by several customers that it was much easier than they had feared!  We ship mostly from Gambia now (we are in neighbouring Senegal) and work with Dembo Jobarteh who has been shipping his own koras with Gampost very successfully for several years.
  • How much? As a rough price guide, most koras shipped will cost around 100€ to Europe. We are just starting to ship from West Africa so do not yet have a firm idea of prices further afield.  We will always give you an accurate price for shipping and insurance.  Please consider customs charges – check with us to confirm where your kora is being shipped from West Africa, UK or the EU.

• • Collection: We are also happy for customers to come to us to collect their kora – though as most are now made at our place in Kafountine, Senegal that could be an expensive, though wonderful, round-trip!  Sometimes it could be the UK or France.   If you come to us there is no delivery charge, you get free coffee and an introductory lesson 🙂

• • Bags are generally at least two weeks as they are made to order, but we do try to have one or two in stock.  They are sent direct from the maker in the UK so other items cannot be added in the parcel.
  • For other items we will normally post items within three days of a cleared payment, or we will contact you to advise otherwise.
  • The nature of our work means we generally keep low stock levels and are often travelling. If an order is urgent and you are happy to pay any extra costs let us know in the comments box and we’ll always do our best to help where possible.
  • If you are buying a kora and accessories together, the Shop Checkout will show you the charge for shipping the accessories.  If you’d like us to ship it all together when your kora is ready then those delivery charges will be taken into account – you will not be overcharged.

• We ask for a 25% deposit on koras.  For week-long workshop places we request 200€.  For other bookings we usually request 50%.
• Accessories require payment in full at the time of order.
• We prefer payment via bank transfer, but we do accept PayPal and also credit and debit cards (through PayPal but no account needs to be set-up).
• If you are an overseas customer, please check with your bank or PayPal to see what rate of exchange you will be given.
• Some banks will charge you to make international transfers.  There are now many alternatives to using your bank to send money internationally.  The one we have used for several years is Wise and now have a multi-currency bank account with them. They have a Money Transfer service separate from their bank services.   The first transfer up to £500 is free using this invite from us
• If the balance for a kora purchase is also paid through PayPal, we ask for a voluntary contribution towards those feed, so for international transactions that is 2%.  We do mean voluntary, if you cannot afford this don’t worry!
• All goods remain the property of The Kora Workshop until paid for in full.
• Deposits for workshop places/holidays are not refundable unless that place is taken by someone else, and no other places are available.   Travel insurance is advised.
• Deposits on bespoke koras are not refunded unless and until that instrument is sold at full value.

ALL goods shipped internationally may incur customs charges.  Normally it is only VAT that is paid but some countries could charge customs duties as well.   We are not VAT registered so cannot remove VAT from our prices on export.   Most of our accessories are shipped from the UK and will incur charges.  We increasingly ship our koras from West Africa and therefore will also incur customs charges.

We are looking at ways to ensure we can ship accessories from within the EU as well as the UK to ensure customers’ costs are kept to a minimum.  If you are unsure or concerned, please do check with us before ordering and we will give you the latest information.

The EU now applies VAT (which varies from country to country)  to ALL imports, no matter how low the value. This came into effect on the 1st July 2021.   Please note that any VAT or customs charges made are completely beyond our control and are paid but the importer (you) to the courier or postal service in advance or at the time of delivery.  Check your own countries rules – there will probably be VAT, but there may also be a ‘customs fee’ as well.  Your postal service will have this information.  You are responsible for paying these charges and unfortunately at the moment we simply cannot include it in our prices or quotes – we ship so little that registering with an EU VAT specialist is not yet cost effective.

You can calculate how much import/customs duty you are likely to pay in your country by using this  Import Duty Calculator .  It is pretty straightforward to use but if you need help, please ask once you have a complete shipping price from us.   Remember this is a guide, only the customs office for your country actually decide the customs due.

For 5 years from the date of purchase we will replace any defective parts. The guarantee does not cover any damage caused by accidents, transport, inappropriate storage or mis-use.   After 5 years we will still normally repair any defects free of charge, but reserve the right to make a reasonable charge for our time.

The Kora Workshop is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk