Questions, answered plainly.
Orders, parcels and paperwork. What a compound does, what to use and whether anything is suitable for any purpose are not questions this shop answers — everything here is supplied for professional research use only.
How long before my order ships?
Orders typically process within 1–2 business days once payment is confirmed. Payment is by bank transfer, so the clock starts when the money lands rather than when the order is placed.
When do I get a tracking number?
By email, when the parcel ships. If you have had a payment confirmation but no dispatch email after a few business days, write to us — that gap usually means something needs a human rather than more waiting.
Do you ship outside the contiguous United States?
Ground shipping covers the contiguous 48. Alaska, Hawaii and the territories are quoted separately, so ask before ordering rather than after.
What should I check when the parcel arrives?
The outer packaging first, then each vial while it is still sealed: the crimp at the neck, the cake inside, and any sign of moisture. It takes under a minute and it is far more useful before anything is opened than after. The full list is on our arrival inspection page.
My vial looks different from the last one. Is that a problem?
Sometimes, and it is worth a photograph either way. Small variation in how a cake sits is normal; a collapsed or wet-looking cake, condensation inside the glass, or a stopper that has domed upward are not. Compare against another vial from the same lot if you have one.
The seal spins when I touch it. Does that matter?
Yes. The aluminium crimp holds the stopper against the vacuum the vial was sealed under, and one that turns or lifts has not held. Do not open it — photograph it sealed and contact us.
Something arrived damaged. What now?
Do not open or reconstitute it. Photograph the packaging, the sealed vial, the seal at the neck and the lot number, then contact us within 7 days with your order number. We will replace the item or refund it.
Do I have to send the damaged vial back?
No. Photographs of a sealed vial are the evidence we work from, and moving compromised material a second time serves nobody. Set it aside where it cannot be used by accident and discard it as directed.
What if I have already opened it?
Tell us anyway, but be aware that once a stopper is pierced nobody can establish what happened to the material afterwards — which is why the advice is always to look before opening. Opened items cannot be returned.
Can I return something I simply do not want?
Unopened and unpierced items are considered case by case. It is not a right the refund policy grants, because research material that has left our control cannot go back into stock.
Does it need to arrive cold?
No. Lyophilized material is shelf-stable and does not require a cold chain in transit. What it does not like is prolonged heat, which is why a parcel left in a hot vehicle for a day is worth inspecting carefully.
How should it be stored once it arrives?
Sealed, cool, dark and dry, per accepted laboratory practice. Reconstituted material is a different matter and is handled differently — our education library covers the principles.
Where is the Certificate of Analysis for my lot?
Enter the lot number from the vial label on our certificates page. A lot code identifies a shipment rather than a single compound, so where one covers several products you will be asked which one you are holding — the compound name is printed beside the lot on the vial.
The lot on my vial does not match my paperwork. What does that mean?
Raise it with us. It may be a substitution — where a strength is supplied as multiples of a smaller one, for example — which should be recorded on the packing slip. Either way it is worth confirming rather than assuming.
Still stuck? Write to us with your order number. For anything that arrived looking wrong, read arrival inspection first — the photographs it asks for are what let us put it right.