We ship to researchers in many countries. Crossing a border introduces a set of responsibilities that sit with you rather than with us, and it is better to know that before an order is in transit than after it has been held.
You are the importer of record
For an international shipment, the receiving party is the importer. In practice that means you are responsible for:
- confirming the material may lawfully be imported into your country
- obtaining any licence or permit required
- paying duties, taxes and customs charges
We cannot make that determination on your behalf. Regulations differ widely and change, and a supplier guessing at another country's rules is not a substitute for you checking them.
Use an institutional address
Send orders to a laboratory, institution or business address where someone can receive the parcel, check it and get it into storage the same day. A residential address is more likely to attract customs attention and more likely to leave a temperature-sensitive parcel sitting in a porch.
If customs holds a shipment
Respond quickly; most holds are a paperwork question. We will supply the documentation we hold, including the Certificate of Analysis and the commercial invoice. We cannot refund shipments that are delayed, seized or destroyed by customs, because at that point the material has left our control and entered a process we have no standing in.
On arrival
Inspect the shipment, check the lot numbers against the certificates, and get the vials into the freezer. Report damage, shortages or discrepancies within 7 days of delivery, with photographs where you can.
Questions about a specific destination before you order? Ask us and we will tell you what we know and what we do not.
