Frequently Asked Questions

Shipping, Ordering and Services

Our FAQs cover everything from packaging and shipping, to permissions and our services

Supporting the global iPSC community with efficient, reliable shipping

At Axol Bioscience, we have pledged to support the growing global iPSC industry with high-quality products and scientific expertise. Our Shipping and Logistics division is central to our aims, and we strive to ensure our customers receive their product on time and in full, with open communication and a helpful approach.

We pride ourselves on our responsible shipping practices, which means communicating closely with our customers and designing shipping schedules to maximize success- for example, shipping to the US on a Friday so it doesn’t arrive over the weekend.

We’ve made the infographic (above) to display the impressive statistics behind our Shipping and Logistics division, and we’ve also collated our most common customer queries into the FAQs section below.

If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact us at operations@axolbio.com.

We ship your cells, media and supplements in two main ways, depending on the storage conditions of each.

Shipping FAQ

We ship your cells, media and supplements in two main ways, depending on the storage conditions of each.

Dry Ice

Cells and some media are shipped at -80°C. These products are shipped in a polystyrene box containing dry ice as shown below.

Your products should arrive within 2 days for shipments to the UK and Europe or 3-5 days for rest of the world. Some melting of the ice would be expected after 5 days but if delayed any longer without a top up of ice, the viability of the cells and media may be compromised. We would not recommend using cells that have thawed. In the unlikely event that this should happen, please contact us at operations@axolbio.com and provide pictures of the box and contents received.

Cool packs

Most of our media and some supplements are shipped on ice packs in polystyrene boxes. Ice packs will maintain products at 2-8°C.

We cannot guarantee that cells or media will perform as expected if thawed during transit. If you wish to try the cells, you can thaw them and carry out a cell viability count. If the viability of the cells is <70%, we would not recommend using the cells.

For Europe, we aim for next day delivery for products that are in stock or 2 days maximum, allowing for any potential customs delays. For other parts of the world, depending on the country, the transit time is between 3-5 days for products that are in stock.

Our on time in full (OTIF) metric (i.e. product reaches customer within 5 days of shipment in >93.5% of cases) is consistently matched and exceeded.

Shipping costs will be calculated depending on your order and will be confirmed in the quotation.

Shipping costs will be calculated depending on your order and will be confirmed in the quotation.

Typical charges for shipments are below;

UK EU USA ROW
Handling fee £50 € 60 $60 £50
Shipping box £95 € 190 $240 £250
Total £145 € 250 $290 £300

Our prices are exclusive of VAT and VAT only applies to customers in the European Union (EU). If your institution is VAT exempt (usually for academic/charity organisations) please ensure you email your VAT exemption certificate to us indicating your order number to operations@axolbio.com. Please check with your purchasing department for more information.

We use DHL for all shipments.

You can use your carrier of choice however you will need to supply all shipping paperwork. Collection will be confirmed once a dispatch date has been agreed with logistics team in Axol. Axol will supply a Certificate of Analysis (COA) and Custom’s Invoice for the product(s) being shipped. If you use your own carrier of choice, product(s) are shipped Ex Works under Incoterms (International Commercial Terms), so you will bear responsibility for the shipping costs and related risks (e.g. customs regulation, loading etc) of the goods.

We can provide dry ice top ups if necessary. Dry ice facilities are available at main import hubs in every country and can also be requested by you via DHL. Please email or call DHL with your tracking number to request this.

New customers will need to fill New Customer Information Form, providing delivery address, billing address, importer of record and broker details and send to operations@axolbio.com.

All of the cells used by Axol are derived from donors who have signed an informed consent which outlines detail the purpose of the donation. Please download our Statement of Use for further details.