FAQs – AFSBio Inc.

Quick Answers

Lead times: On average 2–5 business days (in stock items)
Cold chain: Dry ice, Liquid nitrogen, or validated gel-pack shipping, as needed
Regions: North America (Customs covered), AU NZ (DAP/Buyer clears)
Payment: Credit card (in advance) or Net 30 (approved POs)
Support: Responses within 24 hours

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↓ Ordering and Purchasing ↓ Products and Compatibility ↓ Shipping, Cold Chain and Logistics ↓ Storage and Handling ↓ Compliance and Quality ↓ Payments and Procurement ↓ Technical Support and Returns ↓ Custom and Specialized Requests ↓ Need Extra Help?

Welcome. Here's what you need to know before placing your first order.

Who can order?

AFSBio products are sold exclusively to qualified institutional buyers (laboratories, universities, hospitals, and corporate research entities). We do not sell to individuals or for personal use.

How to get started?

Request a quote. Send us your product list and quantities through our contact form. Most quotes are returned within 1 business day.
Set up your account. Not required but recommended. An account gives you order tracking, faster checkout, and reorder history.
Place your order. Pay by credit card (in advance) or submit an institutional Purchase Order (Net 30, subject to approval). POs can be emailed to .

What to expect on delivery

Inspect your shipment immediately upon arrival and photograph any damage before opening.

Cold-chain products must be moved to proper storage right away.

Report any damage, temperature concerns, or missing items within 48 hours of delivery to .

NB: AU/NZ buyers You are the importer of record. Ensure all required biosafety import permits and regulatory approvals are in place before ordering. Customs clearance is your responsibility.

Ordering and Purchasing Find answers about placing orders, requesting quotes, procurement systems, and account management.

Products and Compatibility Learn about our products, applications, specifications, and compatibility with your research workflows and laboratory equipment.

You will be able to access and download all technical documentation, including product manuals, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and technical data sheets, directly through our Resources Hub. Currently, please send us an email to .

No account required: Safety and technical documents are completely open-access and do not require a login to download.

How to search: Simply visit the hub and enter your product's catalog number into the search bar to instantly pull up all relevant PDFs.

Looking for a Certificate of Analysis (CoA)? Because CoAs are lot-specific, they are available upon request. Please Submit a CoA Request Form or email our support team at with your product name and lot number.

Shipping, Cold Chain and Logistics Find information about shipping methods, delivery timelines, temperature-controlled packaging, and international logistics to ensure your products arrive safely.

Stock items typically ship within 1–7 business days. Custom or backordered items may take longer depending on the supplier. We typically have approximate lead times for delivery on our product pages. We also have approximate timelines for products that the manufacturer does not have in stock. Products are always shipped directly from the manufacturer to ensure freshness and the longest shelf life.

Inspect all packages immediately upon arrival. If an outer shipping box or instrument container arrives physically damaged, document the condition immediately by taking clear photos before opening it.

Contact our support desk within 48 hours of delivery with your order number, tracking number, and photos. We will immediately coordinate a carrier claim and work with the manufacturer to resolve the issue or fast-track a replacement shipment.

United States and Canada: Cross-border shipments within North America are rare but can occur. AFSBio handles customs brokerage on your behalf. If a shipment is held, we will proactively work with our broker to resolve it and keep you informed.

Australia and New Zealand: You are the importer of record and are responsible for ensuring all required import permits and biosafety approvals are in place before ordering. If your shipment is held:

Contact your local customs broker immediately
Notify us at with your order number and any customs correspondence. We will supply supporting documentation (CoA, SDS, export records) promptly

In accordance with CASL, this email address does not consent to receiving unsolicited commercial messages (CEMs); suppliers must use our contact form.

Act quickly: delays in responding to customs can result in destruction of goods

AFSBio Inc. is not liable for seizures, rejections, or product degradation resulting from customs holds. Temperature-sensitive items remain non-refundable regardless of the cause of delay.

We recommend AU/NZ buyers consult a licensed customs broker familiar with biological materials before placing their first order.

Storage and Handling Learn how to properly store, handle, and preserve product integrity for optimal performance and reproducible research results.

If you suspect a temperature excursion has occurred due to a transit delay, do not discard or use the product. Move the item immediately to its recommended storage temperature environment (e.g., -20°C or -80°C) as noted on the product label.

Notify us right away. We will review the transit logs and specific lot tolerances directly with the manufacturer's quality control scientists to determine if the product remains stable or if an automated replacement is required.

Please report all cold-chain concerns within 48 hours of receipt to ensure factory validation.

Compliance and Quality Explore our quality standards, certifications, regulatory compliance, certificates of analysis, and documentation supporting product reliability.

Payments and Procurement Find answers about payment methods, invoicing, purchase orders, institutional procurement systems, quotations, and contract pricing.

Technical Support and Returns Get help with troubleshooting, technical questions, product performance, warranty information, and our return or replacement process.

Because our products are highly technical and often manufactured to order or drop-shipped directly from the factory, returns for customer ordering errors are strictly managed under the following rules:

Temperature-Sensitive Items: Any reagents, kits, or biological materials requiring cold-chain logistics (dry ice, liquid nitrogen, or frozen gel packs) are 100% non-returnable and non-refundable under any circumstances due to strict quality-control safety regulations.
Ambient Stock Items and Hardware: Non-perishable, ambient storage items may be eligible for return within 14 days of delivery, provided they are completely unopened, factory-sealed, and in pristine condition.

All approved non-defective returns are subject to a mandatory 20% restocking fee. The customer is fully responsible for arranging and paying for return trackable shipping back to the manufacturer’s specified warehouse facility.

Do not ship any products back to the manufacturer or our administration office without prior authorization. To initiate a request:

Contact our desk through the Contact Us page within the allowed return window.
Provide your original sales order number, catalog code, and a brief description of the item you wish to return.
If approved, we will issue a formal Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) document containing specific shipping instructions and warehouse landing codes.

Refunds (minus the 20% restocking fee) will be processed back to the original payment method or credited to your institutional Net 30 account only after the factory accepts and passes visual inspection of the returned items.

Custom and Specialized Requests Discover our custom solutions, bulk orders, OEM services, sourcing assistance, and specialized requests tailored to your research needs.

Can't find your answer?

Our team is happy to help with:

Product recommendations
Quotes
Institutional purchasing
Bulk orders
Technical questions
and more...

Contact an AFSBio Specialist →

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New to AFSBio?

Who is eligible to order?

How do I place an order?

Do I need an account to order?

Can you support institutional procurement systems (Ariba, Coupa, etc.)?

How do I request a quote?

Do you offer bulk pricing or contracts?

Are your products authentic and manufacturer-sourced?

Are your products compatible with my instrument?

Where can I find product manuals, SDS, or data sheets?

Do I need an account to order?

Can you provide validation data or publications?

What if a product is out of stock?

Do you offer samples or trial sizes?

How do you ship temperature-sensitive reagents?

How long does shipping take?

Do you offer expedited shipping?

Do you ship internationally?

Will I receive tracking updates?

What if my shipment arrives damaged or delayed?

What happens if my shipment is seized or held by customs?

Can you ship to any country?

How should I store products after delivery?

What happens if the cold chain is compromised?

Are your products certified (GMP, CE-IVD, etc.)?

Are lot-specific documents available?

Can you support GLP/GMP environments?

What payment methods do you accept?

How do I place an order?

Do you require upfront payment?

What support do you offer if something goes wrong?

What is your return policy?

What is your return policy for items ordered in error (Buyer’s Remorse / Mistaken Orders)?

How do I initiate a return or exchange request?

Can you support custom formulations or sourcing?

Can you help optimize protocols?

Do you offer instrument demos?

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