Inspecting a vial on arrival

Look at the outer packaging. Our parcels ship in plain outer packaging with no product references on the exterior. Note any crushing, tears or water marks before opening — if a claim is needed later, photographs of the packaging as it arrived are what resolve it fastest. Check the tracking number on the label against the one emailed to you when the label was created; see tracking your order.

Open the parcel and lay out the contents. Check every item against the order confirmation: the right number of vials, the right compounds, the right quantities. Then, for each vial, find the lot number and match it to its certificate of analysis. The number on the vial must be identical to the number on the certificate. This is the single most important step, and the reasoning is in lot numbers and lot discipline.

Hold each vial up and look:

• Seal. The closure should be intact and undisturbed. A lifted, torn or missing seal is a stop.
• Glass. No cracks, no chips at the neck.
• Contents. A dry, white or off-white cake or powder, or a thin film for small fill masses. Cracked, shrunken or loose is normal after transit; see what lyophilized means. Liquid, discolouration or a gummy residue is not.
• Label. Legible compound name and lot number, matching the certificate.

Do not open, use or discard anything. Photograph the packaging and the vial, and contact support with the order number, the lot number and a short description. If a shipment arrives damaged, goes missing in transit or contains the wrong item, contact us within 30 days of the ship date and we will replace it or refund it — the full terms are on the returns page. Photographs of the packaging and vial help resolve it faster.

Record the arrival. Date received, order number, compound, lot number, quantity and storage location go into your inventory that day, and the certificate is filed where it can be found. Then move the sealed vials to the storage condition stated on the certificate. Do not leave them on the receiving bench; transit is over and storage has started — see storing lyophilized reference materials.

A written checklist beats memory, especially for the person receiving a parcel for the first time. Something like this, kept at the receiving bench:

• Outer packaging inspected and photographed if damaged.
• Tracking number on the label matches the dispatch email.
• Contents counted against the order confirmation.
• Each vial: seal intact, glass sound, contents dry, label legible.
• Each lot number matched to its certificate of analysis.
• Inventory updated: date, order number, compound, lot, quantity, location.
• Certificate filed by lot number.
• Vials moved to the storage condition stated on the certificate.
• Any problem: photographs taken, support contacted with order and lot numbers.

Ten lines, a few minutes, and the returns policy window is never missed because the problem was noticed on day one.

A receiving check is the point at which the supplier's responsibility ends and the laboratory's begins. Everything after it — storage, handling, disposal — is the responsibility of the qualified researcher. Doing the check properly means that if a question ever arises about a lot, you can say exactly what arrived, when, and in what condition. All material is supplied for in-vitro laboratory research only; see research use only.