How to buy - Frequently Asked Questions

- How do I place an order?
- Do you have a Distributor in my country?
- What are the advantages of buying online at Abcam?
- What information do you require for my order?
- What is a Purchase Order Number ('PON')?
- How much does the product cost?
- Is the product in stock?
- What are your shipping, handling & packaging charges?
- When do you ship?
- Where do you ship?
- What is the transit time?
- Does the transit time affect the antibody?
- How can we pay?
- Do you charge VAT?
- Can I have a pro-forma invoice?
- How will I know if my order has been received by Abcam?

If you have any questions regarding dry ice shipment, please view our dry ice FAQ.

How do I place an order?

We accept orders by the following methods:

Do you have a Distributor in my country?

We are experts in shipping to any country in the world by overnight courier delivery from our UK and US offices, but do have distributors in some countries. To see ordering information specific to your country, please:
>> Select Country

What are the advantages of buying online at Abcam?

• Speed:
  Our systems enable us to process online purchases faster.
• Immediate confirmation email/fax:
  If any of the details are incorrect you can immediately inform us, thus reducing any unnecessary delays.
• Direct contact:
  If there are any problems with your order we can contact you directly to keep you informed, so that you can plan your experiments.
• Fast and easy re-ordering:
  Your details are stored for future purchases. Next time just select your product(s) and enter your purchase order number or credit card details.

What information do you require for my order?

To process your order we require the following:

• Product code(s) of the item(s) you require (e.g. ab1)
• Currency in which you wish to pay
• Shipping address and billing address
• Purchase Order Number or credit card
  • What is a Purchase Order Number ('PON')?
  • Credit card payments
• Your telephone number (so that we can phone you if we have a query)
• Your email address and/or fax number (so that our system can automatically confirm the details of the products you have ordered and inform you of the planned delivery date)

What is a Purchase Order Number ('PON')?

Most organisations give a purchase order reference number (PON) to each order that is sent to a supplier. In turn, the supplier will include this PON on their invoice thus enabling the organisation's administration to easily confirm that the supplier's invoice is valid. Therefore, please obtain a PON from your administration and include this information with your order.

If your organisation does not use formal PONs and you wish to buy online, please enter your initials and today's date into the PON field on the online order form.

How much does the product cost?

Prices vary across our product range and can be viewed for each product on the product datasheet by choosing the country you are in. If you know the product code ("ab number") of the product you are buying enter it here and this will take you to the datasheet.

Is the product in stock?

You can check availability by viewing the datasheet which will display a yellow tick if the product is in stock . If you know the product code or "ab number" of the product you are buying enter it here and this will take you to the datasheet where you can check availability.

What are your shipping, handling & packaging charges?

View the shipping, handling & packaging charges table

When do you ship?

All in-stock orders received Monday through Fridays are shipped the same day. For customers in North America, the deadline for same day despatch is 6:00pm EST while for customers in Europe, the deadline is 4:00pm GMT. Orders received after these deadlines are shipped the next business day.

Where do you ship?

We are experts in shipping to any country in the world by express courier delivery (currently we ship to (Calculating) countries).

What is the transit time?

For Europe and North America we ship for next day delivery. For other parts of the world, depending on the country, the transit time is between 3-5 days.

Does the transit time affect the antibody?

The majority of antibodies are stable at room temperature (RT) for long periods of time. Experiments conducted at Abcam show that for many antibodies left at RT, activity remains constant for 2 months before showing any decline. However, as a precautionary measure we ship our antibodies in refrigerated recyclable packaging validated to 48 hours. This should also extend the shelf life of the antibodies. In addition, by delivering the antibodies in a chilled state, we are able to control and minimise the number of freeze/thaws.

A number of our kits have shown in trials to survive room temperature conditions for over a week with no loss of activity. These products are shipped at room temperature.

Please note that these kits, due to their bulky nature, will be shipped separately, if ordered with other products, with both Freight/Packaging charges applying.

Some of our products are shipped on dry ice to maintain their quality during transit. Due to this special requirement, these products are shipped separately and at a higher rate than our other products.

How can we pay?

All payment details are described on the invoice that you get with your order (invoice is sent to the billing address).
We accept credit card, cheque and wire transfer as methods of payment. For further details please email us: accounts@abcam.com

Do you charge VAT?

Our prices are exclusive of VAT. VAT only applies to customers in the European Union (EU).

For UK Customers
We must charge VAT unless your organisation is VAT exempt in which case a copy of your VAT exemption certificate must be provided with your order. Please check with your purchasing department for more information and fax the certificate to us on 01223 771600.

For EU Customers outside the UK
We must charge VAT unless your organisation is registered for VAT and you provide us with the VAT number (including the country prefix) at the time the order is placed.

Can I have a pro-forma invoice?

We are happy to provide pro-forma invoices - please e-mail us at orders@abcam.com specifying the information that you require. Please note that standard price and shipping, handling & packaging information can be obtained from the datasheet. If you know the ab number of the product you are buying enter it here and this will take you to the datasheet.

How will I know if my order has been received by Abcam?

We confirm receipt of all orders by e-mail or by fax. We notify you again when your order is despatched and provide package tracking details (when appropriate) so that you can monitor the progress of your order. If your purchasing department is placing your order for you then please ask them to quote your name and email address, to ensure that the order confirmation and all communication relating to your order is sent directly to you.