§S · SHIPPING
Sealed glass. Stable powder. Ambient transit.
Lyophilized peptides are physically stable at ambient temperature because water — the reactant that drives most degradation pathways — has been removed. Ion Labs ships every order in sealed amber glass inside a rigid moisture-barrier mailer. Cold packs aren't necessary for transit; what matters is keeping moisture, light, and physical shock out of the vial. Long-term stability is the buyer's job, at −20 °C in your freezer.
Standard shipping.
Included with every order. UPS Ground or 2-Day Air selected automatically based on destination ZIP to land within roughly 72 hours of dispatch. Tracking issued within four hours of label generation. We don't offer expedited or overnight service — the chemistry doesn't require it, and the surcharge wouldn't be spending money on you.
How a vial travels.
Sealed at synthesis
After lyophilization, vials are sealed in amber glass under an inert atmosphere with low residual moisture. Once sealed, the powder is chemically stable at ambient temperature for the full transit window.
Shipped at ambient
Vials ship in a rigid moisture-barrier mailer with impact padding. No cold packs — the dried powder doesn't need them, and adding refrigerant introduces condensation risk on arrival. A humidity-indicator card travels with each shipment.
Stored cold by you
On receipt, allow the sealed vial to reach room temperature in a desiccator before opening, then transfer to a −20 °C freezer for long-term storage. Reconstituted material is stable for the window stated on its certificate of analysis.
United States only
We ship exclusively within the 50 US states. International orders are not currently accepted — research-use chemical materials cross borders under jurisdiction-specific rules we don't currently maintain compliance for. We will not consolidate shipments to freight forwarders.
Damaged or delayed shipments
If a shipment arrives with broken vials, missing items, or evidence the moisture-barrier seal was compromised in transit, email research@ionhealthlabs.com within 48 hours with the lot number and photos. We replace damaged units at no cost. Carrier delays beyond 5 business days against a tracked label receive replacement shipment at our cost.
§S.5 · RETURNS
Reference standards are non-returnable.
Once a vial leaves our facility, we cannot re-verify chain of custody. To preserve the analytical integrity of every lot for the researchers who buy from it, we don't accept returns of opened or unopened product. The exception is defects: arrival damage, missing certificates of analysis, or material that fails its own COA on independent re-test. Those cases are replaced at our cost. Email research@ionhealthlabs.com with the lot identifier to begin a defect claim.