Shipping

We require a completed Standard Shipping Form for all outgoing shipments AND for any shipments you are arranging to come to UVic on our FedEx account.  Please follow the instructions on the form.  Send all shipping forms to sciencestores@uvic.ca for review and to begin the process of determining a possible ship date.  

It is important for you to be as accurate and thorough as possible in your categorizations, descriptions and values so that we may be fully compliant with all pertinent governing statutes.

For best results with our forms, please save the form files to your machine’s hard drive and only open them in Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat Pro – and especially NOT the default Mac PDF viewer or within a browser window.

Please don't seal up or address your shipment box(es) as we'll need to make sure the internal packaging complies with regulations and best practices.  Where appropriate, we'll also create a To/From label for the outer package. 

Shipments should be dropped off at Stores before 11:00 AM on the pre-negotiated ship date, so that we have time to prepare all the necessary documents and packaging before our afternoon pick up time.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENTS

Please note that most countries are now requiring: 1) a minimum six-digit Harmonized System (HS) code for every item in the shipment, 2) an accurate description for each item you are shipping (Strong descriptions should accurately describe what the goods are made of and their intended use. Please give extensive details on what you're shipping and what containers you've used), and 3) the recipient's Tax Identification number or Economic Operator Registration or Identification (EORI) number.   Our form will guide you through the requirements in most cases. 

Customs clearance is required for all international shipments and is out of our control.  To avoid unnecessary delays, please be as thorough and accurate as possible with your descriptions, choice of HS codes and other details (e.g. EORI numbers).

These links can be of service in determining the harmonization code(s) for your shipment. 

• US Census Bureau - Schedule B Search Engine
• Canada Post - Find a Tariff Code

According to UVic Purchasing’s policy, the recipient must pay for duties and taxes.

REGULAR  SIZED, NON-PERISHABLE SHIPMENTS

Please allow 4 business days for us to process your small, non-perishable shipment once an authorized shipping form has been submitted and approved by Stores.  

CHEMICAL SHIPMENTS

If you are shipping chemical samples, please send the shipping forms to us to review before attempting to drop off the samples.  We will let you know when the samples can be dropped off.

If you are shipping novel chemicals you will also need to fill out our Research Samples Checklist  form.

NEW: For international novel chemical shipments, please label each vial with the name and the quantity of the substance. This is required by various country’s customs inspectors.  If your vials are too small to legibly label, please provide a reference sheet with the necessary information and number the vials.

If you are shipping commercially available chemicals, please submit SDSs from the specific vendor that you sourced the chemicals from.

If your shipment includes containers with screw caps, please parafilm or tape the caps so they can't unscrew during transport.

Chemical sample shipments to the USA also require a Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) form. The negative certification box can be checked as long as your shipment is only for research purposes, as research samples are exempt. For more information visit the US Environmental Protection Agency site.

PERISHABLE SHIPMENTS

If you’re shipment is perishable, you will need to start pre-negotiating the shipping day with us a minimum of 4 business days ahead of your desired ship date.   Please send the form(s) to sciencestores@uvic.ca and we'll review them. If there are no corrections needed, we can let you know if your preferred day is available in our shipping queue.

FedEx Additional Handling Charges for "Non-Standard" Perishable Shipments:  FedEx will charge an additional ~$23 fee if perishable shipments do not have a standard cardboard enclosure.  While we are allowed to ship a Styrofoam cooler without a cardboard enclosure, this fee will likely be added to the invoice.  To avoid this fee when shipping perishables, please attempt to provide coolers that are enclosed in a cardboard box.

If sending buffer solutions with your protein or DNA sample, please provide SDSs for all the buffer solution constituents and declare in section D1 of the form how much of each chemical was used in the creation of the buffer. 

Before attempting to ship a biological sample, please check with OHSE or the appropriate regulator agencies with regards to required permits as permits and other forms are sometimes required and sometimes must be completed by the recipient. Please be aware that it takes time to arrange permits for certain items (e.g. biological substances) and that there are limitations on what is allowed into a country or onto a plane.

BIOLOGICAL SHIPMENTS BOUND FOR THE USA

Please completely and accurately describe what kind of DNA or animal derived products you are shipping.

USDA GUIDELINES:  When shipping non-plant biological samples (including DNA and proteins) to the USA, we now require you to choose and specify a USDA GUIDELINE NUMBER from the USDA page found here. Please choose a USDA guideline number in Part D7 of our form.  Two USDA categories require specific information as outlined below:

USDA 1114: Please provide a detailed name or description of the microbe/recombinant product, including genetic insert.

USDA 1120: Include a statement which clearly states or identifies:

• the material as a cell line or another product of a cell line (including monoclonal antibodies);
• the immunogen (what the monoclonal antibody is directed against), as applicable;
• the material is for in vitro use OR the material is for in vivo human use;
• the material does not come from a facility where work with exotic viruses affecting livestock and avian species is conducted; and
• the material is not recombinant OR the material is recombinant but contains no genes and expresses no products of exotic livestock or poultry disease agents.

OVERSIZED / EQUIPMENT SHIPMENTS

If your shipment is large, we will need a minimum of 2 weeks to prepare your shipment, after your paperwork has been submitted and verified.  We require a minimum 3 weeks notice for shipments involving a pallet (or pallets) of equipment.

If you are shipping multiple pieces of supplies and/or equipment outside of Canada, please fill out this Packing list spreadsheet template. 

Miscellaneous

Prior to attempting to ship live bacteria, viruses, whole animal samples, radioactive materials or anything that might require an export/import permit, please contact OHSE. 

Please note: We do not ship documents.  Nor can we ship for private companies or startups working on campus.  Thanks for your understanding. 

Useful Contacts

If you have any questions about shipping we’re always available to help.