This Shipping Policy applies to orders accepted and fulfilled by Arche Research. It should be read together with our Terms of Service and Returns, Refunds & Shipping Claims Policy.
1. Order Processing
Orders are processed after:
- The order has been accepted by Arche Research;
- Payment has been received and verified;
- Any required transaction confirmations have been completed; and
- Any necessary order, address, identity, or payment review has been completed.
Orders are ordinarily prepared for shipment within one to three business days after payment confirmation.
Business days do not include weekends, federal holidays, carrier holidays, or days on which Arche Research is closed.
Processing times are estimates rather than guaranteed shipment dates. Processing may take longer during:
- Periods of increased order volume
- Product launches or promotions
- Severe weather
- Carrier disruptions
- Payment verification
- Address verification
- Fraud-prevention review
- Inventory reconciliation
- Holidays
- Events outside our reasonable control
The time required to verify an external payment, including cryptocurrency or payment-application transactions, is not included in the estimated processing period until the payment can be matched and confirmed.
2. Shipping Destinations
Arche Research currently ships to eligible destinations within the United States.
We may refuse or cancel shipment to:
- A destination that cannot be verified
- An incomplete or undeliverable address
- A freight-forwarding or reshipping service
- A restricted carrier location
- A destination associated with suspected fraud or prohibited activity
- A jurisdiction where the transaction or shipment may be unlawful
- A location that cannot safely or reliably receive the shipment
Availability of shipping to a particular destination does not constitute confirmation that the purchaser’s acquisition, possession, or intended research activity is lawful.
The purchaser remains responsible for determining all applicable legal and institutional requirements.
3. Shipping Carriers and Services
Arche Research generally ships through:
- USPS Ground Advantage
- UPS Ground
- Other USPS or UPS services when appropriate
Arche Research may select the carrier and service based on:
- Package dimensions and weight
- Shipping destination
- Cost
- Estimated transit time
- Carrier availability
- Delivery reliability
- Operational requirements
Selection of a shipping option at checkout does not guarantee that a particular carrier will be used unless Arche Research expressly confirms that carrier in writing.
Shipping labels may be purchased and managed through Pirate Ship or another authorized shipping platform. Pirate Ship is a postage and label service and is not the carrier transporting or delivering the shipment.
4. Packaging
Orders are packaged to protect the products during ordinary carrier handling.
Products will generally be placed inside Arche Research-branded product packaging. The branded package will then be placed inside an outer shipping carton with protective cushioning material.
Packaging may include:
- A branded product box
- An exterior shipping carton
- Crinkle-cut or shredded paper cushioning
- Protective inserts
- Void-fill material
- Sealed product containers
- Additional protective material when appropriate
The exact package dimensions, materials, arrangement, and appearance may vary based on the number and type of products ordered, available packaging materials, carrier requirements, and shipping conditions.
The exterior shipping package may identify Arche Research as the sender where required for delivery, carrier processing, or legal compliance. We do not guarantee unmarked or anonymous shipping.
5. Shipping Charges
Shipping charges are calculated or quoted based on factors that may include:
- Carrier
- Shipping service
- Destination
- Package weight
- Package dimensions
- Insurance or declared value
- Signature service
- Address type
- Applicable carrier fees
Shipping charges may be displayed during checkout, included in a separately communicated order total, or otherwise agreed before payment.
The purchaser is responsible for reviewing and accepting the total shipping charge before completing payment.
6. Tracking Information
Tracking is provided for shipped orders.
After the shipping label has been created, tracking information may be sent by:
- Order-status email
- Shipment-confirmation email
- Customer-account notification
- Another authorized communication channel
A tracking status of Label Created, Pre-Shipment, or similar wording means that shipping information has been transmitted to the carrier. It does not necessarily mean that the carrier has physically received or scanned the package.
Carrier tracking may take time to update after the package is tendered. Temporary gaps between scans do not necessarily indicate that the package is lost.
The carrier’s tracking system is the primary source of information regarding shipment movement and delivery status.
7. Estimated Transit Times
Carrier transit times are estimates unless Arche Research expressly provides a written delivery guarantee.
Transit time begins when the carrier accepts the package, not when:
- The order is submitted
- Payment is sent
- Payment is confirmed
- A label is created
- A tracking number is issued
Estimated transit times do not include Arche Research’s order-processing period.
Delivery may be delayed by:
- Severe weather
- Carrier congestion
- Transportation interruptions
- Routing errors
- Mechanical failures
- Holiday volume
- Natural disasters
- Government action
- Address problems
- Restricted access
- Security events
- Other circumstances outside Arche Research’s control
Arche Research does not guarantee delivery on a particular date or at a particular time unless an express written guarantee is provided for that order.
A carrier’s estimated delivery date is not an Arche Research warranty.
8. Shipping Information and Address Accuracy
The purchaser is responsible for providing complete and accurate shipping information.
Before submitting an order, verify:
- Recipient name
- Organization name, when applicable
- Street address
- Suite, unit, department, building, floor, or mail-stop information
- City
- State
- Postal code
- Contact information
- Delivery instructions, when permitted
Arche Research is not responsible for delay, return, misdelivery, or loss caused by incorrect or incomplete information supplied with the order.
9. Address Changes
Address-change requests must be submitted before the order has entered fulfillment.
We will attempt to accommodate a timely request, but an address change is not guaranteed after:
- The order has been processed
- Products have been packed
- A shipping label has been created
- The package has been transferred to the carrier
For security and fraud-prevention purposes, Arche Research may refuse to redirect a paid order to an address different from the address originally provided.
We may require cancellation and placement of a new order when a material address change is requested.
Once a package is in carrier possession, any delivery change, rerouting, hold, forwarding, or interception request is subject to carrier availability, carrier rules, and applicable fees.
Arche Research is not responsible for a delivery change requested directly from the carrier by the purchaser or recipient.
10. Carrier Delivery
The purchaser is responsible for ensuring that the shipping destination can safely and promptly receive the shipment.
Carrier delivery may occur at a designated receiving location, including:
- A reception desk
- A mailroom
- A parcel locker
- A shipping and receiving department
- A designated delivery area
- Another location accepted by the carrier
The purchaser is responsible for monitoring tracking information and promptly retrieving the shipment after delivery.
When tracking records the shipment as Delivered, Arche Research will ordinarily consider its shipping obligation completed.
Packages marked Delivered are governed by the Returns, Refunds & Shipping Claims Policy and do not qualify as lost in transit solely because the purchaser or recipient later states that the shipment cannot be located.
11. Signature Confirmation
Most orders may be shipped without signature confirmation unless Arche Research determines that a signature is appropriate.
Arche Research may require a signature based on:
- Order value
- Product quantity
- Previous delivery issues
- Fraud-prevention concerns
- Carrier or insurer requirements
- Other risk factors
A purchaser may request signature service before shipment. Additional fees may apply.
Failure to accept or retrieve a signature-required shipment may result in carrier return and additional charges.
12. Delayed Shipments
A shipment is not considered lost solely because:
- It arrives after the estimated date
- Tracking has not updated for several days
- It is temporarily delayed at a carrier facility
- It is rerouted within the carrier network
- The estimated delivery date changes
Before a shipment may qualify as lost in transit, it must satisfy the requirements in the Returns, Refunds & Shipping Claims Policy and any applicable carrier investigation period.
Arche Research may contact the carrier or initiate an investigation when appropriate. Carrier investigations and claims are controlled by the applicable carrier and may require additional time and documentation.
13. Lost or Damaged Shipments
Claims involving:
- Products damaged during shipment
- Missing products
- Incorrect products
- Fulfillment errors
- Packages lost before delivery
are governed by the Arche Research Returns, Refunds & Shipping Claims Policy.
The purchaser must comply with the notice periods, evidence requirements, packaging-retention requirements, and carrier-cooperation requirements stated in that policy.
Submitting a shipping claim does not guarantee replacement, store credit, or refund.
Do not discard shipping cartons, shipping labels, cushioning, product packaging, or damaged products until the claim has been resolved.
14. Shipment Insurance and Carrier Claims
Arche Research may purchase carrier liability coverage or additional shipping insurance for some shipments.
The presence or absence of insurance does not expand the purchaser’s rights beyond those provided by:
- Applicable law
- The Terms of Service
- The Returns, Refunds & Shipping Claims Policy
- Any express written agreement
Arche Research may control the submission and administration of a carrier or insurance claim when Arche Research purchased the shipping label or coverage.
The purchaser or recipient must provide any evidence, photographs, documentation, statements, or cooperation reasonably required by the carrier or insurer.
Payment of a carrier or insurance claim does not entitle the purchaser to duplicate compensation.
15. Returned, Refused, or Undeliverable Shipments
A shipment may be returned to Arche Research because of:
- An incorrect or incomplete address
- Restricted access
- Refusal of delivery
- Failure to retrieve the shipment
- Failure to respond to carrier notices
- An unavailable recipient
- Carrier determination that the shipment is undeliverable
- An unauthorized address change
- Other circumstances outside Arche Research’s control
A returned shipment does not automatically qualify for reshipment or refund.
Because storage conditions, handling, and chain of custody cannot be verified while a shipment is outside our control, returned products may be ineligible for resale.
When appropriate, Arche Research may deduct from any approved refund:
- Original shipping charges
- Return shipping charges
- Carrier fees
- Address-correction charges
- Interception fees
- Other nonrecoverable costs
Reshipment may require payment of new shipping charges and, when returned products cannot be placed back into inventory, payment for replacement products.
16. Order Consolidation and Split Shipments
Arche Research may:
- Consolidate multiple orders into one shipment
- Divide an order into multiple shipments
- Ship available products separately from delayed products
When an order is divided into multiple shipments, more than one tracking number may be provided.
Additional shipping charges will not be imposed after purchase solely because Arche Research elects to divide an order, unless the purchaser requests a change that creates additional shipping costs.
17. Delivery Restrictions and Carrier Access
The purchaser is responsible for informing Arche Research before shipment of any material delivery restrictions, including:
- Limited receiving hours
- Controlled-access facilities
- Required delivery codes
- Carrier restrictions
- Receiving-department procedures
- Signature requirements
- Prohibited delivery locations
Arche Research does not guarantee that a carrier will follow delivery instructions entered in an order or requested directly from the carrier.
18. Contact Regarding a Shipment
Questions concerning an order or shipment may be submitted through the Arche Research Contact page.
Include:
- Order number
- Email address associated with the order
- Tracking number, when available
- A clear description of the issue
Damage, shortage, incorrect-order, or loss claims must be submitted according to the Returns, Refunds & Shipping Claims Policy.