How Same-Day Delivery Works in the Bay Area

We are based in San Francisco and deliver by local courier across the nine-county Bay Area the same day you order. This post explains how that works from checkout to hand-off, what happens when you miss the cutoff, and how orders outside the Bay Area ship.

The noon cutoff

Orders confirmed before 12:00 p.m. Pacific on a business day go out that afternoon. For a card order, confirmed means your payment was approved at checkout. For a Venmo order, it means we have matched your payment to your order.

Orders confirmed after noon, or on a weekend or holiday, go out on the next business day. There is no courier service on weekends or holidays. If an order is time-sensitive, telephone is faster than email before the cutoff.

Where we deliver and what it costs

Same-day courier covers the nine Bay Area counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Solano, Napa and Sonoma. The courier fee is set by city, with San Francisco the lowest. The exact fee for your address appears at checkout once you enter it, before you pay. The delivery areas page lists the coverage area, and the Shipping & Delivery Policy explains the zones.

If checkout offers only FedEx 2Day for your address, your city is outside the courier area. Email us if you think that is a mistake.

Setting the delivery window

Once your order is confirmed, we text the phone number on the order to agree a delivery window and check the address. Our business hours, and the courier’s, are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific. If we cannot reach you, the order waits until we do.

At the door

Someone needs to be there. Couriers do not leave packages in building entrances, lobbies, mailrooms or common areas. If no one is available and a second courier trip is needed, that trip is charged to you. First-time customers may be asked to sign for the delivery and to show a government-issued photo ID, which we use only to confirm the recipient is 21 or older.

All orders, including same-day courier deliveries, are paid in full at checkout by credit or debit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) or Venmo. The courier does not take payment at the door, and we do not accept cash. Have your photo ID ready at delivery. How to Order and Pay covers the payment side in detail.

If something is wrong with the delivery

Check the order when it arrives. If a container is damaged, the wrong item or quantity was sent, or something is missing, tell us within 48 hours of delivery with your order number and photos. We replace or refund, whichever you prefer. If a courier delivery was not completed, contact us the same day. The Refund, Return & Cancellation Policy has the full terms.

Outside the Bay Area

Everywhere else in the United States, orders ship by FedEx 2Day at a flat rate shown at checkout. Orders with payment matched before 12:00 p.m. Pacific on a business day ship that day, and FedEx 2Day typically delivers within two business days. You receive a FedEx tracking number by email or text once the package is accepted. We do not ship outside the United States.

Why we deliver locally

Two reasons. Laboratory work is scheduled, and an order that arrives the same afternoon is easier to plan around than one that arrives later in the week. And when something goes wrong with a local delivery, we find out the same day and can fix it the same day.

All products are supplied for laboratory research use only, not for human or animal consumption. Purchasers must be 21 or older.