We distribute small subcultures of stocks for you to expand as needed. Cultures typically arrive with viable eggs and larvae but we cannot promise living adults. Extreme weather, delays at customs and inherently weak stocks are the primary reasons for stocks arriving in unusable condition. Be aware that you share the shipment-loss risk with us (see Shipping Considerations on this page and Problems in the Box for details) and consider these loss drivers before ordering. Because our supply of each stock is small, we cannot accommodate requests for larger numbers of adults or multiple cultures of the same stock in the same order round.
Order Processing and Shipping Schedule
Two stock order cycles are completed each week starting on Monday and Thursday. Orders released on Monday are shipped the following Thursday. Orders released on Thursdays are shipped the following Monday. Order processing and fulfillment occur in several steps over several days. Your account type determines the path your order takes through an order cycle and the timing of order-related communications from us.
Step 1. An order round is closed when we download all new stock orders from the server each Monday and Thursday at around noon Eastern time USA for processing. The Status of your order(s) on our website changes from Open (stocks can be added) to Processing (stocks cannot be added). Quotes for orders on APSingle and POSingle account types are emailed shortly thereafter. The paperwork needed to prepare and ship finalized orders is produced and distributed to stockkeepers.
Step 2. Requested stocks are pulled from the fly rooms and subcultured in plastic shipping vials.
Step 3. Individual shipments are assembled and packaged on Monday or Thursday mornings.
Step 4. Shipment confirmation and detailed information on the stocks in a shipment are sent by email.
Step 5. Courier packages are picked up that afternoon. Mailed packages are transferred to campus mail services on Tuesday and Friday mornings.
When Monday is a U.S. holiday, shipment is typically delayed to Tuesday. When Thursday is a U.S. holiday, shipment is typically delayed to the following Tuesday. We do not ship during the second half of December (due to the extremely high loss rate of flies put into the holiday mail rush). December shipping schedules are posted in advance in BDSC News.
If there is an order with status "OPEN" on your BDSC account, new stocks ordered on the account are automatically added to the OPEN order. Once an order's status is no longer OPEN, additional stocks cannot be added. If an order is not yet scheduled for shipment, you can cancel it and place a new order for all of the stocks you need.
Risk of Loss. Although the great majority of stocks survive shipment, we cannot guarantee that your stocks will arrive alive. We share the risk of shipment loss with you by replacing any stock that dies in transit once without charging a stock or handling fee. Paid shipments within the United States must have shipped by overnight courier in order to be eligible for this replacement offer. If the replacement shipment also dies in transit our normal charges will apply to additional orders for the lost stock or stocks.
Post vs. Courier. We encourage the use of a courier for ALL shipments, domestic and international. The BDSC has instituted a new replacement policy for shipments within the US in an effort to encourage the use of overnight courier services, as our losses (DOA’s) with other ship methods continue to increase. Customers outside of the US are strongly encouraged to add and use the courier options available for their country (see available options by country).
Shipment tracking numbers. Packages sent through the Postal Service to US addresses never have tracking numbers. International shipments sent by Priority Mail International will receive tracking information approximately 3-7 days after the packages have been placed into the mail. Tracking numbers for courier shipments will be sent by the courier company to the account holder’s email address unless there is a delegate, in which case this information will be sent to the delegate as soon as shipping labels are prepared. Knowing this information may help international customers clear their shipment through Customs.
Insulated packaging. While we expect you to take the current weather conditions into account when ordering stocks, we understand that not all shipments can be timed so carefully. If you think insulated packaging will improve survival rates of stocks traveling in extremely hot or cold weather, you may opt to have insulation added to your shipment at an additional cost. Check the box on your order form to have your order insulated.
A notice that your order is about to be shipped is sent by email after the flies have been packaged for shipment. This email is your notification that your stocks will be in transit within 24 hours and includes stock information sheets containing a list of shipped stocks and associated information. If necessary, we will send a second email listing any stocks we were unable to send (unshipped stocks will not be listed in the stock information sheets). If your order was prepaid you will receive an account credit for the cost of any unsent stocks (if you paid by credit card and prefer a refund, please contact us).