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NASC

The European Arabidopsis Stock Centre

Help pages - Frequently asked questions about ordering

  1. Do I need to first register with NASC to order?
  2. What is a purchase order number and do I need one?
  3. How do I supply my purchase order number?
  4. Who is my head of group?
  5. I'm at an educational establishment, can I get free seeds?
  6. I forgot to add stocks to my order and now wish to add more to avoid a second batch fee
  7. What is courier delivery and how much does it cost?
  8. How much does it cost to order seed from the Stock Centre?
  9. How do VAT and its national equivalents apply to my order?
  10. How can I pay for my order?
  11. When will I receive my invoice for my order?
  12. I paid by credit card, can I still receive an invoice?
  13. How do I check the progress of my order?
  14. How do I check my order history?
  15. Why have I only received part of my order?
  16. If my order says some lines are available at ABRC, do I need to order these lines again from ABRC?
  17. Why do you only send a few seeds?
  18. How do I reference NASC?
  19. I am in the USA and have previously had seed from NASC for free - I now have a charge for Phytosanitary Certificates, why do I have to pay this?
  20. What if my seeds haven’t germinated?
  21. How do I change my details held with NASC?
  22. How do I donate material to NASC?
  23. What are NASC's terms of sale?
  24. What are the consequences of Brexit on NASC's services?
  25. Why am I seeing unconfirmed orders when I view order history and tracking?
  26. Do I need a phytosanitary certificate and how do I get one?
  27. How do I design primers for verification of T-DNA insertions?

Placing my order

  1. Do I need to first register with NASC to order?

    No. To begin ordering with us just start adding stocks to your basket and you will be asked for your details at the checkout. Please see our how to order page for a guide on getting started.

  2. What is a purchase order number and do I need one?

    A purchase order number is a code assigned to your order by your ordering department so they can track your order. If you require this, you will need to contact your ordering department to obtain this before placing your order with us. Some organisations do not require this and so you can tick the “My order does not require a purchase order number” box when you reach this page in our ordering system

  3. How do I supply my purchase order number?

    You will be required to enter your purchase order number at the time that you place your order

  4. Who is my head of group?

    Your head of group is the person responsible for paying any fees incurred by your orders.

  5. I'm at an educational establishment, can I get free seeds?

    The free seed offer only applies to schools (eg high schools), and we have made a number of teaching kits available to order. In addition, only non-transgenic (non-GM) seed will be sent to schools. Universities are expected to pay. In a few cases, extreme hardship can be claimed for orders and we may allow free seed at our discretion. However no university in a developed country would qualify and we would not entertain free orders for large numbers of stocks.

  6. I forgot to add stocks to my order and now wish to add more to avoid a second batch fee

    The batch fee was introduced in order to keep fees down to a minimum (see fees information). It allows us to keep individual seed charges low after an initial 'seed finding and preparing' batch-fee whilst simultaneously reducing the time and materials taken per order from our limited resources. Previously we would allow users to add additional stocks to recent orders, however due to increasing numbers of late additions and the time constraints involved, we have discontinued this practice even if they appeared to be late for genuine reasons.

  7. What is courier delivery and how much does it cost?

    All orders are currently shipped using a tracked courier service at no extra cost to the customer.

Payment and Invoicing

  1. How much does it cost to order seed from the Stock Centre?

    The prices of stocks or sets of stocks are listed on the individual stock pages. Information on order fees and the NASC charging system can be found here.

  2. How do VAT and its national equivalents apply to my order?

    Please see the VAT page.

  3. How can I pay for my order?

    You have two payment options when placing an order with NASC.

    To pay immediately, please click the "Pay by Credit Card or PayPal" button on the order confirmation page. Your order confirmation email will include a link to the University of Nottingham online store where you will be asked to enter your order and payment details. Your order won't be processed until payment is confirmed

    To pay by invoice, please click the "Pay by Invoice" button. We will send an invoice to your institution after we have dispatched your order. You can pay the invoice by credit card, PayPal or bank transfer.

  4. When will I receive my invoice for my order?

    If you selected the “Pay by invoice” option, your invoice will be processed simultaneously as processing your order once it has been placed. Your invoice will be sent to your institution along with information regarding how to pay your order total.

  5. I paid by credit card, can I still receive an invoice?

    We are unable to produce invoices for orders paid by credit card, however if you email all@arabidopsis.info with your request and order ID number then we will be able to produce a receipt if this is required.

Receiving my order

  1. How do I check the progress of my order?

    To check the progress of your order please use our order tracking page.

  2. How do I check my order history?

    To check your order history please use our order history page.

  3. Why have I only received part of my order?

    If your order contains a mix of lines held at NASC and others that are not yet available, we will endeavour to send you those which are currently available rather than waiting to send out the order in its entirety. Outstanding lines will be sent to you as soon as they become available.

  4. If my order says some lines are available at ABRC, do I need to order these lines again from ABRC?

    No. Any lines not currently available at NASC but available at ABRC, will be requested on your behalf and sent to you as soon as they become available at NASC.

  5. Why do you only send a few seeds?

    NASC acts as a seed library rather than a bulk distributor of seed. The number of seeds sent depends upon the specific line in question, however you should receive sufficient seed to generate several thousand seed once bulked.

Other FAQs

  1. How do I reference NASC?

    • The seed and DNA service can be referenced:
      Scholl RL, May ST, Ware DH.
      Seed and molecular resources for Arabidopsis.
      Plant Physiol. (2000) Volume 124(4):1477-80.

  2. I am in the USA and have previously had seed from NASC for free - I now have a charge for Phytosanitary Certificates, why do I have to pay this?

    Customers in the US should order materials where possible from our partners ABRC. Where stocks are sent from NASC to American users we do not charge for seed preparation / postage / packing until materials are available at ABRC, however users must pay a small charge for phytosanitary certificates. This is a mandatory requirement since 2001 for Arabidopsis seed being sent from the UK to America and requires each batch being sent away to be tested; and received back before packaging and release. This has greatly slowed our delivery to the USA (and countries that have always required certificates such as Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan). All orders that attract charges for phytosanitary certification have been clearly flagged as such during the ordering process.

  3. What if my seeds haven’t germinated?

    Please ensure that you follow any special growth requirements listed on a stock’s page. If you have experienced difficulties in germinating the seed you have ordered then please send us an email to all@arabidopsis.info and we can advise further. The protocols which we use for growing and storing our seed here at NASC can be found on these pages.

  4. How do I change my details held with NASC?

    To change your details with us, next time you go to place an order you will be prompted to confirm your details with us. Here you can select to edit your institution, email, telephone or Head of Group, if any of this information is appearing incorrectly.

  5. How do I donate material to NASC?

    To donate material to NASC please see our donation pages for more information.

  6. What are NASC's terms of sale?

    Please review the following terms under which the Nottingham Arabidopsis Stock Centre is transferring these materials to you, the Recipient:

    • The service is treated as an academic collaboration without issues of indemnity.
    • Although NASC makes every reasonable attempt to ensure the correctness of stocks, NASC and the donors of the stock do not imply any warranty whatsoever regarding the material and its use, nor do they guarantee (i) that the material or its use does not infringe on any rights or claims from third parties; or (ii) the material's suitability, novelty or safety for any purpose whatsoever.
    • Any fees that we assess are substantially less than the real cost of storing, producing and distributing the material and therefore the service is not-for-profit and not commercial and all costs passed to you represent partial recovery of our production costs.
    • You have read the available information published on this stock, including our stock descriptions, and are aware of the nature of the material that you have ordered including any special conditions, regulations and requirements for your local handling of the material.

    We strongly encourage you to characterize all stocks shortly after receipt. Your confirmation/validation of diagnostic results may be useful to other users, so please send them to us if possible.

  7. What are the consequences of Brexit on NASC's services?

    From January 1st, 2021, seed orders from EU customers will require a phytosanitary certificate as per EU regulations. We will take care of this on your behalf but there will be a 6-8 week waiting time for the certificate to be issued. Please take this into consideration when planning your orders.

    If you have any questions or would like to discuss these new arrangements in more detail, please email all@arabidopsis.info

  8. Why am I seeing unconfirmed orders when I view order history and tracking?

    As a precaution, when customers pay by credit card we save the basket contents in advance of payment at the point at which the 'pay by credit card' button is clicked. This is to ensure we have a record of your order in case of a problem with the credit card gateway provided by WorldPay.

    If you see unconfirmed orders when viewing order history or tracking please contact us to confirm their status.

  9. Do I need a phytosanitary certificate and how do I get one?

    Customers:

    All seed orders being shipped out of the UK require a phytosanitary certificate with the exception of Australian customers who have a valid import permit. We will arrange for a phytosanitary certificate for your order automatically. A £20 fee will be added to your order to contribute towards the cost. Please allow 3 weeks for the certificate to be applied for.

    Donors:

    If you are donating seeds to NASC from outside the UK, we advise you to obtain a phytosanitary certificate to ensure the shipment will pass through UK customs smoothly. You will need to contact your local government agency for more information on the requirements and costs in your country. If seeds are sent without a certificate, UK customs may return or destroy the shipment.

  10. How do I design primers for verification of T-DNA insertions?

    SIGnAL tool can be used for primer designing. The website also provides answers to common questions regarding the sequence-indexed T-DNA insertion lines, including genotyping questions.