Frequently Asked Questions at Home Science Tools

We have a small showroom in Billings, Montana. Our team of about 30 employees develops hands-on products, provides great customer service, and fulfills orders. Our showroom is open Monday through Friday, from 7 AM to 5 PM Mountain Standard time, except on holidays. Learn more about us here. All in-person purchases much be made online for showroom pickup. Visit us in person at 665 Carbon St, Billings, MT 59102.

Your satisfaction is guaranteed when you order from Home Science Tools! You may return items you decide not to keep within 60 days of purchase date, providing these items are unused and in their original packaging. You can download and print a copy of our Return Form for your convenience. Learn more about our return and replacement policies here.

We take many steps and precautions to safeguard the security of the data you send us with physical, technical, and internal management policies and procedures. When we collect or transmit sensitive information such as a credit card number, we use industry-standard methods to protect that information. Read our full privacy policies and terms of use here.

In operating our store, it is essential for us to capture some essential information about your device, such as your IP address and information related to your visit when you browse our store. We collect this information using cookies. Cookies are small text files that most websites use. A website places cookies in the web browser and then reads the information collected through the cookies every time the user performs an action. We use cookies. Without enabling this mechanism and this kind of cookies (first-party cookies), we could not provide you with the smooth experience that you expect while you are navigating our site. Read our full privacy policies and terms of use here.

Getting your science order on time is important to you and to us! Rest assured, we do absolutely everything to ship and deliver your order quickly. To accomplish this, we partner with two of the best carriers in the business: UPS and the US Postal Service. Learn more about our shipping information here.

Economy Shipping is $7.95 for most orders*
Economy Shipping is FREE for orders greater than $100 with code 100FREESHIP
All other shipping options are available at discounted carrier weight-based charges.
Click Shipping Estimate in your cart to see delivery options and costs.
Only shipping methods applicable to your order and shipping address will be listed during checkout.
UPS Air orders placed by 1:00 pm Mountain Time ship the same day. All other orders typically ship the next business day.
Your order ships from Billings, Montana, except for the few drop-ship items we offer.

Read our full shipping information here.

For your shopping convenience we accept credit and debit cards from Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express through our secure checkout.
We also accept all PayPal payment methods if you prefer the privacy and flexibility of PayPal checkout. Please note that we cannot make changes of any type to a PayPal order, except to cancel it, once it is submitted. Review your items and shipping address carefully before pressing the Finalize Order button.

Yes, it is. Our web site uses SSL technology which is a web standard for creating a secure link to protect your credit card information. In addition, we follow the strict guidelines for credit card security set forth by the major credit card companies in their PCI-DSS compliance standards. For more information, read our Security Policy.

Our e-gift cards are redeemable online, available in denominations between $10 and $500, and, since they are delivered immediately via email, are always shipped free. Click here for more information about purchasing gift certificates, redeeming gift certificates, or checking your gift certificate balance. Paper gift certificates may only be redeemed by calling 406-256-0990.

Yes, your credit card is charged when you place your order (even if there are items that are backordered). If you have items held on backorder for more than 30 days, our customer service team will contact you to determine if you would like to cancel that portion of your order (and receive a refund) or continue to wait until the backordered items are available to be shipped.

Thousands of schools and organizations submit purchase orders with Home Science Tools each year for their science supplies, equipment, and microscopes. Learn more here.
Purchase orders can be submitted by:
Fax: 406.256.0991
Email: [email protected]
Mail: 665 Carbon St, Billings, MT, 59102

Enjoy savings each month when you sign up for our emails. Get emails every month with our current special subscriber offers, discounts, free shipping, and more! This is the best way to keep up to date with Home Science Tools sales. You can also save on all the items in our Sale category —go there now to see what new items are available at a marked-down price!" Discover more coupons and ways to save here.

Yes. Due to recent legislation, Home Science Tools is required to collect and pay sales tax in many states. Sales tax liability is based on the order ship-to address, not the bill-to address. Unless the purchaser provides a valid exemption certificate for that particular state, we collect sales tax on all orders shipped to the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Learn more about sales tax collections here.
What if I am tax exempt in my state?
To make a Tax-Exempt purchase, please complete the following steps:

Create an account on the HST website.
Reply to your "Thank You for Registering" email with a copy of your Tax Exemption Certificate and W9.
Please wait to hear from one of our representatives that your account is ready before purchasing. Typically, this will be finalized within the hour during normal business hours.

Although we try our best to have an error-free website, we do make occasional errors. We reserve the right to contact you and correct pricing or other errors prior to fulfilling your order.

You can set up a user account on homesciencetools.com in just a minute and after that you will benefit every time you visit our site. Here is a quick look at the advantages of creating an account:
Faster Checkout. Why waste time filling out the same information every time you order? When you set up an account, we will keep your address on file for you.
View Order Status. Need to check on an order you just placed? Can't remember what lab equipment you purchased last fall or the gift you gave your niece? With your own account you can review your past orders anytime.
Register Today. You can register from anywhere in our online store by clicking the Login button at the top of the page. For the most convenient shopping, be sure to log into your account when you come back!

Privacy
Home Science Tools will not share or exchange online information that you provide us with (including e-mail addresses).

Security
All personal information you submit on this site is secure. All financial information submitted is encrypted.

To review a product:

Log into your HST account and go to that product page on our website. Use the search box or the menu on the left to find the item you wish to review.
Scroll to the bottom of the product page and click Write a Review.
Fill out the form to rate the product with 1-5 stars and share your experience using it.

If you have any questions or concerns about a product or order, please call us at 406-256-0990 or email us at [email protected] and we will be glad to help!
Please only rate products that you ordered from us and have used personally. (Reviews of products that you are thinking of purchasing do not qualify.)

We value your feedback and so do other shoppers!