Invitrogen equipment

About Invitrogen

Invitrogen is an American life sciences reagent and instrument manufacturer specializing in molecular biology, cell biology, and protein biology research products. It was founded in 1987 by Lyle Turner, Joe Fernandez, and William McConnell in Carlsbad, California, and incorporated in 1989. The company began by commercializing kits for molecular cloning and mRNA isolation. It is now a brand under Thermo Fisher Scientific, which acquired it via Life Technologies in 2014, with corporate operations run from Waltham, Massachusetts. Its catalogue spans reagents, kits, and benchtop instruments used across research workflows. On Questpair, these products are listed by verified suppliers and distributors in 8 countries.

What research does an Invitrogen reagent or instrument do?

Invitrogen products sit squarely in biotechnology and life sciences work. Transfection reagents in the Lipofectamine line introduce nucleic acids into cells, a core step in gene editing and cell culture experiments. The SuperScript reverse transcriptases and Platinum PCR enzymes support molecular biology at the bench, from cDNA synthesis to amplification, and TOPO TA Cloning kits handle the cloning of PCR products. Fluorescent dyes from the Molecular Probes range, including the Alexa Fluor series, label targets for cell imaging and flow cytometry, and the Dynabeads magnetic separation products isolate cells, proteins, and nucleic acids for protein purification and immunoassay preparation. E-Gel systems run electrophoresis for nucleic acid analysis. These product lines are the working tools of genomics, proteomics, and molecular diagnostics laboratories, also used for synthetic biology construction and antibody-based assay development.

Invitrogen product lines listed on Questpair

The instruments in the Invitrogen range are the items that most often reach a secondhand marketplace, because they have multi-year service lives. The Qubit fluorometers quantify DNA, RNA, and protein with greater specificity than absorbance readings, and the Countess automated cell counters measure cell concentration and viability for culture work. Both appear among the listings. On the consumable side, the catalogue carries cloning kits, transfection reagents, PCR and reverse transcription enzymes, antibodies, and the GeneArt synthetic biology products. Across these lines, 565 items are listed from 16 verified suppliers and distributors. A buyer comparing listings should note that an instrument and a reagent kit are different purchases with different risks, and should filter by the specific product line rather than by the brand alone.

How condition and price break down for Invitrogen listings

99 percent of the Invitrogen listings are used. Prices range from EUR 22 to EUR 43.044. The average listing price is EUR 2.410, which sits toward the lower end of that range and reflects a catalogue weighted toward reagent kits and smaller consumables rather than the larger instruments. The wide spread makes the full range less informative on its own, so filtering within a single product line gives a more meaningful price comparison. Where a used reagent is listed, the storage history and any stated shelf life matter as much as the price, because those products degrade over time in a way that a mechanical instrument does not. For documentation on a specific item, a buyer can contact Questpair, and parts for the instruments can be sourced through Questpair. Warranty is often possible and is arranged in consultation for the individual listing.

Questpair review of Invitrogen

Our take based on listings data and supplier feedback

Invitrogen occupies an unusual position among the brands listed on Questpair, because its output is split roughly between consumable reagents and the instruments that read them out. That split shapes how its listings behave and is the first thing a buyer should understand before comparing items.

The first benefit, the breadth of the catalogue, is visible in the range of product lines that appear under the Invitrogen name. The 565 items from 16 verified suppliers and distributors cover molecular cloning kits such as TOPO TA Cloning, reverse transcriptases from the SuperScript line, and PCR enzymes from the Platinum range, alongside benchtop instruments. A Qubit fluorometer and a Countess automated cell counter are devices with service lives measured in years, which is why they recur on a secondhand marketplace; a cloning kit is consumed once. Both show up in the same catalogue, so a buyer reading listing titles should separate the two categories early rather than treat every result as equivalent.

The second benefit concerns condition and price. 99 percent of the listings are used. Prices range from EUR 22 to EUR 43.044. That spread is wide because it stretches from a single reagent kit at the low end to a complete instrument system at the high end, and the average of EUR 2.410 sits well below the top figure, which tells you the catalogue leans toward the smaller items rather than the large instruments. For a buyer, this means the headline price range is less useful than filtering within a single product line, where the spread narrows considerably. Where new and used both appear, the used units are listed at lower prices; warranty on any individual unit is arranged in consultation for that specific listing.

The third benefit is geographic reach. Suppliers in 8 countries list Invitrogen items, which matters for reagents in particular. Fluorescent dyes from the Molecular Probes line, including Alexa Fluor conjugates, and the magnetic beads in the Dynabeads range are sensitive to storage and shelf life, so proximity to the supplier and the stated storage history of a listing carry weight. A buyer should read the condition notes on a reagent listing with the same care given to an instrument's service record, because an expired or poorly stored reagent is a different risk from a worn mechanical part.

Taken together, the three benefits point to a practical approach: decide first whether the item is a consumable or an instrument, then filter within the specific product line, then read the condition detail against the risk that type of product carries. The catalogue rewards that method more than it rewards scanning the full 565 results at once.

**Reagents and instruments in one catalogue**

The Questpair catalogue lists 565 Invitrogen items from 16 verified suppliers and distributors, spanning molecular biology kits, fluorescent dyes, and benchtop instruments such as fluorometers and cell counters.

**A used market with wide price range**

99 percent of the listings are used, and prices range from EUR 22 to EUR 43.044, covering single consumable kits through to complete instrument systems.

**Supply across multiple countries**

Invitrogen listings reach buyers from suppliers in 8 countries, giving access to product lines such as Qubit, Lipofectamine, Dynabeads, and Molecular Probes without routing through a single national source.