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Update...do not buy used hearing Aids off Ebay, Costco

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costco will not reprogram them. I looked all over the internet
And there were no complaints this has to be a known
Problem. i want to thank Everyone for their advice.
I will be going in tomorrow for a hearing test. and hopefully
Getting KS 8.0 still reading and getting reviews.
Thanks again
BIll

21 people in this conversation23 min readJump to latest

They might perceive some legal or implied warranty issues with it, if the units don’t perform properly.

When I was first looking into hearing aids, maybe 5 years ago, a person had a used pair for sale they got at costco. I called my nearest costco and they said they would program them for me for a small fee. It might vary by location or they also may have issued a policy since then.

I got my last pair of hearing aids from ebay. They are great. Starkey Halo’s. I found an audiologist who was glad to program them for me for $50 then another $50 per visit for tuning (needed only a few extra visits since the first).

The savings has been tremendous! Would definitely do it again. Finding the right audiologist who is willing to do this is the key.

Hearing aids have been a lifesaver for working with clients at our web design business here in Michigan.11

no explanation. we Don’t work on used hearing aids.
Was kind of rude

It’s possible another Costco, if one is within driving distance, would be more cooperative. It may help if you’re a Costco member. On the other hand, going to a different Costco may make no difference at all! They may have changed their policy.

Edited

In reply to @Zebras

I’ve been buying my off eBay since 2011. Always worth the savings but I’m also a self programmer.

Do you have a way to self-program Costco hearing aids? I thought that was difficult-to-impossible. For example, Costco has at times sold ReSound hearing aids, but ReSound’s Aventa programming software won’t work with ReSound aids sold by Costco or at least rebranded as Kirkland. I thought programming software for Costco aids was proprietary or only accessible by Costco hearing specialists.

Personally I think I’d avoid used Costco aids on eBay, though Costco aids are worth considering new in the store.

Buying used aids on eBay can work well if the seller accepts returns, if you get them at a heavy discount, and if you can self-program or have a cooperative audi. It also helps to look for lightly worn aids, e.g. a family member who knows “Grandpa wore these for a week and then left them in his bedside table drawer and never wore them again…” this assumes you can trust that assertion better than an ad for the apocryphal used car “only driven by a little old lady to the supermarket.” Buying used aids from somebody who replaced their aids seven years after buying them is risky if they haven’t been rebuilt. There are a few eBay sellers who specialize in rebuilding really worn aids.

In reply to @hamjor1

Yes most Costco hearing aids are programmable elsewhere. Only KS5 and KS6 (that we know for sure) are Aventa software locked. We are suspicious about ReSound Cala being Aventa software locked, and we are suspicious about ReSound Forte being SmartFit software locked.

Costco used hearing aids are the same as any other used hearing aids (with the exception of the above mentioned models). Actually you may even get a better bargain because of all the locked rumors.

It doesn’t matter whether or not an EBay seller accepts returns. If the seller is listing unusable/locked/junk then you get your money back, period. Don’t forget to demand that the seller pays for return shipping. If the EBay Buyer’s guarantee doesn’t go well use your credit card chargeback rights (requires that the transaction was funded 100% via credit card, and not from your online balance, and not from your bank account).

A couple of EBay tricks;

  1. Click “See other items” to try to determine if the seller is a dealer who regularly sells hearing aids. A dealer will hold out for higher prices as opposed to an estate sale price.
  2. Click the [] Sold listings box in the left pane to filter your search to only items that have already been sold. This might give you some recent sell price history.

And for newbies;
Don’t expect factory support for repair when you buy used . You likely will have no warranty unless there is remaining warranty and you are able to get it transferred into your name. Don’t try to use factory repair for HAs bought on EBay, as HAs that were reported lost may get confiscated. Factory repair is way too expensive anyway. You will likely need to use an online Hearing Aid Repair Lab for minor repairs or even buy a replacement HA for major problems. Both are relatively cheap.

I can’t really comment about Costco aids. I have no experience with them. Buying used aids off eBay can be a way to really save money. But, you have to educate yourself first. Knowing which brand and model helps a lot. You have to look at closed listings for the brand and model you are interested in to see what going prices are. Prices for used aids vary wildly. Personally, I stay away from auctions and look at listings that have a price but accept offers. That is how I bought my aids. It is probably best that you count on doing your own programming if you buy used. You should look at the availability of software and programming devices and add that to the cost of aids right up front. It varies by area, I am sure, but a lot of hearing aid sales places will not fool with aids they didn’t sell. If you already have an audiologist who is willing to program your used aids, so much the better. Given the price of new aids purchased the traditional way, I could never afford to have them. Buying used off eBay was about my only choice.

I’ve bought my last two pairs of aids on ebay. I checked before I bought and found out that my local state university audiology clinic will reprogram aids and made sure they had the equipment to do so for the aids I bought (both pairs were phonaks). I think I paid about $250 for a new hearing test and the programming on the last pair I bought. I will probably return once more for some reprogramming, since this newest pair work about as well as the last, but not better and I think they can be tweaked a little. I think I paid $300 for this last pair, so I am looking at about $650 total expenditure, which is a whole lot less than the $2000+ for a set of new aids. The aids I bought are a full featured set that is about six years old. Would need to use an around the neck gizmo if I decided to use a bluetooth phone link or a TV into the aid device, but I haven’t found that necessary yet.
So I would say do your research so that you know what will work for you and check ebay for prices, return policy, etc. Some sellers will program the aids to your , others do not. Make sure a local audiologist will reprogram them for you. I find the University great. A couple of Master’s level students work with the professor and sometimes administer the hearing test. I can ask questions of the professor and she’s involved in the programming, so I get the benefit of someone who teaches and trains and keeps up along with the students. For the independent minded with some ability to examine the on line stats of the various models, buying on line saves lots of money. I am keeping the older pair I bought in case the ones I am using now need repair, so I don’t have any need for loaners.
Best,
royjohn

I think there are lots of approaches that can be successful. I think the key is doing one’s research and coming up with a plan before one commits to purchasing.

Edited

In reply to @hamjor1

I purchased my last two pair of hearing aids on ebay from sellers who did allow returns. The price was 5% of retail, and they were easily reprogrammable by a source I found by internet search. I used an I received from a university audiology department, although I had to wait two weeks and then go the the Medical Records Department to pick up the report, because I refused to pay $5,500 for the pair they wanted me to buy.

I sent the second pair I bought on eBay back to the same programming service because I needed to have the volume increased (at no charge). They charged $200.00 to do the programming to begin with. I will never again buy from a traditional audiology practice because of the lack of competition and the fact that the audiologists have been a part of the market manipulation for decades. I am using the term traditional as opposed to an audiologist who has a doctorate and will program hearing aids purchased from someone else or on eBay. I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and have yet to find the latter.

The first pair I bought on eBay were Oticon Ino Pro aids for $300.00. That’s for a pair. I sent them to New Hampshire for reprogramming. I used them for two years until the dog ate one. Before buying, I would suggest thorough searching on the internet on pricing and on getting what you need for your hearing loss. I am in the process of buying a new pair on eBay, because after three years, the hearing aids need to be serviced and I need a second pair. I just had hearing tests done at Costco and Sam’s Club. I got a copy of my reports from both. Costco let me try on their Kirkland Signature™ Premium Digital Hearing Aids selling for $1,699.99 a Pair. “Oh!” said the technician, “These won’t work for you because you need more power.” She tried to move me up to a pair that sold for twice as much. I took my report and left. I went to Sam’s club, and they had a pair, under their brand that sold for $4,300/pair. They wouldn’t work with bluetooth from my Android phone. I took my report and passed on that too. Shopping on eBay now.

Here’s what happened to me. I found a pair of Phonak Brio 2’s on Ebay for $400. I had tried them at Costco and they were OK but I want to wait for the newer model and didn’t want to pay full price. I called Costco and told them I had a pair of pre-owned Phonak Brio 2’s and would they program them (only Costco has the software to program the Brio 2). They told me they would as a one time courtesy to a member but would have to check the serial numbers first. I purchased the pair from Ebay and brought them to Costco. As usual the specialist was very nice but when he checked the serial numbers he found out they had been reported missing or stolen and the previous owner had made a claim to get a second pair. They then sold the first pair. I was told this is a common occurrence and there was no way they would program them for me, Phonak would not allow it as Phonak had a legal claim to the ’s.
As a matter of fact Costco told me they would have to keep the HA’s as they belonged to Phonak and they had to return them. I had to convince them to return them to me so I could get a refund from the Ebay seller. I don’t know if the Ebay seller knew they were stolen or not but he refunded my money.

So if you are going to try and get HA’s from Ebay, before you buy, make sure they aren’t reported stolen/missing and make sure you can get them programmed.

My Costco, said no way for ks5 pre owned. Guess
It really depends on the Costco! Glad you were
Able to return them. Good Luck…

In reply to @Recoil_Rob

@Recoil_Rob said:

(only Costco has the software to program the Brio 2)

Not true. These are the same as Phonak Audéo V90 and you can program them using Phonak Target fitting software.

@Recoil_Rob said:

I want to wait for the newer model and didn’t want to pay full price.

No need to wait for the Brio3 or to pay full price. They are the same as Costco Phonak Brio3/Phonak Audéo B90 except the latter has a software/Firmware update that enables SoundRecover2 which is more flexible than SoundRecover in the Brio2.

When you buy from EBay you should not be expecting perfection.

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