My Phonak M90 purchase from eBay

Were they more money than the $1500 per pair that Costco charges for the basic equivalent of the M90 312?

No.
My wife has the KS9 aids and I have trialed them around the store. The price was close. I felt the Phonak M90 RT aids were a pretty good deal.

@uburoibob said:

Were they more money than the $1500 per pair that Costco charges for the basic equivalent of the M90 312?

I paid just shy of $2,600 for the pair. I didn’t know that Costco had rebranded Phonaks, and still don’t know if they have the equivalent of M90 rechargeable. Had I known that, I likely would have been willing to pay the extra $400 and gone that route.

So you got Marvel 90s for less than $1500? That is a great deal. I have a feeling that the angry among us are disgruntled dispensers or audiologists.

@hparsons said:

I paid just shy of $2,600 for the pair. I didn’t know that Costco had rebranded Phonaks, and still don’t know if they have the equivalent of M90 rechargeable. Had I known that, I likely would have been willing to pay the extra $400 and gone that route.

I think you’re misunderstanding. The $1,500 Costco price isn’t per aid but for the pair. However, they are lacking some features of the M90s and rechargeable is one. They only come in 312 battery model. Other features they don’t have is telecoil, tinnitus masking, and remote programming. I have the KS9s, and since I don’t care about any of the missing features, I may not be remembering every one.

Yep, I definitely misunderstood. I really like the rechargeable feature. My Q90s used 312 batteries, and it seemed they would go out at the most inconvenient times.

I also have tinnitus, though I’m not using that feature yet. One of the things on my list to ask the audi. I would have been tempted by those.from Costco, but If I can find a good audi, I think I’m going to be satisfied with what I’ve got.

@hold4triple said:

Work with a {professional) if you’re dealing with a hearing loss and require hearing aids. Or you can follow Raudrive’s advice, and drive right off the cliff.

Many of us here make at least some of our own adjustments, successfully.

@youbgone said:

Raudrive - you are just so multifaceted

He is, so am I and many others here. The research and sticktoitiveness required for DIY is a piece of cake compared to many of the other things I’ve done over the years. I heard the same woe-be-you negativity a thousand times in my life. It gives me a chuckle every time I take on something new, and increases the satisfaction when I meet the challenge.

BTW, there have been times I’ve spent more to do something myself than it would have cost to hire someone. (not the case with hearing aids) But it’s tough to put a price on satisfaction, a concept that naysayers seem to have trouble understanding. Since they never tire of giving me their advice, here’s mine for them - put the time into something useful and positive instead. That’s a low bar that could be hurdled by say, basket weaving. Just be prepared to hear that you shouldn’t have risked it.

I was just looking out for you. Do you have that in writing?
If you want to tell me the serial numbers I’ll look see what the factory has in the database…
let me know I’ll give you my email so you don’t have to post it open on here.

@demarzob said:

If you want to tell me the serial numbers I’ll look see what the factory has in the database…
let me know I’ll give you my email so you don’t have to post it open on here.

He has Target, should be able to check warranty himself.

I’m sorry but it sounds a little fishy. I am still offering me to check the ser#.
Under the colored(red or blue) window under the aid.

Buying used hearing aids off eBay carries some risks. They have improved their customer satisfaction stance in recent years. It is still possible to get taken, though. I looked at listings for a while before I bought aids. I have bought 2 sets on eBay and both were exactly as advertised. One, some Audeo V90s, came without receivers, so I bought a pair of medium power receivers for a very reasonable price. I wanted to try Sound Recover 2 when it came out, so I found a pair of B50s for a small fraction of their original price. They showed to still be in warranty according to Target. Of course, the Phonak warranty only applies to the original purchaser, but I at least knew these were recent aids. I have done my own programming practically from the start, and won’t look back. All the local Audiologists won’t touch aids they didn’t sell. That, and they charge very high prices for any and everything they touch. I was fortunate to get the VA to order me some Marvels, which I have reprogrammed 12 times at latest count since getting them in September. I am going back to the VA soon and let them see what they can do. If I don’t like it, I will just restore them back to where they are right now. There are so many advantages to self programming, I don’t see why more don’t do it. It isn’t for everyone, and I fully understand that. Buying aids off eBay isn’t for everyone either. But, if you do your homework and are patient in looking at whats available and the prevailing prices, you can save a ton of money. There is a fairly big learning curve connected to hearing aids. It is fairly complex, really. But with time, anyone can learn the ins and outs. This forum is an excellent source of information.

@John_Green said:

Buying used hearing aids off eBay carries some risks. They have improved their customer satisfaction stance in recent years. It is still possible to get taken, though.

In my case, they were new HAs, not used, but obviously a person could still get taken. But you’re right, eBay is working harder at customer satisfaction.

In my case, when I paid for them, sales tax was added. I connected eBay, and they confirmed that HAs are considered medical devices, and sales tax should not have been charged. That was a little over $200 for this purchase. It took a couple of weeks, but they refunded the money. That will pay for my Noah device.

hparsons
Thank you for your time for posting your experience! all your descriptions were very informative! especially about how hearing aids are tax exempt on ebay, I never knew that, I’m too thinking about purchasing m90 on ebay and love to hear people experiences. I was quoted 6k for a pair on m90 and
I prefer going thru the ebay and program them on my own.