Are the Deals for Glucose Test Strips on Ebay or Amazon Legit?
The questions I would ask any of those sellers are:
1. What are the sources for your test strips and how have they been stored?
2. What are the expiration dates?
Most test strips state on the box that they need to be stored somewhere between 45 to 85 degrees F. If not, you could get faulty results.
Be aware of the “grey” market in test strips. There are many people on Medicare or insurance plans that get their test strips for free or very little. There’s a cottage industry out there that buys unused test strips from these people for cash and resell them on the internet at discount prices.
Other sites might be selling short dated test strips or maybe boxes that are “NFRS” (not for retail sale). There are companies that solicit retailers offering to buy their inventory that is starting to approach their expiration dates. Also, doctors might have samples that they get rid of through various channels like this.
There are reports of organized shoplifting rings. There have even been reports of whole tractor trailers being stolen. Those supplies are being sold somewhere.
Many times the boxes will be sealed and therefore you think that you are getting them directly from the manufacturer. There’s nothing illegal about this but with temperature sensitive materials, you really want to try to minimize the transit time from manufacturer to end user and you want to know that they have been stored in climate controlled warehouses.
Think about it. Maybe a Joe Q. Diabetic received a box of test strips in winter and decides that he can use some extra cash instead of knowing his blood glucose levels. He sees an ad on a roadside sign telling him that he can get cash for his test strips. He calls the number and meets a person at the corner gas station where the deal is done. The dealer takes his box and stores it in his unheated freezing cold garage for a month while he builds up enough of an inventory to ship off to a bigger internet marketer. When the internet marketer buys them he then maybe stores them in his garage for a month or two before he gets an order from an end user.
The end user gets the strips and everything looks good and they are so happy that they saved so much money. But can they trust the results that they get using these strips? Maybe, maybe not. Since there’s nothing to calibrate it against, they’ll never know.
Before buying test strips on Ebay or Amazon, I would contact the vendor and find out exactly what you are getting and where it is coming from.
Here’s an Amazon storefront by TestStripz. Check out his main site where he is buying his test strips to sell on Amazon. It looks like he wants a minimum expiration date of 4 months. I’m not knocking him. He serves a purpose and is probably a great vendor, but you just need to know exactly what you are buying. There are many regular wholesale companies selling the same product on Amazon but they are getting their inventory direct from the manufacturer. I think it’s good to know their sources, don’t you?
The reviews on Amazon and Ebay will say that the product might have been shipped and received promptly but the thing that you just won’t know is if the product was reliable. If doubtful results are obtained, the buyer will probably blame the manufacturer and not the supplier. Do you really want to buy your sensitive testing supplies from a seller with a name GreatStuff2u, or DayDreamDeals or FunShopping? Again, nothing against these fine sellers but find out where they are getting their inventory.
There are plenty of reliable internet companies that buy wholesale directly from the manufacturer and sell at discount prices. Most have their own online sites and have been online for many years. Some might actually do some sales on an Amazon.com storefront but why take a chance when you don’t have to. Just go to their regular site and order there so you know who you are buying from.
I think that a better strategy is to find a really good glucose meter system that is sold at a low cost to begin with and then go out and find an established online company with the best prices.
Here are six companies that fit that bill:
AmericanDiabetesWholesale.com AgaMatrix Presto Glucose Test Strips 100ct & 100 Lancets w/FREE Presto Meter
Total Diabetes.com Prodigy Autocode Glucose Meter Kit Combo (Meter Kit and Test Strips 100ct)
Affordable Diabetes Advocet Red Combo (Meter kit and 100 Test Strips, 100 lancets, control solution, 100 alcohol prep pads)
Walmart Relion Prime
Allegro Medical TRUEtest 100 test strips
Western Diabetic A1c Now $29.95
