The short answer, unfortunately, seems to be no. Hearing aids that are true products, not just the sound amplifiers that can be found in some very low end products, are customized devices that are custom fit for the wearer.

The reality is that, if you are alright with sacrificing comfort and some quality you may as well just buy a new hearing aid that is of low quality. These can be found in the sub $100 range. This is a better option than buying a used hearing aid in my opinion.

Has anyone reading this thread had success buying and using a used hearing aid? I am especially interested in the situations where the hearing aid was originally high-priced ($1,500 or more). If so, how did it work out? Were you able to ‘re-customize’ the product? Did the warranties transfer?
Maybe it was a wonderful experience that saved you a ton of money.

Please share with our readers any experience you have had with used hearing aids!

The short answer, unfortunately, seems to be no. Hearing aids that are true products, not just the sound amplifiers that can be found in some very low end products, are customized devices that are custom fit for the wearer.

The reality is that, if you are alright with sacrificing comfort and some quality you may as well just buy a new hearing aid that is of low quality. These can be found in the sub $100 range. This is a better option than buying a used hearing aid in my opinion.

Has anyone reading this thread had success buying and using a used hearing aid? I am especially interested in the situations where the hearing aid was originally high-priced ($1,500 or more). If so, how did it work out? Were you able to ‘re-customize’ the product? Did the warranties transfer?
Maybe it was a wonderful experience that saved you a ton of money.

Please share with our readers any experience you have had with used hearing aids!

All of these are great questions that beg for answers. After some research it seems that selling and buying used hearing aids is a very heated topic. Think of the family who just paid $3,000 for a hearing aid when the user dies one month later. This is morbid but very common. These people are not able to sell the used hearing aid which is very frustrating to them. On the other hand, imagine someone trying to save money, buying a used hearing aid that is set all wrong for them and ends up causing even more damage to their hearing.

It is not common practice or accepted to buy and sell used hearing aids. This does not mean it does not happen. The root of the controversy around buying and selling used hearing aids lies in the fact that hearing aids are very expensive and very customized.

If you have ever bought or sold a used hearing aid please comment.

But aside from the difficulty of fitting a used hearing aid for a new person, is there additional challenges? Is it legal to sell used hearing aids? In the research that I have done, I have seen nothing to suggest that it is not legal. You can find a great deal of used hearing aids for sale on Ebay and other marketplaces – but of course this does not insure that it is legal.

All used health related products creates a pretty gray area. Again, the price is very appealing but there are so many risks that come with it that it is hard to know if it is a good idea. If anyone has a positive or negative story around used hearing aids, can you please share it? Thanks!

The dominant position is that used hearing aids can be reprogrammed to work for another user. The key to getting the used hearing aid to work for you or your loved one is a new (recent) hearing test needs to be performed in order to reprogram the used hearing aid properly.

We do not discourage people from going this route. We do, however, urge you to check the credentials of the person you are buying the hearing aid from. Unfortunately, there are people who abuse the system and could even sell you a fake hearing aid. Do you research and make sure you are dealing with a legitimate source and make them give you a warranty of no less than 30 days.

We would love to get feedback from anyone with experience around buying and using secondary hearing aids. This economy demands creativity and we are all for saving money! Please share with us your experiences.