#1

This topic ties directly into the “ebay” topic Ebay hearing aids.

As I was searching for inexpensive hearing aids, I stumbled across hearing aids on Alibaba. For many HAs made in China, the specifications and reviews did not exist.

Is there was a list of the Chinese manufacturer model ID and the corresponding OEM rebrand brand name and model? If the OEM brand name were known, reviews and specs could be found.

There’s also considerably more risk not knowing the quality and reliability of retailers that sell through Alibaba. On ebay, the quality of the retailer is monitored pretty carefully.

#2

I hope this doesn’t come over as uninformed bloviating, but my instinct is to avoid unbranded devices. The principle reason for this is that brands in healthcare take years to develop a reputation for safety, reliability and quality, which could be lost overnight. So a brand like Phonak has a commercial reason for ensuring their products are consistent globally. An unbranded aid, from China or Switzerland,doesn’t matter, doesn’t have the same brand equity to protect, so the risk of faults is not so great.
With the best will in the world I don’t believe eBay can proactively police this quality of hearing aid effectively. All they can do is shut down the seller when the returns and complaints escalate. And the seller changes names and starts again.
Given the substantial discounts available on the branded products discussed in the ebay thread, it hardly seems worth going down the unbranded route.

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#3

If you can’t get any info regarding the aids doesn’t that pretty much answer all your questions?

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#4

I for one stay away from Ebay like I stay away from the plague. I have never gotten anything off of Ebay that was worth anything, and I have not seen any of my friends manage to get anything that was worth anything.

#5

I’ve purchased hundreds of items from Ebay and Ali. Might even be over a thousand if I counted all the other online purchases over the years. Had the occasional problem, same as buying locally. Never lost any money although I have wasted some time and endured some aggravation now and again. That’s also the same as buying locally, including from a local HA vendor.

So thanks for making me, most of my friends, and about a zillion Ebay shoppers feel superhuman, or super lucky, or whatever you imagine we’ve done so much better than you and all your friends. :slight_smile:

BTW, did you know that last November Ali did $1 billion in sales in the first 68 seconds of their annual sale, and $38 billion for the day? Alibaba’s Singles’ Day sales top $38 billion – TechCrunch About a dozen items I purchased during that sale arrived in my mailbox on time. One failed to arrive and I was issued a refund. That level of customer satisfaction is why it’s a safe bet that Ali will do their first billion in under a minute next November 11.

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#6

I purchased my HAs on eBay, but did so out of desperation rather than enthusiasm. I had to save that money, or simply not get new HAs for a while; probably a long while.

I don’t think I would have paid anything for a no-name brand set of HAs from Alibaba.

At the same time, just as I understand I could spend $2,600, but couldn’t afford $4,500-$6,000, and was willing to take a chance for what I could afford; I also understand that there may be people that can manage $800-$1,000, but can’t come up with the $2,600 I spent.

#7

If you message the manufacturer on Alibaba, they can and usually will send you the specs. I’ve been looking into it for some lower cost options for patients who don’t care about certain bells and whistles. Do your due diligence, though, and make sure you know enough about the specs to understand what they send you.

I’ve ordered some samples from different manufacturers and am having some family members who are current HA users test them out for me. I’ll run REM on them as well.

The samples are a little slow in coming because, well, I think the whole population of China has been quarantined in their houses of the last couple of weeks. Still, I’m getting good communication from the manufacturer reps.

I’ll update my findings on this thread as things progress.

#8

anti Ebay fever is akin to TDS. It is mindless. I live off Ebay. there are great products there, often the SAME ones as on Amazon and at your local stores, at awesome prices. But you must THINK, and research. Just as anti Ebay fever is mindless, unless you use your mind, its useless. I do most of my shopping there and have bought a Motorhome, two boats, two cars, and many other things including batteries for my HAs. The best price on batteries localy was just under $1 each. On EBay I got them for less than 25 cents each. You cant make generalised statements that things on Ebay are junk because you can buy Rolls Royces, and Cadillacs there or what ever is your favorite best made product. It is available there.

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#9

I am glad you have good luck with eBay I have had nothing but hell and I will not attempt my luck again

#10

Good luck? Reminds me of the guy with only one child…Its NOT luck. Its about knowing what you are buying. You dont go to the restaurant and just order the first thing on the menu, do you? . its Not luck.

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#11

I tend to agree. If you do the research and check out reviews on the seller you can pretty much eliminate the luck factor. If eBay was nothing but luck it wouldn’t be around very long. I certainly haven’t been able to beat those battery prices.

#12

I now do most of my shopping now on-line for the great convenience of being able to shop from home. That includes Ebay, Amazon, and many other sites. Usually I can also get the best price, often by a lot, on Ebay. I am amazed at the speed of delivery from China.

#13

Alibaba is also good. Right now stuff from China is not coming in. I have some stuff that has been stranded in Singapore for three weeks.

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#14

Yeah, I’ve ordered some PSAPs that I want some family members and friends to test before I offer them. My poor supplier has been frantic since he hasn’t been able to go into the office for a couple weeks now due to quarantines. He’s been giving me updates daily. I just told him to stop apologizing and stay safe. That’s most important.

#15

I would like to also state for the record that I too am a big eBay shopper. Last year I purchased a set of the Oticon OPN S1 rechargeable hearing aids from a seller in South Korea. The local HA Oticon dealer wanted $7,300 for a set and I purchased these absolutely brand new in the box with the warranty card made out to me for $2,990. After receiving them I programmed them myself by downloading the software which was free and also purchased the NOAH link which wirelessly allows the programming to take place. The thing about eBay is that if someone misrepresents a product and it states that you are protected by eBay then you definitely can get a refund so that eliminates all of the risk. I could not be happier.

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#16

I bought a used branded hearing aid from an solid ebay vendor. The value was good and first tuned to my audio test. However, I plan to follow up a second tuning with an audiologist. It’s called “real ear measurement.”

#17

See my earlier reply. Ebay was my choice and it worked out well.
But thanks for your reply.

#18

See my earlier reply. Ebay was my choice and it worked out well.

#19

Alibaba is good, but not as easy to use as Amazon. See my earlier reply. Ebay was my choice and it worked out well.