Selling Expired Diabetic Test Strips

[diabeticmedical]

I can not believe how many sellers are listing and selling "expired" Diabetic Test Strips with some expiring as far back as 2014, along with unsealed boxes and open containers.  I have been working with people that are living with diabetes for over 12 years and it is so dangerous, especially people that are administering insulin and need complete accuracy with their test results.  I can not understand the complete disregard from other sellers for their fellow human being in order to make a buck and the lack of monitoring from ebay.  I understand that there are thousands of listings being entered everyday but ebay can at least create a mandatory field that a seller has to fill in with the expiration dates, and if the dates have expired then the listing can not be created.  I know sellers will still find a way around this but at least it will give the diabetic community some more added protection.  In a listing where it shows  "Condition"  (New:  A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item), ebay should add "unexpired" as well which would also cover any other health, beauty or food products.  

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@diabeticmedical 

I understand completely as a nurse and the only thing you can do is to report that listing.

[gracieallen01]

Unfortunately, that would really hurt online sales.  Can you imaging how many listings, in many categories, would be lost if everything that had an expiration date - that had passed - was excluded from being listed?  Not to mention prices being prohibitive to many buyers.

[soh.maryl]

It seems like the OP's suggestion was intended to be for medical items only.

[toysaver]

IMO it's the 'feeding canned chili to a newborn' principle.  There isn't a law in the US against it because nobody expects anyone to do it.  It will take decades for laws to catch up with how the internet has changed everyday life.   

There are businesses that buy and sell them because it is so lucrative.  I don't think the cruxt of their business is in the US.  They satisfy a need in 3rd world developing countries with little access to anything.

[diabeticmedical]

If a product has expired it should not be listed for sale, expiration dates are there for a reason.   Would you be ok with purchasing food or sensitive health related products that have expired?  It is against ebay policy to sell expired products so why not add a required field to items that contain expiration dates and add it to the list under "Condition"? 

[maxine*j]

I know not much about diabetes, but... 

The expiration date on the test strips is part of the Item specifics, and many (if not most) listings have the expiration date in the title, as well.   So it seems unlikely that people are unintentionally buying expired test strips.

If they're buying expired ones, I assume it is because they are much cheaper.  Cost is a huge factor for many if they don't have adequate insurance coverage and / or large deductibles and co-pays and / or coverage for only specific brands that don't work well with the meters they have.

So, even though the accuracy of the strips declines with age, maybe some people feel they're still better off using them than not testing at all.  As a professional in the field, you can tell me:  Are they right or wrong in thinking that?

(That we have a health care system where this is even is a consideration is a whole other topic.)

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[diabeticmedical]

I agree if a consumer intentionally chooses to purchase expired strips that is absolutely their choice but there are multiple listings that the expiration date is not listed in the title.  I have also seen strips just this morning being sold that had expired as far back as 2014 and surprisingly enough the price is not a whole lot different then strips that have a short date and are due to expire in a month or two.  You are also dealing with elderly people, non english speaking customers and there are also many diabetics who have serious vision issues and may not realize that the strips they purchased have already expired.  It is unfortunate that strips are so expensive and many people need to resort to this due to poor or no health insurance but that is a whole other discussion.  I know Amazon is very strict in maintaining and enforcing policy on any products that contain expiration dates; although ebay does have a policy that prohibits the sale of expired products they do very little to enforce it.  In a perfect world consumers should be able to shop with confidence but unfortunately that is not the world we are currently living in.

[fab_finds4u]

www.diabeticfaq.com/diabetic-test-strips-expire/

[diabeticmedical]

So, even though the accuracy of the strips declines with age, maybe some people feel they're still better off using them than not testing at all.  As a professional in the field, you can tell me:  Are they right or wrong in thinking that?

I agree with this statement, I would rather see my clients test and use slightly expired strips (because they are more than likely still good) then not to test at all.  Anyone dealing with insulin it is just not worth the risk especially if they can get them with a month or two still remaining for a slightly higher cost.  However with having the option of being able to purchase expired strips many are willing to compromise and take the risk in order to save a few dollars.

[luckythewinner]

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@diabeticmedical wrote:

Would you be ok with purchasing food or sensitive health related products that have expired?  

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Other than baby formula, there are no expiration dates for food. The dates on food are voluntary "Best if used by" dates and they do not indicate whether food is safe to be consumed. 

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/confused-date-labels-packaged-foods

[1tuna]

I have been seeing adds in the paper for many years and on craigslist

many folks are trying to buy those test strips

I always assumed it was some way to rip off medicare........... or someone who needs them

I dont get it. i asked my phamacist a few times for the connection and he did not seem to know.

giving folks a ride to the  hospital for dialysis is a great big ambulance scam that has has many ambulance companys in big trouble with medicare.there have been many arrests for it in my area

[diabeticmedical]

Thanks for the info, the study you posted does note that this was a very small study.   

Notes of caution

• You should always use discretion if using expired test strips.
• This was a small study, and a larger-scale trial might give different

There are many different studies out there 

https://www.thediabetescouncil.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-diabetes-test-strips/

[diabeticmedical]

Other than baby formula, there are no expiration dates for food. The dates on food are voluntary "Best if used by" dates and they do not indicate whether food is safe to be consumed. 

Luckywinner , your statement above is absolutely  correct according to the FDA Consumer Report.

However this is not ebay policy:  (which does not seem to matter anyway as they do not enforce it)

Policy overview

Before listing food and healthcare items, be sure to familiarize yourself with federal and state laws and regulations. These items must:

• Have a clearly marked expiration date

• Be delivered to the buyer before they expire

  http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/food.html

[katzrul15]

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@1tuna wrote:

I have been seeing adds in the paper for many years and on craigslist

many folks are trying to buy those test strips

I always assumed it was some way to rip off medicare........... or someone who needs them

I dont get it. i asked my phamacist a few times for the connection and he did not seem to know.

giving folks a ride to the  hospital for dialysis is a great big ambulance scam that has has many ambulance companys in big trouble with medicare.there have been many arrests for it in my area

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This is what I assumed as well - medicaid or medicare has paid for the strips.  A person passes away, they are no longer needed and sold online.  Once sold, B&M retailers will not take them back, even unopened. 

Those on a fixed income are often desperate to save any amount they can for test strips, insulin. 

There was an article in our papers last year about elderly using insulin from a vet supplier to save money.  So very sad.