Secondary Markets Springing Up!

[cowboy1970]

Not sure if this is being addressed already in another long buried thread. I am kinda new here.

First I want to say thank you to all the contributors that have helped me in my CPAP journey. I have recommended this forum to many of my fellow travelers.

Ok so here is what I wanted to get some feedback about.

I live in Washington state. I write curriculum for a company in Texas. The pay is horrible and the benefits (insurance) does not exist.

Anyway, my insurance does not cover this very well. I have a huge deductible.

Long story short. My brothers, uncle, and several friends were part of this mouth breathing cult. lol So I joined it, but on the cheap.

My doctor told me that he believed I had sleep apnea. He wanted to sign me up for a sleep study. I said no. I did my research through my friends and family and the internet. I got a Resmed S7 elite off Craigslist. I bought several mask types from a guy off craigslist that sells them used and new.

My wife was talking to a fellow employee at work about my experiences, and the next day she brought my wife a Respironics Pro M series with some masks and stuff.

I got a lot of experience, but once I read about the ResMed S9 AutoSet...I wanted it bad. I put all my stuff on craigslist, except the masks. I sold all the stuff and was able to completely pay for a used S9.

Yes it took some trust and risk, but it was well worth it. Once the dust settled on all transactions, I had spent roughly $300. I have a ResMed S9 with climate tubing and humidifier, a few spare filters, 1 full face mask, 1 nasal mask, 2 nasal pillow masks, and my Breeze (this is nasal pillow, but it is so completely superior, it gets its own category.)

I downloaded the software and a couple times a week I read my results. My brothers and I talk often about what their clinicians tell them and I read posts here. I make my own decisions and settings on the secret menu. So far, so good. It definitely is making a difference. My AHI has been going down and now hovers around .7 to 1.6.

I even recently went out and got an oximeter, but I appear to be fine in that respect.

Anyway, there is a huge secondary market around here. There are a ton of people on craigslist in my area, selling every thing imaginable. I talk to these guys and some of them work at nursing homes, some at clinics. When stuff is getting tossed, they sell it on the side after cleaning it up. Most of it is 25% or less than new price. Some of it is getting harder and harder to sell. There are also a ton of people just giving up and giving their stuff away. We have a lot of people who use Freecycle here as well. It's like craigslist but everything is free. Its done in the spirit of keeping our landfills from being filled with stuff that someone might still get life out of. Recycling but no one is trying to make money off of it like Al Gore. lol jk.

Anyway, anyone else got a huge secondary market in your area?

What is your opinion of this? Most here feel that the laws and restrictions on therapy are ridiculous and motivated by corporate greed. (ok, now you know mine. lol) But seriously, I respect others opinions even when they don't match mine. Feel free to rant, but be nice to others. Remember we are all stuck on this marble together...just trying to get by.

Do you have a success story concerning the secondary market?

Do you keep the tubes and masks that your clinic wants to put in a box and sell on craigslist behind your back?

Share if you care to...stare if you don't...

[cowboy1970]

I have a second Breeze because when I met with the guy to pick up one, he had a couple of them. It has medium nasal inserts tho, I bought my large nasal inserts from another source. I offered to buy the second mask for $15 and he said sure. I figured I might need it for parts or something. I was going to ship it to my brother at first. My brother has full vet insurance and my Breeze is so wonderful, I decided to keep both for myself.

I told my brother to keep all his tubing and old masks, to help others and for spares just in case.

He has a ResMed S9 elite and so he is sore that I got an AutoSet. I got him into changing his settings on the secret menu. It cracks him up that his clinician doesn't even notice when he goes to his appointments.

I warned my cousin who is starting this, that he should ask for the S9 Auto and not get stuck with the Elite cause clinics are doing that just to milk insurance with more follow up appointments to adjust settings. Auto does it all on its own.

[big_dave]

I lost my insurance soon after I was diagnosed. I was getting in trouble at work for falling asleep while talking to customers on the phone. If it wasn't for Craigslist, I wouldn't have a machine.

[vsheline]

I've picked up used machines on Craig's List.

It is important to clean things as thoroughly as possible before using. May be mold inside a hose or mask.

And of course change the air filters regularly on all machines.

Supplier #2 says they clean all used machines using ozone and ultraviolet light. Good idea. (Must not let any water get in the blower.)

Ask for the serial number and model number before buying and look up model number on manufacturer's web site to be sure what you would be getting. If it is a ResMed machine, you can call ResMed customer service and give them the serial number and model number and they can tell you when it was made and how much longer it will be under warrantee (2 years plus 3 months from date of manufacture, even if you did not buy it new).

[AuntElizabeth]

I ordered filters and a zipper hose cover from Amazon. They are brand new. I bought them because the DME was making me wait, and wait to get what I feel are needed supplies. I believe that I will eventually be buying more supplies from other sources rather than the DME. If the cost is right, I'm going for it.

I would like to get a back-up cpap machine but not sure where to start. I currently have a S9 Adapt but I would like a machine that is affordable and it doesn't have to have tons of 'whistles and bells'.

[PaulaO2]

Since you use the Adapt, that means you have CSA, correct? Unfortunately, those machines are going to be expensive and have a lot of bells and whistles. But they're for a reason.

You can look at Craigslist in your area. Also check out Supplier #2 in the supplier's list.
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...plier-List

[AuntElizabeth]

Many thanks for the info. I looked at Supplier #2 and don't see the S9 Adapt offered. My goal is to have a machine easier to pack up to go to my daughter's house to stay overnight with my grandkids. I was hoping for something fairly inexpensive and easy to transport. I'll keep my eyes open for a used machine on Craig's List.

[vsheline]

Many thanks for the info. I looked at Supplier #2 and don't see the S9 Adapt offered.

Hi AuntElizabeth,

If before you started treatment on the S9 Adapt, if you had mostly Central Apneas, especially if you had long ones, longer than 20 or 30 seconds, it may be a mistake to get any machine that is not an ASV type.

Supplier #2 does have both new and used ASV machines. Perhaps you only looked on the home page. Supplier #2 has another tab (not their home page) with their complete inventory of machines.

But their ASV machines do tend to sell quickly. Some months they only have older model ASV machines.

Right now they have many older ASV models, plus the S9 Adapt (but maybe not the very latest model, which would be 36037, or 36047 if with humidifier - you could call them before buying to find out).

They also have the PR System One BiPAP Auto/SV Advanced, which has more customizable settings than the S9 VPAP Adapt.

Take care,
--- Vaughn

[AuntElizabeth]

I will definitely recheck Supplier #2 for an additional page to check out. I had mostly CSAs in the sleep studies. I don't know if they were longer than 20 seconds or not. Last night my AHI was 6.3 and the night before it was 1.7. Not sure why there is such a big difference between the readings. One CSA last night must have been really bad, I woke gasping for breath but went right back to sleep. The humidifier was almost full when I woke up this am. Usually the humidifier only has a small amount of water left in the am. This sleep apnea thing is pretty darn fickle.

[Doc J]

Preach on my brother. Just bought my s9 autoset off CL acces off internet. I wish I would have came to this site during the three months it took to get tested and bilked out of huge fees for less than the best equipment. I would have gone your route in a second. Needless to say I'm there and not going back. Keep up the good fight.