E Bay and Test Strips

[Bronte]

Sorry to moan but..........
I normally buy my test strips from ebay and up until recently they could be got for a reasonable price. Not so any longer it would seem... I now buy my strips from Abbott as they are £14.73 for 50 with free delivery this price is often less than is advertised on ebay!

I will keep watching prices though as you never know when a bargain can be had!

Best wishes
Helen

[Marmot]

I also buy mine via Abbott, reliable and helpful, have only managed one lot on ebay at not much cheaper!

[Quest]

Hi Helen, as you say test strips are harder to come by on ebay now, I was fortunate to be able to buy 10 packs (510 strips) for my Accu Chek Compact for just over £80 they had no signs of pharmacy labels and all had good dates. I have 4 different meters which gives me a few more options on ebay.

Regards
Graham

[wallycorker]

Yes Graham - I have 4 different meters too and shall gather as many more as I can. Why? Just like you - quite simply to give me more options when buying strips off eBay.

However, my GP has helped me in that area after changing his mind and deciding to prescribe strips for me - against practice and PCT policy - after seeing the improvement that I had made by buying my own.

Best wishes - John

[Spiral]

I also got a really good bargain on eBay a while ago, 500 strips for £90, worked out at £9 a tub. I use the Accu-Chek Aviva metre.

I have developed a "system" that tries to avoid paying excessive prices as I supplement my 50 NHS strips a month with the ones from eBay. I watch the prices and I think they vary over the month and sometimes there is a bargain to be had. I check in regualrly and buy strips when I can get a good price rather than when I'm desperate.

So as not to be held ransom to what I consider unreasonable prices I always try to have a few tubs in my cupboard. This means that I can stick to the price limit I have set myself. I won't pay more than half the retail price at eBay. The most I have paid is £12.50 and I have usually paid about £10 or £11, the best price I have had is £8.50. This involves a bit of an outlay to start with, but it makes me feel a bit more secure.

I'm not using the same number of strips I was at the start, but I still get through a lot more than 50 strips a month.