cpapauction.com prices too good to be true???

[opto_isolator]

I was looking at cpapauction.com and saw 2 auctions for Remstar DS550 autopaps - the auctions had 0 bids, and starting prices around $300. How can this be? Both of these units are listed as "new," however new units go for $700-800!!

[falvesjr]

There are lots of good deals on cpapauction.com! I bought my ResMed S8 VPAP Auto 25 from someone on there and it was brand new, for less than half the price of what it costs on cpap.com (which is already a great price). I've also bought *many* masks there at great prices. As with everything in life, though, YMMV...

[JohnBFisher]

I was looking at cpapauction.com and saw 2 auctions for Remstar DS550 autopaps - the auctions had 0 bids, and starting prices around $300. How can this be? Both of these units are listed as "new," however new units go for $700-800!!

Sometimes (though not always), they are not as "lightly" used as stated on the CPAPauction site. That's not the fault of the auction site, but of the seller. A recent ASV unit was listed as only 9 hours of use, but actually had over 250 hours. Still not bad since it sold for less than $800 compared to the price of a new unit (well over $4,000).

But most of the time, this is a dealer (or owner) who wants to get rid of inventory they can no longer sell as "new". It might be an older unit. It might be last years model. It could be the user of the unit needed an upgrade and it was a rental unit. Or perhaps someone could not tolerate xPAP therapy. Or ...

Of course, you may have more issues with warranty work. But at the price, and the low incidence of problems, it is a reaonsable risk.

[Llama]

Auctions can go bad though. I won an auction for a "Used Less Than One Night" ResMed S8 Autoset II in "Like New" condition , however I got a ResMed S8 Elite II with over 130 hours usage, no power cord and does not track efficacy or usage data and reeked of smoke.

The seller finally admitted his mistake, but has declined to refund any money and PayPal didn't offer any recourse.

So, just be careful and ask lots of questions on used machines. Get direct info stating the make and model number, serial number prefix if that vendor indicates manufacturing year (and thus warranty coverage period), actual machine reported usage hours, included parts, etc.

[JohnBFisher]

... The seller finally admitted his mistake, but has declined to refund any money and PayPal didn't offer any recourse. ...

Good advice. One added thought. If you have a good record otherwise and the PayPal transaction went against your credit card, then your credit card company can help you take action. Doesn't always work. Might not help you now. But you never know. And it might be worth exploring if others find themselves in that position in the future.

[Pity]

Sadly, neither PayPal nor your credit card company will usuallyoffer any recourse in private auctions such as Cpapauction if things go foul. It's hard enough to get your money back if you lose out on ebay. Personally, I only buy small items like masks from the auction sites. There's not much of a deterrent if you rip someone off on cpapauction. It's a very small market and it's pretty easy to set up another profile and start fresh. At least with ebay, it's harder to come back and rip off somebody again. Unfortunately, ebay doesn't allow xPap machines. Besides, I've seen sellers [here] selling to each other like DMEs and selling back to each other if they dont get the price they want. If buying a machine, I suggest trying get some info from the seller like how long the warranty is or at least the serial number of the unit. If the seller is reluctant to provide this info, run away.

[secret agent girl]

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[Hawthorne]

I think reading a seller's feedback is very helpful on cpapauction.com. I always look at it.

Of course, there are buyers who leave bad feedback because a mask didn't work for them or is not the right size (as if the seller should have known whether or not it would work for a particular person or the size that person might need). I ignore that feedback.

It is always "buyer beware" on these kinds of sites!

I always ask a lot of questions about a machine. I have bought 2 and they are very good.

In Canada (and maybe elsewhere outside of the US) you need to be sure to ask for Postal Service shipping and get the cost by asking the seller. Compare it with online providers like cpap.com. If they end it by Courier, there will be a brokerage fee and it is quite a bit for an machine. I did get bit on that with 1 of the machines I bought, even though I had a confirmed POSTAL SERVICE price and paid that, the next thing I knew a Courier contacted me about a parcel and the brokerage cost! Of course, I got it a lot sooner but I was not in a hurry!
The seller gave me very bad feedback for that.

I also got a mask (not the one I bid on and won) and it was missing a piece, even though it said "Never Used". The bag was sealed but a part was missing. I contacted the seller and she was very apologetic and said they didn't have the mask I bid on! I think they sent it to someone else by mistake. She offered 3 other masks, none of which were my size. Of course, I was already suspicious that they were careless. She said I would get a full refund in my PayPal account then. A month later, I contacted her again - no response. After another week, I left negative feedback and then she left me negative feedback!!! She DID refund the money at that point.

Some very good deals but some, not such a deal!!!

[AirBreather]

Auctions can go bad though. I won an auction for a "Used Less Than One Night" ResMed S8 Autoset II in "Like New" condition , however I got a ResMed S8 Elite II with over 130 hours usage, no power cord and does not track efficacy or usage data and reeked of smoke.

Something similar can happen even when purchasing equipment represented as new from a local DME supplier. I took delivery of a supposedly new Resmed S8 AutoSet II CPAP from a local supplier in December. I took it home, went into the Clinical Menu, and found it had been used 111 hours. However, the differences in my case, compared to yours, are that I did receive an AutoSet and when I called the manager and complained about receiving used equipment, he immediately agreed to replace it with a new machine, and even sent someone here to deliver it.

[el_zorro]

Auctions can go bad though. I won an auction for a "Used Less Than One Night" ResMed S8 Autoset II in "Like New" condition , however I got a ResMed S8 Elite II with over 130 hours usage, no power cord and does not track efficacy or usage data and reeked of smoke.

I have had very good luck so far on cpapauction. Actually I had just the opposite experience as you Llama, I bid and won on a new-unopened-box Elite II, the buyer had a mixup and only had a new-opened-box Autoset II, she threw in a new comfortgel mask and free shipping, all for $200. I checked when the machine came and it was on zero hours and clearly not used and works great.

I have to wonder where all of this new equipment comes from on the auction and I would think twice if I were buying it as my only machine, but many times you cannot beat the price. I wonder how the service and warrantee would work if I needed service, but for the price I am not too worried about it.

[Llama]

I have had very good luck so far on cpapauction. Actually I had just the opposite experience as you Llama, I bid and won on a new-unopened-box Elite II, the buyer had a mixup and only had a new-opened-box Autoset II, she threw in a new comfortgel mask and free shipping, all for $200

That is a great price, I think my total out of pocket was $195 and I was stoked to get a backup Autoset, instead I havea backup albeit not fully functional Elite.

I wonder how the service and warrantee would work if I needed service, but for the price I am not too worried about it.

I can tell you how is works in my case, but may be because it was a used unit.

The unit is still under manufacturer's warranty period, so I call ResMed, but they don't deal direct with consumers and tell me to talk to my DME.

I talk to my DME and they say that they won't send it in unless I pay for shipping the unit to ResMed and a handling fee, since I did not buy the unit from them and will not be needing a rental.

I contact ResMed and they say that that is not what they would have expected (they said shipping for warranty repairs should be free to the consumer) and say I should call Apria, the DME company that the original user bought through. Same answer from Apria as my local DME - handling warranty repairs means I bring the unit to them, pay whatever they charge for shipping and a processing fee.

Long story short, I'm already "out" $195, so the thought of paying more money just pisses me off. Before the warranty ends I guess I will do it though.

[torontoCPAPguy]

If ResMed were at all concerned about their reputation, they would do what any upstanding corporate citizen would do:
"Please ship us the unit at your expense with a letter explaining what the problem(s) are; we will return it asap by UPS/USPS at our expense. The unit is under warranty, please provide proof of original purchase date. Thanks for calling Respironics".

All of this running around is pure nonsense from a company that is indicating that they do not have any concern for the quality or reputation of their product nor themselves.

If you would be so kind as to provide the email address of the person that you spoke with at the manufacturer OR their fax number I think that everyone on the board should send them a very short note advisising that we are looking elsewhere in future for our CPAP needs as we cannot trust them to service their own equipment. Such a pity.

I thought they were a reputable company but it appears not?

[Catnap]

I've bought three masks and a machine from cpapauction.com with no problems, all items exactly as represented. The closest I've gotten to a problem is having asked one seller to include a receipt (so I could turn it in for my FSA), which didn't happen. I've had more than 400 transactions on eBay with the same results (not for CPAP machines or masks, obviously). I base it all on feedback -- it needs to be darn near 100% before I'll bid. I might bid on something with a seller at 98%+ if they have had thousands of transactions. I also often email the seller with a question about the item, even if I don't really have a question, just to check the seller's responsiveness, particularly on big ticket items. I, too, have wondered how all this new equipment shows up on cpapauction.com, even wondered if maybe some of it goes out the back door at the DME.

[sleepycarol]

Catnap what I did for my Flex plan was to print out the auction page where I won and then printed out the paypal page where it showed I paid for the purchase. I didn't have a problem getting reimbursed this way and the seller didn't have to do anything. The flex plan even paid the portion that was for postage.

[Catnap]

Catnap what I did for my Flex plan was to print out the auction page where I won and then printed out the paypal page where it showed I paid for the purchase. I didn't have a problem getting reimbursed this way and the seller didn't have to do anything. The flex plan even paid the portion that was for postage.

Cool! I'll try that. Thanks for the suggestion.