When shopping on ebay, you will find many glucose meters for sale.

With all the great deals on meters out there, you really should only buy a new meter.   If someone has been testing their blood with that meter, it doesn't seem like such a good idea to share that meter with a stranger, which is what you will be doing if you buy a used meter.

To be sure you are getting a brand-new meter, see if the listing says it is factory sealed, if not, ask the seller before committing to buy.     If you buy a meter that is NOT factory sealed, you have no way of knowing if the meter was every used or not.  It may have been used and then just cleaned up.   It is was opened, it is possible that the seller might even advertise it as new, honestly not even knowing that it was used at one time, as often sellers obtain items that they have no way to know the whole history on, or they sell items for others and don't know the whole history.   To be safe, just buy a FACTORY SEALED meter.  If it is open or has been re-taped, you might want to consider staying away from it.

The best new meters can have a suggested retail price anywhere from $80 to $100, so to get one of these $80 to $100 meters for free is a GREAT deal.   Often the rebates come back to you very fast, as fast as 2 weeks or so, but the average may be 4-6 weeks.   So you are laying out your $ for just a few weeks and in exchange, get a FREE FANTASTIC meter.

The best deals are those where the seller is advertising that they provide all the documentation for a FULL REBATE.   The seller should provide you with the following:

-a REAL store receipt from a REAL business, that the manufacturer can verify prior to cutting your rebate check
-a copy of your paypal receipt, if you paid by paypal
-a factory sealed retail box (important:  MAKE SURE THE BOX DOES NOT SAY "NOT FOR RESALE" on it, if you are buying the meter with the expectation of getting all your money back with a rebate)
-a valid, unexpired rebate form, that gives you plenty of time to send it in.

When you get your meter delivered, be sure to send out your REBATE form right away, the manufacturer KNOWS that lots of people will put aside to do it TOMORROW and then they forget to do it and by the time they remember to do it, they have either lost the paperwork or the rebate date has passed.

Be sure to buy your meter from a reputable seller, with high feedback and make sure the meter is from a well-respected manufacturer.   Ask the seller to provide the manufacturer's toll-free number for customer service, so if you have any questions about using your meter when it arrives or following up on your rebate, you will be able to do so.    Reputable manufacturers often provide a 24/7 customer service number for their customers to call up with any questions about using their meter and testing their blood sugar.

Be sure that the UPC code and Serial Number panel is intact on the box, if it is removed, you will not be able to get your rebate as the seller has probably already done that and you are just buying the meter that they got for free.  If they got it for free, that means you will not be getting it for free as the manufactuer only provides one rebate per serial number.

You will often find that well-known manufactuers will offer a 3 yrs warranty and if you call them after that warranty period, they will often STILL help you.   

Remember, you represent a revenue stream for them........ the testing strips can bring them quite a bit of revenue every year.   Even though it most likely will be your insurance company paying for those strips, less your co-pay if you have one for diabetes supplies (and many people don't have a co-pay on testing supplies for diabetes, check with your insurance company to be sure), you determine WHICH company is going to get the testing strip business and every meter manufacturer would like you to KEEP using their meter, so if yours has a problem, you will be amazed at how fast they will replace it for you in most cases!

Also very important, when buying a meter and looking to get all your money back with the manufacturer's rebate, BE SURE you don't have to trade in your old meter to do so.   If you do need to do that, it will state that on the rebate form (and should also state it in the seller's listing).   The ONLY reason the manufacturer wants your OLD meter is to take that meter out of the market and keep the other manufacturer from getting MORE of your business!    BUT you might like to keep that meter as a spare....... so why should you have to return it?

Also look for FREE s/h on the seller's offer.   If you have to pay money for shipping, then the meter is NOT free after the rebate to you, as MOST manufacturers will NOT refund s/h.

We hope that you have found this guide to be helpful and we would be honored if you would visit our BUY IT LISTINGS for our meters, all of which offer full 100% rebates and have very detailed photos and descriptions, so you know exactly which meter will be best for you.

If you have found this guide to be helpful, please click the YES button, just beneath this sentence.

Copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008 by SuperGoodDeals