A Further Life for Your Old Hearing Aids

Our practice is often asked about how to deal with unwanted, used hearing aids. This question arises more than you may expect for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the old aid belonged to you and you have upgraded to a newer model. Or perhaps it belonged to a family member or friend that no longer needs it.

One choice that does not occur to many people is to hang on to the old one so you can use it as a backup if something happens to your new aid or if it requires servicing.

If it is a newer model and in good working condition, you may be able to sell the used hearing aid on a website such as eBay or Craigslist. Before you do this, make sure it is legal in your area to resell hearing aids; there are many states in which it is not. If you decide to try to sell it, be sure to list in your ad all the relevant information a buyer would want to know: the manufacturer and model number, the unit’s age and condition, warranty type, the type of battery it takes, and your reason for selling it. Also, don’t expect to get nearly as much money as you paid for it; look for ads for similar hearing aids, and keep yours within the same range.

An excellent alternate option is to give your used hearing aid to someone who needs it. There are organizations that specialize in collecting used hearing aids and redistributing them to people who need one, but cannot afford them. In the United States, organizations that specialize in the charity collection and redistribution of hearing aids include the Lions Clubs International, Hear Now, and Sertoma. Worldwide Hearing is an international organization that specializes in distributing used hearing aids in developing countries.