Just a decade or two ago, the only way to acquire the medical equipment and supplies you needed was to go to a physical medical supply store. As such, your choices were limited to the what was available at the stores in your area.

Now, along with every other aspect of life, the internet has made medical equipment shopping less expensive and more convenient than ever. If you’re shopping for power wheelchairs, for example, you aren’t limited to the three medical equipment supply stores within driving distance. You can choose from hundreds of suppliers across the globe. Here are a few tips for getting the best medical equipment at the best deal when shopping online:

1. Shop Around
   With the massive amount of options that you have when you are shopping online, you should spend more time price hunting before making a purchase. Look for several suppliers of the exact same product, and compare prices. Make sure to consider the price of shipping and possible taxes when you’re comparing prices, so you get an apples-to-apples comparison.
2. Research
   Read product reviews before clicking “Pay Now” to make sure there aren’t common flaws with the product you’re considering. Keep in mind, however, that a negative review should only be taken with a grain of salt. The customer is ten times more likely to post a negative review than a positive. So for every negative review of a product, there might be ten other happy customers that simply didn’t take the time to write a review. If you see the same complaint from several reviews though, this might be an indication of an issue you are likely to come across if you buy the product.
3. Shop For Great Customer Service
   When you’re making a large medical equipment purchase, you might have thousands of dollar on the line. You will most likely need to work with the supplier for maintenance and care in the future, so your purchase is going to come with a long-lasting relationship with the company you buy from. While you can get a good gauge of the level of customer service provided by medical equipment suppliers when you’re making the purchase in person, it takes a little bit of research when you’re ordering a product online. The last thing you want to do is make a large investment on an expensive medical supply from a company who has poor or nonexistent customer service, and then you’re out of the money if it doesn’t work.




4. Consider Used Equipment
   Considering used medical equipment is a great way to save a lot of money. Just make sure you’re purchasing your used equipment from a reseller with a great reputation, since their care in refurbishing it is a big part of your purchase. If you do your research when buying refurbished equipment, you may actually be taking less of a risk than buying a brand-new product. While large quantities of brand new products are produced at the same time, a refurbished product is inspected in detail to make sure it is functioning properly before it is sold.

Do you have any other great tips for purchasing medical equipment online? If so, please share in the comment section below.