Who Buys Expired Diabetic Test Strips?

Have you ever wondered if you can sell expired diabetic test strips? Unfortunately you cannot sell expired diabetic test strips because they are no longer trustworthy for an accurate reading. However, If you have extra diabetic test strips that have at least 8 months to a year before expiration, you may sell test strips to Indiana Cash 4 Strips.

Diabetic Test Strips Can Be Pricey

Several types of diabetic test strips range approximately from $25 to $40+ a piece on the aftermarket. If you have test strips laying around that have a year before their expiration and you don’t need them, you could earn some extra cash. It’s understandable that you would want to get the most for your money. It can be extremely frustrating when test strips reach their expiration date and you need to throw them away. When this occurs, you may be wondering, “What’s the worst that can happen if I use them anyway?”

The conversation around expired test strips is in fact very lively. Many individuals have an opinion on whether or not using expired test strips is the right thing to do. Read below and then form an opinion for yourself.

How Do Diabetic Testing Strips Work?

In order to decide whether or not you should use an expired test strip, it’s important to understand how they work. The basic explanation is this: a liquid-attracting layer relocates your blood into the little home window on the strip, which is called the “chemistry strip.” This strip is made up of an enzyme and what’s called a “conciliator.” The enzyme affixes itself to the sugar in your blood and pulls off sugar electrons. The mediator then passes the enzyme with the circuit to get your reading.

The enzyme used in test strips is “living,” which is basically why a diabetic testing strip has the ability to expire to begin with. Eventually, the enzyme will “die,” or break down. When it does, it will not have the ability to affix to the sugar in your blood or carry out the sugar electrons. However, this begs the question: When does this enzyme break down happen?

Could My Diabetic Testing Strips Be Expired?

The short answer to this question is: Yes…often. You see, while the expiry date is concrete, it is not entirely precise. A strip that expires on Tuesday will certainly not be fine Monday and after that may be totally useless. Exactly when or for how long after an expiration date a diabetic testing strip is good for varies. Since each brand name uses different enzymes, it depends on what kind of diabetic testing strip you’re using.

There Is No Hard And Fast Guideline

Some research suggests that you can use expired testing strips for as long as a year after their specified expiration day. Others suggest six months, while still others assert 2 years. The basic agreement, however, is that you do in fact have some wiggle room when it comes to using expired testing strips. If your diabetic test strip expired recently, you may not need to run out right away to get more.

Why Are There Expiration Dates At All Then?

The question then becomes, why are there expiration dates at all? Are they just attempting to make more money by encouraging people to discard their strips before they actually need to? While companies are, without a doubt, in business to make money, that simply isn’t the case for manufacturers putting expiration dates on test strips. Taking it from the words of LifeScan, part of the company that makes OneTouch strips:

“The expiration dates are there for a reason; the enzymes die out within a year and a half from the manufacture date.”

In other words, companies such as LifeScan are legally obligated to err on the side of caution. If they removed expiration dates, it would only take one faulty testing strip to land them in big trouble. By making the expiration day a bit earlier than necessary, they’re protecting themselves from a lawsuit or worse. Not all businesses are always self-seeking. They simply want to make sure they can guarantee their product, particularly given that it’s so important.

As a waste prevention focused business, we have to stick to the rules. Expired strips are simply not safe to buy, use, or redistribute.

Also, we’ve been asked “Do you buy used test strips?”… No, we do not.

We can purchase test strips with 8 months before expiration but we prefer to buy your unwanted extras with at least a year left on them. Contact us at 260-255-6140 if you have any questions.