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Secondhand Hearing Aids: What You Need to Know Before Using Them

Secondhand hearing aids—whether gifted by a friend or inherited from a loved one—can feel like an incredible opportunity. But as Dr. Emily Johnson and Lindsey Johnson explain in this episode, they’re rarely a “plug-and-play” solution. With the right audiology care, reused hearing aids can work. Without it, they can lead to poor outcomes or even damage your hearing.

Why a Hearing Test Comes First

Before any reused or refurbished hearing aids are considered, a full hearing test is essential. Your hearing needs may be very different from the original owner’s, and not every device can be safely adjusted to match your hearing loss. Audiologists evaluate whether the technology, power level, and fitting range are appropriate—because louder is not always better.

Refurbished Hearing Aids vs. Risky Resale Devices

One of the biggest distinctions discussed is where secondhand hearing aids come from. Devices gifted by a family member or close friend are typically traceable through manufacturer serial numbers. This allows audiologists to confirm age, warranty status, and eligibility for refurbishment.
In contrast, hearing aids purchased from Facebook Marketplace or eBay often cannot be verified. If a device was previously reported lost or stolen, it may be confiscated by the manufacturer during refurbishment, leaving you with nothing.

What Hearing Aid Refurbishment Really Includes

Refurbishment is more than just a cleaning. Manufacturers test microphones, receivers, batteries, and internal chips to ensure the device meets original specifications. Many refurbished hearing aids function like new and cost significantly less than buying brand-new technology.

However, older hearing aids—often 12–15 years old—may no longer be compatible with current programming software. In these cases, even the best intentions can’t make outdated technology usable.

Custom Fit Still Matters

Even with refurbished hearing aids, custom programming and physical fit are critical. New receiver wires, domes, or earmolds are often required. Audiologists also verify that the style of hearing aid—such as receiver-in-canal (RIC) versus fully custom in-the-ear—matches your hearing profile and comfort needs.

The Role of Ethics and Audiologist Care

A key takeaway from this episode is that ethical audiology care never changes based on where the hearing aids came from. Providers follow strict protocols to protect patients and ensure optimal outcomes. If an audiologist asks a lot of questions, it’s not pushback—it’s protection.

Secondhand hearing aids can be a meaningful gift—but they’re just the beginning of the journey. With expert guidance, they can restore connection, clarity, and confidence safely.

To see the video edition of this episode with closed captioning, please go to Hearing Wellness Journey Podcast: https://hearingwellnessjourney.com/podcast/

TRANSCRIPT

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Can Hearing Aids Be Reused and Refurbished or Is It A Risky Gamble?
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Dr. Emily Johnson: [00:00:00] All this to say:

Getting secondhand hearing aids from a friend, family member, it's an amazing gift to be given, to hear better. But that's often not the only stop on the train.

Narrator: Welcome to the Hearing Wellness Journey podcast, an exploration of determination, hope, self-discovery, and triumph. We'll share the personal experiences of those that are living with hearing loss and provide a haven for their stories to show others that they are not alone in this journey. Please welcome your hosts.

Lindsey Johnson: Hello. Thank you for joining us today. My name is Lindsey Doherty.

Dr. Emily Johnson: And I'm Dr. Emily Johnson.

Lindsey Johnson: And today we're gonna be discussing the topic of secondhand hearing aids.

So what to expect when you are gifted hearing aids from somebody else.

Dr. Emily Johnson: Who [00:01:00] doesn't love free things, right? Or seemingly free. Being gifted something given something by a loved one. A dear friend. For different circumstances, you might come into hearing aids that you did not outright purchase.

And there's a lot of misconception and information out there about like: "What does that actually look like in terms of how can you use them? Can you use them? And what are the next steps in that process? What does that look like?"

Lindsey Johnson: Right. So the first thing is to understand that you need a hearing test of your own.

Dr. Emily Johnson: Yes.

Lindsey Johnson: And to be connected to an audiologist who has the capability of working with those hearing aids.

We do in our offices a virtual intake, so we can get more information about those devices. Because without having them in [00:02:00] person, we don't know if we can work with them.

Dr. Emily Johnson: Absolutely. In this day and age, hearing aids come in so many different shapes, styles, technology levels, manufacturers. We wanna confirm before we go through all of the hoops that these are hearing aids that we could even fit on you. Number one. Because if it's custom made for somebody, oftentimes we are not able to make that work for somebody else because it's custom made for their ear, canal, shape, and size.

Lindsey Johnson: The ones that we can't work with are when the whole device is custom in your ear. Versus, if there's a part that goes behind the ear with a custom piece attached, that we could probably work with.

Dr. Emily Johnson: Right. Even just in that example that you gave right there, that's why we wanna do that virtual intake appointment, because we [00:03:00] wanna see what your working with to make sure that we could even fit it. Number one.

And then when you come in to have that hearing test: "Is this device appropriate for you? Yes or no?" There are multiple things on a checklist that we have to go through of, "Yes. These gifted hearing aids are appropriate for you. And we can make them work. And we can reprogram the chip inside. And we can put new wires on there. And it's technology that's relatively up to date." Because if they're 12 to 15-year-old hearing aids, odds are we may not be able to even hook them up to the computer depending on the manufacturer software.

Lindsey Johnson: Correct.

Dr. Emily Johnson: So, multiple, multiple layers of information that we're trying to get.

It might seem like a lot in the beginning, but we just wanna make sure that everybody's prepared and on the same page to give you the best quality [00:04:00] experience.

Lindsey Johnson: Right. And if it's not us. Let's say you live out of state, and you're going to be going to an audiologist in your area, giving them that heads up. Maybe they'd like you to drop off the devices, so that they can start to see what they can work with, if they're able to, and get that information.

Now, there might also be a fee involved in all of that. That's not our business to say one way or the other. It does take time in assessing the devices to see if they are a good fit. If they're working properly.

We recommend, if you're gifted hearing aids, that those go in for a refurbishment. So if they're under warranty still with the manufacturer, because they're less than three years old, let's say, there wouldn't be a fee for that to make sure that they're up to date from the manufacturer.

But if they're a little bit older technology or just outside of that warranty, there's going to be a fee involved in that. Ultimately, it is still less than the purchase of a brand new device.

I would just [00:05:00] recommend not to get too hung up on that.

But within that, sending it in to the manufacturer, they're gonna make sure all of the electronics are working well. They're gonna make sure that battery is functioning optimally. They're going to make sure that the receiver wire is working. So it's kind of like getting a brand new device, at the same time.

Dr. Emily Johnson: Absolutely. You wanna make sure that the hearing aid is functional. First and foremost. Because if it's a hearing aid that somebody upgraded to a new set, got a new set for whatever reason, or just not using that set anymore. When you bring it in, we're gonna look at the electronic components of the device as well. So we will hook it up to something called a test box to run it at the manufacturer's specifications.

And why this is important is we wanna make sure that if we're gonna fit a hearing aid on you, that did not come from our [00:06:00] office, and we fit brand new out of the box anyway, we wanna make sure there's nothing shady going on behind the scenes - the chip isn't functioning; microphones aren't working; receiver is busted - that you might not pick up on just listening to it and be like, "It turns on!"

We wanna make sure that the sound quality that you are going to get from that hearing aid is as if you were being fit with something brand new.

Lindsey Johnson: Right.

Dr. Emily Johnson: Our level of care and quality doesn't change just because the hearing aid came from an outside place or that it was gifted to you.

Lindsey Johnson: Correct. Outside of that, the testing and functioning, and making sure that it is top-notch, when you come in for your evaluation, we're gonna look at if there's a custom part that's needed for that as well.

I do know that we had somebody bring in a pair of behind-the-ear hearing aids, BTEs, and their hearing loss was not bad enough to require that type of device. [00:07:00] So that was unfortunate that they couldn't use that gift, which would've been so great, but there was no way for us to safely fit that, even if we did make a custom part.

But a custom part might be needed just for retention and fit, and that would be done here in the office. So there could be that additional service outside of just testing your hearing and programming.

Dr. Emily Johnson: Yeah.

All this to say:

getting secondhand hearing aids from a friend, family member, it's an amazing gift to be given, to hear better. But that's often not the only stop on the train.

Lindsey Johnson: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Emily Johnson: We aren't just going to fit hearing aids on you without checking off all of those boxes. If the hearing aid fits exactly what you need, and in this day and age, if it's a RIC type hearing aid - so the little piece that goes behind your ear, little wire that goes down with a piece that goes in - those can fit so many [00:08:00] ranges of hearing loss and needs and things like that. That would be the most versatile type of donated hearing aid compared to, like Lindsay had said, something that is custom, completely in the ear, or one of those big power BTEs behind the ear, where: yes, your hearing loss is within the range that it works with; it just might be bigger and heavier and overall, just too much sound for what you're looking for.

Lindsey Johnson: We're not gonna cause damage. We wanna keep you protected and hearing the best possible.

Now, you did mention that if it's older technology, we might not be able to work with it. Sometimes, we might have the software. We've got lots of old software.

Dr. Emily Johnson: Absolutely.

Lindsey Johnson: It's just making that connection with the device. Sometimes, it just... it's broken. And unfortunately, we've had some bad situations happen with like 18-year-old hearing aids where [00:09:00] we're trying, and then they're rendered useless.

So it's useless one way or another. But yeah, we also don't wanna fit you with something that doesn't have the fitting range of what the newer technology has.

Dr. Emily Johnson: When we're talking about secondhand hearing aids, these are hearing aids with serial numbers we can verify with the manufacturer. That way we can confirm and majority of the time, we're able to transfer to another patient and get those hearing aids in your name.

Depending on where those hearing aids come from, the warranty might not follow you if they were dispensed under certain circumstances, such as at the VA. But grand majority of the time, we just wanna make sure we can verify: Yes, this is how old the hearing aid is. This is when it was purchased. Here's our warranty dates. And just get all of that concrete information.

When it comes to a secondhand hearing aid that you get off of Facebook [00:10:00] marketplace, that's where the water gets muddy. We need to be able to reliably trace where those serial numbers came from and confirm that it's not a device that a loss and damage claim was originally made on, because technically it is property of the manufacturer now.

Lindsey Johnson: Yep. So if that gets sent in for refurbishment, it will be confiscated.

Dr. Emily Johnson: Correct. And it's unethical for us to dispense something where you purchased it from somebody who is not licensed to dispense hearing aids. But when we're talking like gifted from a family member or friend... much safer area. Those serial numbers are gonna be easier to track down and just verify that everything is up to date, and if there are warranties that are still available to you, excellent. We wanna make sure that that hearing aid is refurbished, repaired, and ready to rumble for you and your needs.

[00:11:00] And if not, then we can always see if we can send it for an out-of-warranty repair just to make sure that everything is tuned up before we go down the route of being fit with it.

Lindsey Johnson: Absolutely. I just did this yesterday, verifying a warranty on some devices that were gifted and reassigning those serial numbers to our patient, who was gifted these by somebody's mom who had passed away.

Everything needed to be customized to the new patient. With a new receiver. With the new domes. And just the programming overall. You can't just take 'em off of somebody and put 'em on somebody else and say, "Well, that worked fine."

But, like you said, Dr. Johnson, if you are purchasing these from eBay or Facebook Marketplace, or the neighbor down the street, that's not what we're comfortable working with. We don't know if these were stolen from somebody, either. You know, found them on the [00:12:00] street, and then they're trying to make a buck. And that person who owned them went back to the restaurant looking for 'em and was begging and pleading: "Have you seen this hearing aid that I dropped?" So, yeah, we wanna make sure that we're being ethical and following all the laws too.

Dr. Emily Johnson: And that's gonna vary by office.

We have our own policies, what we're comfortable with, and our protocols, because we want to maintain our level of care, regardless of where the hearing aids came from.

And other offices, other providers might feel a little bit more comfortable fitting different hearing aids. It just depends. So, if the provider that you see is asking all these questions and giving a little bit of pushback about where the devices come from, know that we're doing it out of the goodness in us being a provider and doing the best for you.

And we are not trying to not fit you with devices that would be [00:13:00] appropriate, 'cause we know how disappointing it is to find out that what you thought was gonna happen doesn't work out. And we are there to support you as well, providing alternative solutions if what we thought and initially planned turns out to not be the route that we can go, for whatever reason.

Lindsey Johnson: So, speaking of that...

I wouldn't hold back on making a purchase just because somebody's health might be questionable, because this is a way to keep it going on. You don't have to just throw those out if they pass on.

Dr. Emily Johnson: Absolutely. And I mean, the amount of times that somebody has said, "Oh, well, I don't think that I'll be here much longer," and then they go on to live for another 7 to 10 years.

Lindsey Johnson: Right?

Dr. Emily Johnson: And they're like, "Oh, I should have done something when we initially talked about it." Your needs might be [00:14:00] longer than what you think, and that's a blessing.

Lindsey Johnson: Absolutely.

Dr. Emily Johnson: And we want you to hear well at all stages.

Just things to think about as well.

Lindsey Johnson: So, ultimately, secondhand hearing aids are a great option, but there are just little asterisks next to it. So just make sure that you're in touch with your audiologist ahead of time.

Prior to coming in and being fit: have that hearing test; drop off the devices; get that information out there to see what it is you're working with. I know in our office we'll do our best to help when it is ethical and when we're doing you justice.

Dr. Emily Johnson: We want what's best for you, and if you have been gifted something that is appropriate, we are gonna do everything we can to make sure that you utilize that gift of hearing that you've received.

Lindsey Johnson: All right. Well, thanks for tuning in to this episode of the Hearing [00:15:00] Wellness Journey podcast. Like and Subscribe, so that you get notifications about our next topic.

Dr. Emily Johnson: Absolutely. We'll see you next time.

Lindsey Johnson: Bye!

Dr. Emily Johnson: Bye!

Narrator: Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Hearing Wellness Journey podcast. For more information about what we do and the services we provide, please visit our website at HearingWellnessJourney.com/podcast, where you can find more resources based on today's discussion, as well as request to be a member of our Hearing Wellness Journey community on Facebook. That's available for our listeners exclusively on HearingWellnessJourney.com/podcast.

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