18 replies to this topic

[Bill'sWS6]

I bought a used TiLite ZRA (demo) off Ebay not to long ago. It is a nice chair for the $750 I paid. I didn't have enough money to buy a new one at the time. So, I was thinking, what is a fair price to pay for a good lightweight manual wheelchair?

Since I was buying a rigid chair, lets try to stick to what's fair to pay for one of those. I know insurance drives up the cost since they pay so much. I am trying to find out what others think is a good price to pay for a rigid chair if it's coming out of your pocket?
Let's use a ZR or a ZRA style cantilever chair as the example since this seems to be the most popular style these days.


I will keep out of the voting but think that $1,250 for a chair with everything, including brakes and choice of standard rear wheels & casters.

Let's stick with Aluminum chairs for now. You can post a reply with what you think is fair for Titanium.

Thanks,

Bill

Edited by Bill'sWS6, 17 June 2010 - 06:56 PM.

[wheeels]

Hmm

This is hard as I don't have to pay out of pocket for my chair unless I go over the allowable limit.

Really I guess I can't put a price on something that gives me freedom as with out it I would be F**Ked

And it depends on the chair I would say that some are worth more then others, and do I want spinergy's or sun wheels??

[dreamerr]

I paid for insurance my whole life and can't understand why they only want to give us a chair we can't lift or wheel. A light weight chair should be fully covered with all the things we need included. I suppose bells and whistles should be up to us. I wouldn't mind if they said ever three years to get a new one either, maybe even five. I don't really have a clue about that since I use a scooter as much as the manual and have no idea how long it will last. I do know that the breaks get loose all the time and I can never fix them correctly. I need a course in wheelchair maintenance which I don't even know if it exists.

[greybeard]

Like you, I bought an eBay ex-demo from Tilite - the best value by far that I found after extensive research. (I would recommend this to anyone. It's just a matter of waiting until one your size is offered. Their guy that deals with eBay sales is very helpful)

Comparing the technology and materials involved, but taking into account the lower demand for them, I think chairs ought to be just a little more expensive than the average good quality aluminium bicycle. That would be a fair price, but it's very doubtful that we would ever see it because of the "MEDICAL" mark-up.

Edited by greybeard, 16 October 2011 - 09:18 AM.

[qbounce]

My Coulors Spazz G, was about $2,700.00 brand new w/ X-CORE wheels back in 2006, fully covered by insurance.

I'd say, Bill, you got a fair deal for a used TiLite.

[greybeard]

A word about the "used" Tilites that the company sells on eBay: I may have been exceptionally lucky but although described as used, mine showed no trace of previous use and was in pristine "as new" condition. I paid £800.00 UK ($1,265) for a titanium TR, and although it is a great chair, I think that the price I paid ought to be around what a new one should cost - not the £4,000 ($6,300) plus that you would have to pay a UK retailer for a new one.

Getting back on topic, I think Bill's valuation is spot on.

[Tetracyclone]

I paid $3400 for my titanium zra 3 years ago, purchased from spinlife. It is a rigid with solid seat. Insurance eventually paid $2100 of that but it took me 2 appeals processes and one personal appeal by my husband's company's nurse who deals with their insurance company. Once "someone who knew someone" spoke with an actual person, they paid right up.

Now that there is no time pressure I will wait on e-bay to show something suitable, as GB suggested.

[megatrig]

Only 10 members casting a vote!!!

This is a nightmare one as I guess we have gotten used to paying £1000's for a chair!!

I'll ponder it more!!

[Zack]

Did you think I stole it? I would of if I could.

[sherbs]

Paid out of pocket for my Cyclone Mirage Ti adjustable, as was deemed "not disabled enough " for the good old NHS system. Like i would want want if i didn't have to have one, Hmm

i am on the lookout for a set of spinergy spokes wheels 25" as a spare set if anyone knows anyone who are selling a pair, please,

[russ1]

Do people really think if the chairs could be developed, marketed, made and sold at half the price that they are sold at and the manufacturer still make a profit that they wouldn't do so. There's a decent global market out there with enough competition to convince me that the prices being charged represent the actual costs of making and selling a small volume, custom made product.

Of course we'd all like to pay less - but there is a reason that they cost what they do.

[Tetracyclone]

Do people really think if the chairs could be developed, marketed, made and sold at half the price that they are sold at and the manufacturer still make a profit that they wouldn't do so. There's a decent global market out there with enough competition to convince me that the prices being charged represent the actual costs of making and selling a small volume, custom made product.

Of course we'd all like to pay less - but there is a reason that they cost what they do.

Agreed.

[turbotet]

Paid out of pocket for my Cyclone Mirage Ti adjustable, as was deemed "not disabled enough " for the good old NHS system. Like i would want want if i didn't have to have one, Hmm

i am on the lookout for a set of spinergy spokes wheels 25" as a spare set if anyone knows anyone who are selling a pair, please,

There ya go, http://www.epc-wheel...00-per-pair.htm

[greybeard]

Of course we'd all like to pay less - but there is a reason that they cost what they do.

I would agree with you - if we were all charged similar prices, but you must have noticed that British retailers selling products imported from the USA simply leave the numbers unchanged and just replace the $ sign with a £ sign. This doesn't only apply to wheelchairs, and yes, I know there are transportation costs and import duty etc., but these do not amount to anything like the big mark-up.

[sherbs]

Paid out of pocket for my Cyclone Mirage Ti adjustable, as was deemed "not disabled enough " for the good old NHS system. Like i would want want if i didn't have to have one, Hmm

i am on the lookout for a set of spinergy spokes wheels 25" as a spare set if anyone knows anyone who are selling a pair, please,

There ya go, http://www.epc-wheel...00-per-pair.htm

Wow, thanks so much for the link, just what i am after, you are a star,

[russ1]

Of course we'd all like to pay less - but there is a reason that they cost what they do.

I would agree with you - if we were all charged similar prices, but you must have noticed that British retailers selling products imported from the USA simply leave the numbers unchanged and just replace the $ sign with a £ sign. This doesn't only apply to wheelchairs, and yes, I know there are transportation costs and import duty etc., but these do not amount to anything like the big mark-up.

http://money.uk.msn.com/investing/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=156030156

Interesting

[wheeliebear75]

I got my 1st chair @ %100 insurance paid for never saw a price tag when I got discharged from Chidren's hospital...took a few weeks & til then I had to use foam inserts/wedges to take up the extra space between me & the sides of the rental clunker.

By gaining the ability to walk 50-100 ft I "lost the NEED" for a wheelchair....at least in the eyes of paper pushing A** HOLES!

Since then I've bought myself a new Quickie Breezy @ I think $800 & it wasn't "a bad chair"....for the $.

The used chairs didn't fit ME properly; but 1 I got for free from a Vet. who got a new one & didn't want the older one so can't complain too much as it was FREE but I gave it away because the position of it was set to leaning back (WAAAY BAD for ME!) and gave it away along with a cushion I had bought for $250 but sold for only $100 (both parts), & then the Quickie XTR I got used for $300 in 2003 was great except my legs were too short so I had to get spacers to raise the foot plate up by about 4-6 inches (I still use the older XTR inside as it's the narrowest chair I've got).


My "BABY" is my 2005 Quickie XTR; custom built @ a price tag of $3,040....it has airless inserts so no flats EVER, side guards, spoke guards, swing away armrests, & that cost included the $400 ROHO Quattro air cushion.

My custom built chair; has the features that are most important to ME, is much more comfortable than the used ones (made to fit MY body), lighter over-all weight, I got to pick the color.

[greybeard]

Of course we'd all like to pay less - but there is a reason that they cost what they do.

I would agree with you - if we were all charged similar prices, but you must have noticed that British retailers selling products imported from the USA simply leave the numbers unchanged and just replace the $ sign with a £ sign. This doesn't only apply to wheelchairs, and yes, I know there are transportation costs and import duty etc., but these do not amount to anything like the big mark-up.

http://money.uk.msn....entid=156030156

Interesting

Thanks for the link. Yes, it was interesting, but the writer just raised the same issue as I did. He strayed off course a little by arguing that they pay more for cosmetics in the US, as if that had some relevance. Over all, no convincing explanation was given.

[russ1]

I think the point was that outside of the different tax regimes market forces apply and that it's not an entirely one way street.