Texas Company Puts CPAPs on Auction Block

HOUSTON–A new Internet auction site that links buyers and
sellers of sleep apnea equipment went live Sept. 4.

The site, CPAPAuction.com, “is designed for HMEs who want to
liquidate excess inventory, as well as dealers who want an
extremely low-cost, low-risk method of entering the online space,”
said Johnny Goodman, general manager of Houston-based U.S.
Expediters. The company is parent to CPAPAuction.com as well as
CPAP.com, an Internet CPAP store; CPAPtalk.com, a patient education
and support site; and BillMyInsurance.com, a CPAP Web site that
accepts popular insurance plans for CPAP items.

New and used CPAP, APAP and bilevel machines, masks and related
equipment are available on the site. Sellers can post photos and
detailed information, including the condition of the used items.
“Until Oct. 1, sellers may post virtually unlimited listings for a
one-time registration fee of $1,” Goodman said.

Sellers work out arrangements for payment and delivery directly
with the buyers.

Goodman said the new site was prompted by patients who either
were asking where they could sell equipment or were swapping
equipment on support forums.

“Our strong existing Web presence put us in a good position to
build an auction site that makes buying and selling CPAP easy,”
Goodman said.

Although giant Internet marketer eBay does not allow sale of
CPAP devices, Goodman noted that CPAPAuction.com can manage
prescriptions. That is one of the safety precautions in place on
the site, he said.

“CPAPAuction.com uses an auction feedback system and a
proprietary prescription management software system to ensure that
our marketplace is safe and efficient for both buyers and sellers,”
Goodman said.

Patients must have a prescription on file before bidding on
prescription items.

“Patients who wish to bid on prescription items can upload, fax
or e-mail their prescriptions to us,” Goodman said. “We review the
prescription, assign the product categories the prescription
qualifies for and inform the buyer of the results of our review. In
this way, sellers listing prescription products know that all bids
from consumers on the product are legitimate.”

So far, Goodman said, the site has gotten good response. As of
Sept. 12, it had 633 registered users who placed 759 bids for 187
items; 122 transactions were closed successfully via 43 registered
sellers, Goodman said.

The site is averaging more than 1,200 visitors a day, Goodman
said, and “we expect that CPAPAuction.com will continue to grow
from here as word spreads.”