How Much Are Diabetic Test Strips?
How much diabetic test strips are worth depends on which direction you're going. Buying them, expect roughly $0.50 to $2.00 a strip. Selling unused ones, the numbers are lower and far less widely published — so they're below, by brand.
What they cost to buy
Retail pricing varies more than most products of this kind. Brand, pack size, pharmacy and whether you're using insurance all move it, and the same box can differ by $40 between two shops on the same street. Without coverage, a 100-count box commonly lands somewhere between $50 and $150.
If cost is the problem rather than surplus, it's worth asking your pharmacist about manufacturer assistance programmes and store-brand equivalents before anything else — both routinely beat what you'd find hunting for deals, and neither involves buying from strangers.
What unused boxes are worth if you sell them
These are what you'd receive for a sealed, unexpired 100-count box with 9+ months of dating, which is where value peaks. Shorter dating pays less.
| Product | You receive |
|---|---|
| Contour Next 100ct (7312) | $10 – $17 |
| Contour 100ct (7090G) | $16 – $27 |
| Accu-Chek Aviva Plus 100ct | $19 – $32 |
| Accu-Chek Smartview 100ct | $20 – $33 |
| FreeStyle Lite 100ct | $12 – $20 |
| OneTouch Ultra 100ct | $6 – $10 |
| Contour Next 50ct (7311) | $5 – $8 |
| Accu-Chek Guide 50ct | $4 – $7 |
Ranges, not fixed prices. What you're offered depends on expiration date, condition and what our wholesale buyers are paying that week — their sheets change monthly. Send a photo and you'll get the actual number rather than a range.
Value falls as the date nears
This is the part people lose money on. A box with 10+ months left is worth substantially more than the same box at 6 months — on some products the gap is more than half. Past the printed date it's worth nothing to anyone. There's no version of waiting that improves the number.
How much are diabetic test strips?
At retail, typically somewhere between $0.50 and $2.00 per strip depending on brand, pack size and where you buy — so a 100-count box often lands between $50 and $150 without insurance. Store and generic brands sit at the low end; name-brand boxes from a pharmacy sit at the top.
How much do diabetic test strips sell for?
A sealed, in-date 100-count box commonly sells for $6 to $32 depending on brand — see the table above. Expiration dating drives it more than anything else: 9 or more months earns the most, and the value drops as the date approaches. Smaller 50-count boxes sell for proportionally less.
Why is the resale value less than what they cost?
Because we resell them on to wholesale buyers and the margin between those two numbers is the business. We're straightforward about it: you get a fraction of retail, but it's a fraction of something that's otherwise heading for the bin at zero. Anyone claiming to pay near retail either isn't paying it or isn't going to complete.
Which brands are worth the most?
Contour, Accu-Chek Aviva Plus and Accu-Chek Smartview tend to be the strongest per box. OneTouch Ultra sits lower. Retail-packaged boxes are worth more than the mail-order or 'not for retail sale' equivalents of the same product, which are frequently worth nothing to us at all.
What makes the value drop?
Expiration dating first — the single biggest factor. Then condition: a dented or creased box takes a small deduction, while opened, water-damaged or expired boxes generally can't be resold at all. Storage matters too, since heat and humidity degrade strips without leaving anything visible.
More on what affects the number: how close to expiry we can still buy, how storage affects value, and which supplies can legally be sold. We also buy Dexcom supplies, FreeStyle Libre sensors and Medtronic pump supplies, which are worth considerably more per box than strips.
Retail figures are general estimates and vary by region, pharmacy and insurance. Resale ranges reflect what we currently pay and change as our wholesale buyers update their sheets.