Cross-sectional survey characterizing online peer-to-peer Marketplace listings for manual wheelchairs in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Purpose: Logistical and financial barriers to accessing medical equipment through registered suppliers may push people to use online peer-to-peer marketplaces. We sought to characterise the availability of standard wheelchairs sold on these platforms. Materials and methods: From March 21–26, 2025, we searched for “manual wheelchairs” across five commonly used online peer-to-peer marketplace platforms (Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, OfferUp and Mercari) in an urban zip code (55455). We extracted the first 20 results per platform with at least 1 photo. We extracted information, including asking price, reported retail price, reported condition, etc. We aggregated data across platforms and used descriptive analysis to characterise listings. Results: We identified and included 67 wheelchair listings. The median (IQR) asking price was $150 ($102–$270). Sellers reported that 33 (49%) wheelchairs were in “new or like new” condition, 30 (45%) were in “used or good” condition, and 4 (6%) noted deficiencies such as missing wheels. Twelve listings featured 1–2 photos (18%), 24 (36%) featured 3–5 photos, and 31 (46%) listings featured >5 photos. Fifty-three (79%) listings offered shipping; median (IQR) shipping price $19 ($0–$41). Fifty-six (84%) were from individuals, while 11 (16%) were listed by businesses. Conclusion: The abundant listings for manual wheelchairs on online peer-to-peer marketplaces represent a workaround to current barriers in access through traditional, regulated sources. While these options improve access to critical medical equipment in the short term, they mask underlying systemic issues and put vulnerable individuals at risk. Future directions could explore policies to improve access and regulation of online wheelchair sales.