First, Do not use eBay as a means to locate an iPod. It is too easy to have the seller send something that they legitmately thought was working and arrives to you in an un-working order.

Video iPods: Remember, the drives in an iPod are engineered to be in a laptop computer. A laptop hard drive is used in iPods and iPods are given a lot more rigorous use than a laptop which stays stationary. You will never really know how badly the drive has been treated.

The first thing at in a used iPod is the docking port on the bottom. Flip the device up so you can see the bottom.docking port. Tilt it back and slightly so you can all of the connecting pins. They should lay flat inside the Grey base plastic. If they are lifted or lifting or bent up and back into the port you may hvae already lost permenently your data or recharge your battery/power connection.

The seller will not tell you they've bent the connection pins and rely on you to see that the device plays and appears to work, but you will never be able to change the songs on it or recharge the battery.

If you see any of the pins are lifting or bent, pass on the device.

The next I check is to see that I have a good drive. You do this by hearing. Press the center button on the iPod and then bring it up to your ear. The platter in the drive spins in the clockwise direction, if it's works well there will be a slight push anti-clockwise in your hand know as "gyroscopic precession". In your hand as you are raising it, look for smooth "gyroscopic precession". This is the feel of the drive wanting to move in the counter-clockwise position in your hand. You don't want to feel rumbles or grinding. Listen to drive, if there is clatter from excess armature movement, the drive is "weak". It has a number of known bad blocks that it is trying to avoid using and is working around. Excess armature movement, will sound like.... click..click-click then repeat. If there is grinding pass on the device, you know why they are selling it.

The next thing I look at is the screen, is there appearance of fracture in the screen? If so they may have dropped it and it needs to have the screen replaced. If I find a damaged screen I merely lower what I am willing to pay by $70 since I will have to repair it. In your case you may want to pass on it. Do I have good contrast on the screen. This is more important in Black and White models but LCD screen have a tendency to wash out over time and you need to hike the contrast. If the screen is washed out, try to adjust upward the contrast using the Settings function under the mail menu. If the contrast can be made to give you good visability then it's passed that test.

The next thing I test is that there is good sound coming from both sides of the earphones. If the device has been dropped with headphones plugged in there is a good chance the iPod landed on the plug. When that happens it pushes the plug so far into the jack that it permanently damages it's ability to present sound in the right headphone. So bring your own headphones. Turn the device on and start to use the menu to find a song, perhaps one you know already. Insert your earbuds hit the Pause button to return it to Play mode and listen to hear that you have good noticable sound from both sides. If you have crackling while you performa slight wiggle on the plug then it was dropped but not bad enough to damage permanently the right channel. That crackle from the loosness will drive you crazy if you bought this iPod, pass on it. So you want good sound with no plug looseness.

You will never be able to check the life of the battery, just hope it's okay.

There you have it. Notice you can perform none of these tests if you shop on eBay.