So you are looking into purchasing a new iPod? Here are some suggestions. I recently purchased an iPod Classic on eBay, and spent a lot of time finding the right one I wanted to buy. There are a lot of versions of the iPod. I purchased an iPod Classic 80GB, and an iPod Touch 26gb, 2nd Generation. I've spent a lot of time in figuring what I should look for to get the best price. Anything from the iPod Classic and up can apply to this article, asid from pricing.

What to expect to pay

iPod Classic
If you are paitient you can get an iPod Classic 80GB for $135 or less (not including shipping). I payed about $152 for mine, but it came with over $50 in accessories, $25 of which I would have purchased anyway. It took about 2 weeks of going to eBay every day and watching the bids that fit my stantards, and emailing the sellers a list of questions I had. If you were buying only the iPod and it's accessories, I would not pay more than $150 (not including shipping) for the total bid, if it is used.

iPod Touch, 16 GB, 2nd Generation
You can get this for about $135, not including shipping. That would include at least the iPod itself. I spent $136, but mine came with a $25 protective shield, which as with the Classic, I was going to get anyway. No scratches on the screen is a must, the back may have some slight scratching. More people keep their iPod touch in a protective sleeve or case.

What to look for

The iPod I was wanting to buy was still being sold, so finding one in really good condition was not too much of a problem. Most were a little over a year old. I wanted a seller who had sold at least 50 items, and had 100% positive feedback. For the iPod Touch, they were all under warranty still, and under a year old.

The iPod should be in good condition, no scratches on the face or screen. Minimal scratching could be expected on the back, as the silver backing scratches very easily, but you can find some that have no scraches at all on the back, especially if they have been in a protective case (must have for any video iPod).

Questions to Ask

Hopefully the seller will give a complete explination of the product, its condition, how long he has had it, why he is selling it, ect. If not, you will need to email him and ask him the following questions if they are not in the product info.

Is it charging to it's complete charge level, or has the battery life decreased from use? - You will want an iPod with a full battery life. The battery life decreases as it is used.

Is it recognized in iTunes? - this is rare, but it can happen.

Are there scratches on the screen, and if so, are they noticeable, or faint? - scratches on the screen smudge the view if you are watching video or playing a game.

How long have you had this iPod, and is it still under warranty? - the newer it is, the better condition. If it is under warranty then you are legible for certian benefits if the product breaks.

Why are you selling it? - They could be upgrading, need the money, or selling it for someone else.

If it fails to function (won't power up, won't hook up to computer, etc) when I receive it can I return it? - you need to be sure the seller will let you return the product if it is defective. There should be a return policy in the item listing, 3 to 7 days is the norm, sometimes it is up to 30 days.

Are you the sole owner of this iPod, or have there been previous owners?

Did you run this on a PC, or on a Mac? - If the iPod is formatted on a Mac computer, it will not work on a PC at all. However, an iPod formatted on a Mac WILL work on a PC.

I hope this helps you in purchasing your iPod.

Thanks for reading this guide.