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Buying iPods on eBay
In a recent article by Anthony Bruno he states that
The popular iPod Nano and the just-released video iPod are expected to lead a surge of holiday sales for Apple Computer. Research firm Fulcrum Global Partners predicts Apple will sell 10 million iPods in the fourth quarter, a strong follow-up to the 7 million sold in the previous quarter. But not all of these sales will be to new iPod owners.Enter eBay. A recent search on eBay.com (201105) revealed that there were over 9000 Apple iPods for sale and over 53000 Apple iPod Accessories ( from armbands to earphones to covers and chargers) .Piper Jaffray analysts say about 30 percent of the iPod purchasers are now repeat buyers who are either replacing an existing, earlier-generation iPod or adding to their range of styles (such as an iPod Shuffle and a video iPod).
As reported on Reuters an interesting aspect is that people's "collections" are sometimes included in the sale - I wonder if this will be a way of adding value to a second-hand iPod in the future. Mentioned is the fact that:
Several iPods up for auction include the sellers' music collection and instructions on how to transfer the music from the iPod to the buyer's computer. Some even take requests for additional songs to be added prior to shipping.However, despite what eBay says about how little fraud there is on their sites, in my opinion and from personal experience it is very much "buyer beware". Â iPodBloggers.com provide innovative RSS feeds for finding suitable iPods on eBay. We have tried to filter out potential scammers but
One video iPod for sale contains an entire season of TV show "King of Queens" included.
- Check the feedback of the seller. Don't be fooled by the fact that the seller has e.g. 50 positive feedbacks. Have a look at his/her history, he could have purchased many low cost items, paid quickly and asked for positive comments.
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When you pay with PayPal for an item covered by PayPal Buyer Protection, you may receive coverage up to $1,000 at no additional cost. To see if an item is covered by PayPal Buyer Protection, look for the following in the "seller information" section of the seller's listing.
For full details check out: PayPal Buyer Protection on the eBay site
- As a general rule run a mile when the seller wants payment by Western Union only
- If possible use your credit card and PayPal to make the purchase
- Don't go outside eBay to make the transaction even if a mouth watering offer is made
- Don't respond to second chance offers
- Look for the "Square Trade" sign
- Is the seller a "Powerseller" as he's much more likely to be honest
- Does the seller have an eBay shop - and for how long
- Does the seller have a "Me" page - check for any clues
- Always email the seller with a question about the condition - ask for details of every scratch or problem. If the condition isn't what is claimed it should help you with any claim afterwards
- eMail one or two people who have previously purchased from the seller to find out if the transaction was as stated
- Don't forget to check the postage and insurance and add it on to your bid
- Check the iPod Bloggers list of iPod models with the model number and check with the seller so you are absolutely clear what you are buying
- Don't panic - if there is any doubt in your mind don't go ahead with the purchase. The beauty of eBay is that there are new items posted all the time.
iPod, iPod Nano and iPod Mini rank No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6, respectively, in searches on eBay, and this is translating into high sales numbers. Over 3,400 of the recently-released iPod Nanos have sold -- the black model selling more than 2-to-1 over the white. Of the iPod Minis, blue, silver and pink models are the most popular among eBay shoppers
Have a go using iPodBloggers FREE eBay RSS feeds and see how easy and quick finding your dream iPod is. We provide feeds for all iPod models - currently for the .com and .co.uk sites (more to follow soon) for either new listings or grab yourself a bargain with our Two hours to go feed.
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