Are iPod Classics still in demand?

Bit of an interesting situation here.

I still own and use an iPod mini, complete with 16GB Flash Storage and an increased capacity battery. Personal preference I suppose, but I consider it a pleasure to use and listen to over the plethora of other touchscreen based devices I have. I’m convinced however that it’s about to die. It’s becoming harder to start up and the battery isn’t faring so well compared to when it was new. The enclosure is chipped and missing screws as well. I have spare parts to repair it but I’m convinced I want to move on to something different.

One possible option is an iPod Classic 160GB Refurbished unit that I purchased a while back but never used, still in its unopened packaging.

My coworkers seem to think I’m completely mad at the mention of the idea. Apparently an iPod Classic in excellent condition can fetch a decent amount still? At least that’s what I’ve heard. Personally I would prefer to have the extra cash if so and instead repair one of the other iPods I have around the place.

That said whenever I have listed it in the past for expressions of interest I haven’t been offered more than $100 for it, which is close to what it would cost to repair a damaged unit anyway. Perhaps I’ve been listing it in the wrong places, I’m not sure.

Can anyone shed some light on the demand and market for these long discontinued devices?

Have a look at the prices for recently sold iPods on ebay mate.

I still use my 160GB classic as a bedside music device. It’s been on the speaker dock for so long that I doubt the battery’s in good shape anymore, and seeing as it’s 5+ years old now, I’m worried that one day the tiny HDD is going to die. I’d love to have a spare as a backup in case that happened.

I still 100% believe that the iPod was the perfect music player. The scrollwheel should never have been dropped.

I have an iPod collection (all models up to the iPod 5th Gen), but do not have a “classic” in my collection. The reason I haven’t added one is that prices on eBay are too high in my opinion. My personal opinion is that the high prices being paid are by people who don’t really have any interest in the iPod at all, but are speculating that the value will go up and up over time. To me there seems to be this false perceived sense that because the classic was the last HDD based iPod, that it will become a collectors item. At the time it was discontinued, there weren’t any options near the 160GB range. With 128GB iPhones now common, and streaming a potentially viable option, I don’t see the demise of the 160GB storage as a problem. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing about the iPod Classic that would make it a desirable collectable.

I am after one as it would “complete” my collection, but as I’ve gotten older and I stare at my cupboard full of iPods, iPhones etc, I just think that it is just stuff and I don’t really “care” about it, so therefore haven’t passionately pursued completing the collection.

I would vote with selling your iPod for as much money as you can and just enjoy life, fix your old iPod and forget about “collectability” etc.

Sold an 80Gb and a 120Gb for a few hundred each both 3 or so years old, laughed all the way to the bank.

I’m just gonna drop in here and say that my first-gen iPod mini still works really well. Only downside is that the battery is shot, but it lives on my alarm clock docking station so it’s all good!

Agreed on the “stuff” angle. As I get older I realise I wonder what is going to happen to all my possessions when I eventually drop off the perch. We’ve been progressively getting rid of “stuff” and furniture and crap in our house over time. Whilst I get nostalgic about the past and things like old PC’s and game consoles, and while it would be fun to actually play one, I know that eventually it would just gather dust and I’d get rid of it again.

As Phase mentions above, if it’s boxed and worth something and you aren’t using it, then get rid of it and use the cash for something you will use. Personally when selling I look at ebay to see what an item will go for and then taking into account the fees I might try and sell it on a forum or something, and if no luck there I’ll list on ebay. It’s often surprising how much stuff goes for.

I’ve fallen victim to this a couple of times. Games consoles turn into dust gatherers for me very quickly. Emulators tend to satisfy my retro gaming requirements quite well.

I think the general advice is: if you want to sell it, someone here will probably buy it off you.

Some people can sell fridges to Eskimos. :wink:

I’m surprised Apple has continued to sell any iPod after a few generations of iPhone…

They still serve a purpose. My wife uses an iPod nano for music even though she has a perfectly fine phone, because she prefers to have something lighter when she goes walking/running. She also only has to charge it about once a week. It’s a fantastic little device.

About five or so years ago now I used to work in a secure gov facility - no phones/cameras could be brought in, but the iPod nano at the time (the square 6th gen model) was allowed.

But only if it has an ice and water dispenser, it’s all about the value adds.

As for the demand… I suppose I understand the desire for smaller lighter iPods for running, so a dedicated device might be great (although do they work with Apple Music?? I know my Classics and old touches don’t).

We still have a couple of iPod Classics that live in the cars, although these days they don’t get alot of use since I just stream stuff from the iPhones instead. Maybe I should pull them out and sell them :stuck_out_tongue: