How Do You Sell Your Used MP3 Player?

If you have decided to upgrade and want to sell your used MP3 player, there are a lot of places to choose from.

eBay is the most popular, but also has the most competition. If you choose to sell on eBay, first carefully review the offerings that are currently up for your type player before setting your selling price. If you don't want to hassle with an auction, you can set a Buy It Now price that is fair, and reflects what you want to get. You can also set a lower start price with a reserve price, but be aware that eBay charges more for reserve priced auctions!

Take good digital photos of your player from all angles, and pull the specifications off the web and place them prominently in your listing. Listings without details get lost, easily. Also, make sure you pay for the picture that shows in the list that comes up in the initial search.

Other markets to sell your used MP3 player include Amazon.com - which is less crowded, and Craigslist. Craigslist does limit you to only the local market, but then you don't have to worry about shipping.

Which are the Best Used MP3 Players to Buy?

When buying an MP3 player, look for top reviewed players that are not discontinued by their manufacturers, as discontinued products may not have many accessories available for them should you need them.

Some of the better used MP3 players include the iPod Nanos, as they are most likely just being traded up for an iPod with more memory, the iPod 30G videos for the same reason and the iRiver Clix.

Be sure to get at least a third generation iPod, which is compatible with the current version of iTunes and easier to use than earlier generations.

The Toshiba Gigabeat is also a durable player, so a used version should be a great bargain.

The biggest issue with the discontinued iPod Minis was battery life, although there are many used Minis available, it is best to avoid them for this reason.

MP3 Player Buying Guides on the Web

The Internet is full of MP3 player buying guides; there are so many that it can be very confusing! The best one we have found is the one on CNET (www.cnet.com), which breaks down recommendations and buying information into categories, such as hard drive based MP3 players, flash-based MP3 players and MP3 CD players. It even includes a guide on how MP3 players work for newbies to this technology.

Another great buying guide that will help you clarify which type player you need is on About.com under Portables. This guide helps you clarify what you need in a player, and what you don't.

The key questions to ask yourself when shopping for an MP3 player are these:

• How long will I use my player at a time - how much memory will I need?
• Will I be using it while working out in rugged environments?
• Do I want it to replace my car radio - should I get a built-in FM tuner?
• Do I need it to also record voice messages?
• How important is sound quality?
• Does it have to work with a MAC (some players are PC only)?
• Does it have to have a long battery life, and do you need the batteries to be easily accessible?
• Does it have to look cool?

The Microsoft Zune MP3 Player

Although Microsoft's answer to the iPod has 30GB of internal memory, a built-in WiFi chipset for Zune-to-Zune file sharing, and superior audio capabilities, it has been met with lukewarm market acceptance to date.

Why is this? Users say that its proprietary USB interface is difficult to use, it is not backwards compatible with WMA-DRM9 formatting, you can't use the WiFi interface to synch, stream, or purchase content and it cannot play protected video content. The most known issue is that Zune sharing is limited to three plays of a song within three days - something most users didn't think was worth the effort.

Other than these issues, it does have a nicely designed package, its own music store and intuitive and easy-to-use GUI, and a rugged case.

Downloading Music Into Your iPod MP3 Player

Finding and downloading music into your iPod MP3 player is part of the fun of having an iPod and it's easy.

First, install the iTunes disc that came with your player. If you have music already stored on your computer - go to File - then Import Folder to import an entire folder, or Import File to import just one tune.

You can also insert CDs into your CD drive - a screen will pop up asking you if you want to store this CD in iTunes. Click to affirm that you want to do this, and you will see the import progress on the top of your iTunes menu.

You can also purchase many fresh, new tracks from the iTunes store as well as from a wide variety of music sites on the Internet.

Once you have your library full, you can organize your tunes into playlists - such as Country, Jazz, Comedy, etc., and connect your iPod MP3 player to your computer with the included cable. The side menu of your iTunes screen will show your iPod, and you can drag and drop playlists into it from the screen.

iTrip with Docking Station; iTrip(Dock)

The latest FM transmitter from Griffin Technologies designed for the iPod runs around $49, and contains a docking station.

It "remembers" the last frequency you tuned to, and displays it on an LCD readout at the bottom of the device. This saves the frustrating search for a workable frequency that was characteristic of the first generation car MP3 FM transmitters.

It offers a choice between LX and DX modes too, and DX provides superior noise filtering for great sound quality, even in areas where too many stations crowd the FM bands.

It contains a temperature stable crystal oscillator with phase-locked-loop control to keep the signal steady - which in layman's language, means that it has a stable frequency source with a feedback mechanism to keep it locked to where you are sending the sound!

Griffin has similar products for other MP3 players, as well.