Refurbished iPod

The iPod range from Apple is the world most popular range of media and music players with around 70% of the market.

Apple's range of iPod media players comes in four main versions, the iPod Touch, iPod Classic, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle. Each of these lines is usually available in different memory sizes and colors.

While iPods are popular, they can be more expensive than other brands of media player. Since Apple also maintains tighter control over the pricing of its products than many other companies, it can be difficult to find good deals on iPods.

Refurbished iPods are one of the top-selling discount electronic items on the market. While it's not always possible to know why an iPod is sold as a "refurb," they are generally customer returns or defective iPods that have been repaired and tested.

For a complete guide to buying refurbished electronics without regret, see How to Buy Refurbished Electronics.

For the low down on retailers who sell refurbs, see How to Find Refurbished Electronics.

Many people are wary of refurbished technology because they don’t fully understand what “refurbished” means in practice. A "refurbished product" can mean an overstocked item or older model still in its original packing. It can also refer to an item that has been sold to a customer who opened the box and returned it, an item with mild cosmetic damage like surface scrapes or dings , or an item that has been rebuilt to repair some problem.

In fact around one in five consumer electronics items sold in the US are returned, and only about 5 percent of those are actually seriously defective. Over two-thirds of electronics returned to retailers work perfectly, and are simply not what the customer expected.http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2008/08/refurbished-e-1.html

Items that were returned to the manufacturer either with minor cosmetic problems or with more serious technical ones are fully restored to as-new working condition, re-inspected and repackaged before being offered for resale at a much lower price. Usually these refurbished products will be fully backed by the manufacturer’s warranty and will be indistinguishable from brand new products. Therefore they often represent an opportunity to buy an as-new product for a bargain price.

There are three main places where you can refurbished products. The first option is from the manufacturer, in this case Apple. The second is to buy online from a variety of online outlets. The final option is to buy from specialist “buyout retailers”.

• iLounge Forums: Are refurbished iPods safe/reliable?