These are some tips for anyone who has bought or is buying a used iPod on . I know I might be biassed, but I think that buying a used iPod on is a GREAT IDEA! It’s much smarter than buying brand new.

Anyways, that said, here’s what you should do when you get your happy new (used) iPod:

1) Have iTunes installed on your computer before you plug your iPod in. The latest version of the software is available for free at apple.com/itunes.

2) Let the battery charge. Even if the screen flashes on and off, or you get some other unhappy behavior, leave the iPod plugged in for a while before you do anything.

3) Restore the iPod to factory settings. To do this, plug your iPod into your computer, and wait for it to appear in the source pannel of the iTunes software. Then click the ‘restore’ button that appears in the main pannel and follow the directions.

Restoring to factory settings will erase any files left on by a previous owner (which you can’t use anyways). It will also take care of most weird problems an iPod might have. Once you do this, you should be enjoying your iPod as if it were brand new!

The following suggestions are for if you can’t get the iPod to show up in the source panel of your iTunes software:

1) If the screen is flashing, toggling the ‘hold’ switch on and off sometimes helps.

2) Reset the iPod. To do this, toggle the ‘hold’ switch on and off a few times, then hold down the ‘menu’ button and the center button at the same time for 5-10 seconds. This resets the iPod

3) Boot the iPod in ‘disk mode’. To do this, first reset the iPod. Then, when the apple first appears, hold down the ‘play’ button and the center button at the same time. In disk mode, sometimes iTunes recognizes the iPod and allows you to restore it to factory settings when it will not do the same otherwise.

If you plug the ipod in and nothing at all appears on the screen, zip, zilch, nada, you’re out of luck. You won’t be able to fix this ipod up yourself. You should send it back to your seller.

I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS accept a returned ipod. Your seller should too. If you seller doesn’t have a return policy, buy from me instead =) Thanks for reading, and happy bidding!