iPod New in box iPod Gen 6 Nanos on eBAY legit?

[theorist9]

I'm seeing a lot of 'New in box iPod Gen 6 Nano sealed' listings on eBAY, from sellers with high reputations. They are photographed within the original plastic cases.. It surprises me that there would be so many of these, given the devices' likely ages (it was discontinued Sept. 2012, so these should be over a decade old). Is there a reason so many are available? I ask become I'm wondering if they're legit.

Also, if I do get one, from what I've read online, it's easy to confirm if it is a real iPod: The fakes won't sync to iTunes. Is that correct?

I have both a Gen 7 and a Gen 6, and the Gen 7 has far surperior functionality. However, the Gen 6 has one clear advantage: They switched to an inferior DAC on the Gen 7, and the Gen 6 thus sounds better with music.

I was wondering what the battery life would be like in a new decade-old iPod, but the life is fine in my Gen 6, so hopefully that in an unused one should be good as well.

 

[Slix]

They are probably old stock from stores or from people who never opened them, perhaps they got them as gifts and never used them.

Unopened iPod batteries are very likely to be completely dead after 10+ years of sitting unused. It would be more worth your time and money to find some on eBay that are already used (and have at least some confirmed battery life still) due to the likelihood of failure in an unopened one and the high cost of sealed ones. Sealed iPods at this point are best for collectors who never plan to open them.

Good luck!

 

[okkibs]

Usually they are actually unopened and sealed, but there is always a general risk as with all Ebay purchases that it's listed as "condition: new" but isn't actually sealed. Then there is no way to know how new it really is. Again, usually it's fine.

Despite the battery likely needing replacement, I'd still buy a new unopened one and replace the battery myself. Better than some used iPod that has been in used for a decade and longer already. Sometimes the battery will even still work fine!

Are you sure you want the iPod Nano? It's limited to 16GB, it can't easily be opened, and it's so small that replacing the battery is at the very least annoying (that's assuming you don't damage something in the process, it happened to me and at this point I have a single working iPod and a couple half-broken spares). It doesn't run Rockbox either.

The iPod Classic can be opened more easily and there is an adapter to switch the HDD for SD cards: https://www.iflash.xyz and it runs Rockbox.

The one with the supposedly better DAC is the 5th gen (iPod Video), but I had both the 5th gen and the 7th gen, and the 7th gen has a better quality housing and display, slightly better/faster firmware and sounds no worse even with expensive headphones.

The housing difference makes the 5th gen look cheap, whereas the later models could have been released right now and you couldn't tell the actual age.

 

[retta283]

It does seem like they are legitimate. What you want to watch for are very low feedback sellers (low hundreds or double/single digits) and especially sellers from China. Almost all old tech products you buy from China that are considered new are fake. Take the sealed iPod classic 5th gens that are on eBay as an example. It's a used iPod with a fake shell put on it and fake accessories and photo copied box and paperwork to make it look new. It's a scam. The inferior quality of all of these components is immediately noticeable when it's in your hands. Some others have cracked this scam open on YouTube and whatnot, those are the things to truly beware of.

A fair warning however as these are legitimate, note that these 10+ year old batteries may have degraded due to lack of use. Sometimes having no use at all over such a long time is very bad for them, having at least sporadic charging of the batteries is good for them. Usually you want a lightly used product compared to a new product with regards to battery. Of course you can always replace it but then there's little reason to buy a sealed one, at least IMO.

 

[arw]

You can always check the authenticity of Apple products here by entering the serial.
Prior to your purchase you could contact the seller and ask if the iPods are genuine and that you will check the serial with Apple. If you do not get a response, you know what's up.

The (probably) dead battery aside, it's not too unusual that old stock is re-discovered years later.
We're not talking about 10 years but even Apple suddenly restarted selling the 2016 iPhone SE in 2019.

Apple Begins Selling iPhone SE Again on Clearance Store, Starting at $249 Brand New [Back in Stock]

Four months after Apple stopped selling the iPhone SE, the beloved device has made a sudden return to Apple's online store. Apple is offering...

www.macrumors.com

eBay of course is always a gamble.

 

[theorist9]

Thanks folks!

Unopened iPod batteries are very likely to be completely dead after 10+ years of sitting unused. It would be more worth your time and money to find some on eBay that are already used (and have at least some confirmed battery life still)

A fair warning however as these are legitimate, note that these 10+ year old batteries may have degraded due to lack of use. Sometimes having no use at all over such a long time is very bad for them, having at least sporadic charging of the batteries is good for them. Usually you want a lightly used product compared to a new product with regards to battery. Of course you can always replace it but then there's little reason to buy a sealed one, at least IMO.

Those are good points. If I buy a sealed one, I should at least ensure it's returnable if the battery can no longer hold a charge.

Are you sure you want the iPod Nano? It's limited to 16GB, it can't easily be opened, and it's so small that replacing the battery is at the very least annoying (that's assuming you don't damage something in the process, it happened to me and at this point I have a single working iPod and a couple half-broken spares). It doesn't run Rockbox either.

Yeah. I use it for trail running and other workouts, and don't want to carry anything heavier or larger.

You can always check the authenticity of Apple products here by entering the serial.
Prior to your purchase you could contact the seller and ask if the iPods are genuine and that you will check the serial with Apple. If you do not get a response, you know what's up.

I tried a Nano 6th gen that I think is legit (it works with iTunes), and I got an error, suggesting that site won't work for obsolete products. Have you been able to confirm it works for older iPods?

 

[arw]

Have you been able to confirm it works for older iPods?

This is my oldest one from eBay.
So obsolete/vintage devices can still be validated.
Personally I've never come across a device that did not pass the check. So I never had to second-guess an error/failed response.

 

[okkibs]

If I buy a sealed one, I should at least ensure it's returnable if the battery can no longer hold a charge.

What? No, the entire point of selling a sealed iPod is to sell a truly unused and brand new product despite it having been discontinued more than a decade ago. That's what you pay extra for, they absolutely cannot be returned. At that point it would be a used iPod like any other, those go for much less.

Do not buy a sealed unopened one if you want the ability to return it.

These sealed iPods are bought by fans that think iPods are the best music players that ever existed and want to keep an iPod "for life" or at least many more decades and maintain it too. If you just want something small for sports you can sync 8GB of mp3 files (about 1000 files at high quality vbr v0) to a cheap Apple Watch SE and use that with any bluetooth headphones.

 

[theorist9]

What? No, the entire point of selling a sealed iPod is to sell a truly unused and brand new product despite it having been discontinued more than a decade ago. That's what you pay extra for, they absolutely cannot be returned. At that point it would be a used iPod like any other, those go for much less.

Do not buy a sealed unopened one if you want the ability to return it.

These sealed iPods are bought by fans that think iPods are the best music players that ever existed and want to keep an iPod "for life" or at least many more decades and maintain it too. If you just want something small for sports you can sync 8GB of mp3 files (about 1000 files at high quality vbr v0) to a cheap Apple Watch SE and use that with any bluetooth headphones.

Wrong. Please don't come onto this thread and presume to lecture me with uniformed nonsense:

1) If you actually took the time to check eBAY, you would see that some new iPods are returnable, and some are not.

2) IME, what tends to fail on older iPods isn't the battery, it's the buttons. That's the reason I was considering a new iPod--they don't have years of button use. Plus it's nice to have a new unit. Just because you can only see a single reason that people would buy a new iPod, that doesn't mean there aren't other reasons out there.

3) I have very high-quality wired headphones that I could not use with a watch.

4) I do not think the iPod is the best music player out there, nor do I know anyone serious who thinks it is. I'm sure the A&K SP2000T and its competitors beat it soundly. I do think, particularly with its extreme light weight and seamless integration with iTunes, that the iPod Nano, specifically, is one of the most convenient (for me, and my usage).

It's always a mistake (and typically pretty obnoxious) to presume your limited view applies to everyone.

Can't say I'm surprised, though—this seems to happen on every thread when a poster asks for info. There's always one joker who comes on not to actually answer the question, but to say, essentially: "You don't know what you're doing. But I know so much more than you, so let me tell you what you should be doing instead." It's pure misguided ego.

 

[EdwardMatthew]

The availability of "New in box iPod Gen 6 Nano sealed" listings on eBay, despite the device being discontinued over a decade ago, may raise questions about their legitimacy. While reputable sellers and the original plastic cases may suggest authenticity, it's important to exercise caution when making a purchase. One way to confirm if an iPod is genuine is to check if it syncs with iTunes, as fakes may fail this test.

Although the Gen 7 iPod offers superior functionality compared to the Gen 6, some individuals prefer the Gen 6's sound quality due to its different DAC. As for battery life in a new decade-old iPod, it's difficult to predict precisely, but if your Gen 6's battery still performs well, an unused one should ideally have a similar lifespan.

 

[Richard8655]

I also noticed many of these "sealed" iPods on eBay are unusually low in price and available in multiple quantities (7th gen Nano in my case). Seems impossible so many available afer 10 years no longer produced and now considered vintage by Apple.

The common denominator is they're all shipped directly from China. Obviously MP3 players disguised as iPods. A key is the only playback format specified is MP3 with no mention of AAC or connectivity to iTunes. Also they advertise the 7th gen Nano with video recording capability, which it never had (only 5th gen Nano did).