• Getting Started

• Determine How Much Storage You Need

• All about iPods

• iPod accessories

• Get Music for Your MP3 Player Online

• How to Find MP3 Players on eBay Singapore

• Buy with Confidence

• Need More Help?

• Legal Disclaimer

Getting Started

Getting Started

There are different types of MP3 players (hard drive based, flash based, and MP3/CD) and which works best for you depends on how you are planning on using your player the most. Use this guide to figure out the most suitable MP3 player for yourself.

Give me MP3 music all day long

Stay entertained at the office, during your commute, or at home with a hard drive MP3 player. Compared to flash-based players, these have huge amounts of storage space hence making them the perfect choice for anyone who wants to listen to a large selection of music over a long period of time. Unfortunately, hard drive MP3 players have movable parts that can be damaged by high impact movement and thus are not as suitable for people who want to listen to music while exercising.

• Hard drive MP3 player recommendations: Apple iPod, Apple iPod Mini, Creative Zen, RCA Lyra Jukebox RD2840, and iRiver PMP series.   

I want to run with my MP3 player

Invigorating music livens up any workout. Skip the movable parts, which can be damaged with a lot of movement, and look at flash-based MP3 players. Many include a radio tuner and voice recorder and some even support Secure Digital cards, CompactFlash, SmartMedia cards, or MultiMediaCards, relatively inexpensive memory cards also used by digital cameras and some PDAs. If you already use a memory card for other devices, buy a player that supports the same type of memory card, and use your storage media with all your devices.

• Flash-based MP3 player recommendations: Apple iPod Shuffle, iRiver iFP series, NOMAD MuVo, and Samsung Yepp.

I want a flexible and inexpensive MP3 player

All of us want to save a little money. Although hard drive based players often give you a better value per megabyte, flash based MP3 players (see shopping recommendations above) and MP3/CD players usually cost less overall. If you like to burn CDs, seriously consider MP3/CD players. They play back audio CDs as well as MP3s burned to CD and look like traditional portable CD players. Some even include an FM radio tuner so you can listen to your favourite local stations.

• MP3/CD player recommendations: Try great models by Panasonic, Teac and Telefunken

Determine How Much Storage You Need

Determine How Much Storage You Need

eBay Singapore sellers list an MP3 player's storage capacity by megabyte (MB) or gigabyte (GB). One megabyte (1MB) equals about one minute of CD quality MP3 music.

Hard drive players

Office dwellers will want enough storage to stay entertained throughout the day. A hard drive based player with 4GB of storage holds about 1,000 songs, a player with 20GB of storage holds about 5,000 songs, and a player with a 60GB hard drive can hold a whopping 15,000 songs. Your MP3 player can also be used as a portable hard drive to store data files if there is free space not taken up by music files. TheiPod Photo comes with either a 30GB or 60GB hard drive, and has a colour screen that can display your JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG or BMP images individually or as a slideshow. Perfect for the digital photo enthusiasts!

Flash based players

You probably won't need a large amount of storage space if you are only planning to use your player for an hour or so at the gym every day. 64MB will let you store about one hour of MP3 music, which comes out to about 32 songs. If you want to mix things up with more song options, invest in more storage. Remember, some flash-based players support memory cards. A 512MB card can keep you going for up to eight hours, or you could keep several smaller cards handy with different music on each one.

All about iPods

All about iPods

eBay Singapore has a great selection of Apple iPods, one of the most popular MP3 players on the market. You'll find everything from first generation players to the latest fourth generation iPods and iPod nano. Find out which accessories a seller includes when reading an iPod item description on eBay Singapore. To get started, you'll need a dock, headphones (sometimes called earbud headphones), and a FireWire cable or USB 2.0 cable.

• iPod Shuffle: Apple's flash-based player, iPod Shuffle, comes in 512MB and 1GB sizes. It's about the size of a pack of gum and doesn't have a screen. You can either play back songs in the order they were put on the player or like the name suggests, in random (shuffle) order. It connects directly to your computer via USB and does not use a dock with cables. Since it doesn't have movable parts, it makes a great player for people who love to exercise.

• iPod nano: The latest offering from Apple, the slim and trim iPod nano is also flash-based, measures 8.9cm x 4cm x 0.7cm and can hold 500 (2GB) to 1,000 (4GB) songs, depending on storage size. It also features a 1.5 inch LCD screen with backlight.

• iPod Mini: With smaller measurements than the standard iPod, the iPod Mini offers 4GB or 6GB of storage and a colourful case available in pink, green, blue, and silver. You can also find slightly older 4GB gold models on the market.

• iPod: Featuring a click wheel, Apple's fourth-generation (4G) 20GB and 60GB iPods offers battery life of up to 12 hours. You can also find slightly older 40GB versions on the market.

• iPod Photo: Carry your photos along with your music. iPod Photo features a 30GB or 60GB hard drive and colour screen to view JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF and PNG images. You can also find slightly older 40GB models on the market.

• iPod U2 Special Edition: iPod U2 Special Edition includes all the features of the 20GB 4G iPod. The sleek black case includes a red click wheel and autographs from members of U2 (yes, the band) on the back.

Buying a retired iPod

While first, second, and third-generation iPods cost less than their 4G counterpart, there are a few things you need to consider when buying one.

• Windows compatibility: You will need additional third party software if you want to make first and second-generation (1G and 2G, respectively) players work on Windows. Third-generation (3G) players come with a Windows installation utility.

• Battery life: iPods use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which you can recharge between 300 and 450 times. After that, the battery dies completely. Replacement batteries are available from Apple resellers. If you're concerned, verify with the seller that the battery still works or was recently replaced.

• Connections: First and second-generation (1G and 2G) players have a FireWire data port at the top while third-generation (3G) players use a connector dock. Make sure a dock is included with players that have lower storage capacity.

• The wheel: How you select iPod menu options varies from generation to generation. 1G players have a mechanical scroll wheel, 2G players use a touch sensitive non-moving wheel surrounded by mechanical buttons, and 3G players use touch sensitive buttons. If you like 3G players but don't want to accidentally select things off the menu with the touch sensitive buttons, go with a 4G player.

iPod accessories

iPod accessories

Whether you want to deck out your player with a skin or charge it in the car, you can get everything you need to integrate your iPod into your life on eBay Singapore.

On the Go

When you want to take your iPod out into the world, you'll need a protective case or exercise ready carrying case to protect it. You may also want to personalise it with skins, different headphones, and more.

At Home

Use your iPod as a stereo by connecting it to speakers and a remote control.

In the Car

Take your music collection on the road with a cassette adapter, FM transmitter, car holder, car charger and car kit.

Get Music for Your MP3 Player Online

Get Music for Your MP3 Player Online

Downloading music from a reputable online service for $0.88 to $0.99 per song quickly builds your music collection. Just make sure the player you buy supports the file type (AAC, AIFF, MP3, WMA, RealAudio) used by the music service you use or plan to use. For example, if you want to use iTunes, buy an iPod. If you want to use a service that uses WMA files, buy a brand that supports WMA such as Creative, iRiver, or Rio.

How to Find MP3 Players on eBay Singapore

How to Find MP3 Players on eBay Singapore

Now that you know what to buy, narrowing down item listings to the MP3 player you want shouldn't take much time. Go to the Electronics & Computers portal, click MP3 Players & Accessories and start searching for item listings on eBay Singapore.

• Categories: Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for iPod, iPod Accessories, as well as for other brands, under MP3 Players & Accessories

• Keywords: Search eBay Singapore listing titles for specific words. For example, if you to find an iPod Nano, type "ipod nano" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay Singapore's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't seem to find exactly what you want on eBay, try shopping at eBay Stores, or saving a search on My eBay and eBay Singapore will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy with Confidence

Buy with Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay Singapore and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it posts.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay Singapore (with a bid or Buy It Now). Transactions conducted outside of eBay Singapore are not covered by eBay Singapore protection programmes.

• Never pay for your eBay Singapore item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay Singapore sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay Singapore and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorised payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to US$1,000.

• eBay Singapore Security Centre: Visit the Security Centre to learn how to protect your account and use eBay Singapore's quick and efficient resolution tools.

Need More Help?

Need More Help?

Visit our help pages or start a thread on one of our Community Discussion Boards - If you have a quick question that needs answering, try posting it on our community Answer Centre - there's bound to be a seasoned eBay Singapore veteran with just the information you're looking for!

Legal Disclaimer

Legal Disclaimer

Buying Guides are intended merely as a guide or review for members when considering what products or services they may be interested in bidding on or purchasing. eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the accuracy of the information or content contained in these Buying Guides. Furthermore, eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the nature or performance of the products or services appearing in the Buying Guides. eBay is not affiliated with nor does it endorse the use of any particular product or service.