Yes indeed, I bought an iPod!
The backstory: I’ve been thinking about buying an mp3 player for a while now. I just have so much music! My old portable CD player is 12 years old and while it still works, it seems to be increasingly finicky. It can skip for the slightest mark on a CD, but only on certain ones. And it performs best if I prop it up on its side. But I really like it.
I know what you’re thinking… why didn’t I just buy a new CD player? Well, I’ve tried 4-5 players in the past. I returned them because they either didn’t have good sound output (even with my good headphones) or they had digital volume control. Call me weird, but I really don’t like digital volume buttons. I dislike preset volume levels and not being able to make small adjustments. And I really hate teh *beep* when you press a volme button. Why do they make it beep?!
*deep breath* There, glad that’s off my mind. Anyway, I just couldn’t seem to find a CD player with the same well-balanced bass boost and as many features as my old one.
Can you tell I’m picky when it comes to music?
Now back to the lead story: I bought an iPod. 
I’m never one to do things by half. I figured if I was going to spend a bit of money for an mp3 player, I may as well get the best equipment and best deal that I can.
I’ll admit that I did look at “cheap” video mp3 player knock-offs a couple of months ago, but I didn’t want to spend over $50 on the “cheap” stuff. So I waited.
And just this week, a co-worker told me that the Apple online store has refurbished iPods for cheap. I checked the price, and wasn’t terribly impressed (I really am cheap).
And then yesterday I got a commission check from my stores atCafePress. Yay!! Extra cash!!
So I headed to eBay.
To make a long story short, after watching about 30 auctions end, I figured I could get a refurbished 30GB latest-generation video iPod for about $20-25 less than the Apple store. So I bid.
Actually, I bid lots. And got outbid lots. But I had a price cap in my mind and resisted bidding above it. In the end, I did go over by $7. (Shoosh, I can hear you laughing.)
But it’s still got a good deal. I also purchased an extended 2-year warranty for $20, but in total I saved $50 vs. a refurbished iPod + extended warranty from the Apple store. that’s like $100 off a new iPod without an extended warranty.
I can’t wait to get it! It’s black. I almost settled for a white one because they seemed a little less, but since I was springing for the top of the line, I decided to go for the black and not regret my purchase for a little thing like color. It also has all the original accessories — usb cable, earbuds, and docking station. A good number of the eBay auctions didn’t have the docking station, and they were still going for the same price I paid.
Hey, did I mention I bought an iPod?