Original Apple iPod music players are selling for hundreds of euros on secondhand websites as the famous portable device marks its 25th anniversary.
Units that originally retailed for 199 euros are now fetching an average of 300 to 350 euros on the resale market, even when their batteries no longer work, provided the hardware remains in good cosmetic condition.
Digital and innovation journalist Anicet Mbida highlighted the surge on the French television programme Bonjour ! La Matinale TF1, reporting that older models have become valuable assets after many consumers assumed the format was gone for good. Mbida told viewers that the classic portable music player is staging an unexpected comeback.
Apple launched the original iPod in October 2001 under co-founder Steve Jobs, introducing a pocket-sized device capable of holding an entire digital music library. The hardware transformed the commercial music sector and established digital downloads before the rise of subscription streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.
Collector demand for classic models
Mbida displayed several of the most recognizable versions from the range during the broadcast, including the classic edition known for its mechanical scroll wheel and polished chrome rear casing. He joked that the mirror finish on the original player had a reputation for scratching in less than three seconds.
The original 2001 device debuted with a five-gigabyte mechanical hard drive capable of holding around one thousand songs, using a physical rotating wheel before later iterations introduced the touch-sensitive Click Wheel. Over two decades, the lineup expanded into smaller flash-memory variants before smartphones made standalone media players obsolete for mainstream consumers.
The television presentation also covered the iPod Shuffle, a miniature screenless model designed to play audio tracks in random order, alongside the later generation iPod Nano, which featured a touchscreen, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and a standard headphone socket. Mbida pointed to the iPod Touch, an iPhone-like design without a SIM card, as the final version sold until Apple discontinued the line in 2022.
Although approximately 300 million iPod units were sold worldwide over the history of the product range, secondhand prices remain high because dedicated enthusiasts are actively gathering old inventory. Mbida explained that hobbyists purchase the devices to renovate them and install modern electronic components inside the original casings.
Secondhand prices and hardware upgrades
The revival forms part of a broader consumer appetite to modernize standalone MP3 players to escape the constant interruptions of smartphones. Mbida pointed out the paradox that listeners originally bought portable music players to stay connected, whereas buyers today purchase them specifically to disconnect.
Refurbishing vintage MP3 players has emerged as a popular technical hobby, with restorers swapping out degraded mechanical drives for silent SD card storage and soldering in fresh lithium batteries. These modifications allow vintage devices to hold vastly larger digital libraries while preserving the offline listening experience and physical navigation buttons of the early 2000s.
Mbida said that music fans want to regain direct control of their music rather than relying on streaming algorithms and connected devices. That growing demand has driven prices higher, with Mbida concluding that buyers now face paying at least 400 euros for this type of refurbished and modernized device.
