As a collective group, we are moving back. Back to vinyl, back to cassette players, back to flip phones, and now back to the original Apple iPod. Apple recently announced that the company would no longer be selling the iPod Classic, and this has spawned a spike in iPod Classic sales across sites like eBay.

The Classic is now selling for almost four times its original price as people look to snag the one iPod that has nearly double the storage capacity as current models.

Clearly, it makes sense to move back in this case.

Why the iPod Classic is Selling

The original iPod Classic can hold nearly 40,000 songs boasting 160GB. That’s more space than any current iPod model, so it’s easy to see why this version is in demand, and why that demand skyrocketed when Apple pulled the model from store shelves. After the model had been pulled, Apple CEO Tim Cook explained that the company could no longer obtain the parts for the Classic, and that working on a redesign just wasn’t profitable.

The Classic is somewhat indestructible too, which is another reason why it is prized over any current iPod option. A durable iPod that can hold up to 40,000 songs is a very good reason to buy the sold device that will no longer be manufactured. Only, you’ll have to pay top dollar for a Classic now, since the iPod Classic can’t be found on Apple store shelves any longer.

The Touch Replacement

In place of the iPod Classic, Apple now offers the iPod Touch. While the Touch is the best of the bunch, it only has about half the storage space that the Classic does. It doesn’t look like Apple is going to start making the Classic iPod again (despite obvious demand), but it’s not impossible that another company won’t pick up where Apple has left off. If another manufacturer can get the components that Apple cannot, a MP3 player that’s similar to the Classic might surface.

Buyer Beware

If you are pining for an Apple iPod Classic, make sure that you know what you’re getting on sites like eBay. Some buyers have been reporting purchasing iPods that are not in good shape, are not working as advertised, and are overpriced. On some sites, there’s very little recourse if you buy something and aren’t happy with it, so do watch for people selling the Classic iPod - make sure to ask for photos and clear details.

There aren’t that many iPod Classic left on auction sites either, so you’ll have to spend a lot of money and scoop one up quickly if you want to have a Classic iPod for your tunes. If you do have one already, hang onto it or sell it for top dollar (if you can bear parting with it). You can certainly get more than you originally paid for the iPod Classic right now, and even more if yours happens to be in excellent shape. Whether or not another company will start making a MP3 player that’s comparable will be interesting to see.