Find $285 Under the Couch

Before you toss your old music player for a new one, consider that the devices have become collectors' items—along with a signed photo of the Sex and the City cast, a first-generation iPod is a quintessential pop culture object of the early 2000s. Patrick van der Vorst, a 13-year Sotheby's veteran who founded the appraisal site ValueMyStuff.com two years ago, says an early iPod that still works could go for $300, while a fifth-generation iPod fetches about $40 on eBay or Craigslist. There's also Amazon's Electronics Trade-In program, which lets you sell back cameras, cell phones, MP3 players, tablets and more in exchange for Amazon gift cards. Some recent prices the retailer has offered to sellers: $14 for a fourth-generation iPod Shuffle and $36 for a second-generation iPod Touch.