Black Apple iPod Nanos Rule eBay, According to Research by Terapeak

Business Wire, Jan 9, 2006

VICTORIA, British Columbia -- These days it seems like everyone has an iPod Nano. In the month of December alone over $3.6 million worth of iPod Nanos sold on eBay. Its sleek design, and slick advertising have made Nanos more than just an mp3 player, they have become a fashion statement. Which begs the obvious question, black or white? The findings are quite amazing.

Terapeak analyzed the sales of both the signature white and sleek black iPod Nanos on eBay for the month of December using price filters of $100 and $500. For the 4GB version of the Nano over 70% of sales were for black Nanos. The peak selling times were between 5-8pm (PST), with 8pm being the most successful accounting for an average of over $160,000 worth of sales per hour. During its peak, 4GB black Nanos were selling at a rate of 475 per day and generating over $100,000 in revenue.

The average price for 4 GB iPod Nanos, both black and white in December was $318. The black Nano pulled in approximately $313 per sale, while the price of white Nanos was significantly higher at $330. It is interesting to note however, that when compared to a three month trend it is clear that white Nanos were maintaining their average price, while black Nanos were experiencing a significant dip from their peak of $450 per iPod during high weeks in October and November. The highest average price for a white Nano was $350 during these same times.

The high price of black iPod Nanos during October and November is due to the initial shortage of black Nanos during Apple's original launch. This resulted in a price spike for black iPod Nanos on eBay once they were available. An interesting note for buyers is that 11 p.m., midnight and 2 a.m. resulted in the lowest average prices for iPod Nanos in December.

The success rate (sell-through rate) which measures what percentage of Nanos listed on eBay resulted in a sale did not differ significantly between black (93%) and white (91%). However, it is interesting to note that 95% of auctions that utilized the Buy-It-Now feature resulted in successful sales. However, at $270 per Nano, the average price of these fixed price purchases was significantly lower than bid auctions ($313).

So what do all of these numbers mean? For iPod vendors it means that you have a better chance of selling iPods if they are black! For the fashion gurus it means that the iPod signature white is on the way out, and sleek black is the in thing!

Terapeak Marketplace Research has developed the most advanced research tool for analyzing eBay consumer transaction data. With over 1.4 Billion transactions in 2005, eBay is the most reliable consumer activity index in the world.