Seriously? This is what eBay is for.

As for the disemvoweling, I didn't break any rules aside from "contribute new information to the discussion," though neither did the article.

@Meg Marco:

I... really don't see why this was disemvolwed. Sure, it's wrong, but it isn't offensive, and at first glance it looks a lot worse (it only takes an "ma" and "uck" to fill the blanks; while I know they're wrong, at first glance it's what came to mind).

Other than that, it's basically creative damage. If doing it yourself will void your warranty, these people doing it will also void your warranty.

Although, honestly, unless they openly say that you can't return or exchange anything that's engraved, this is pretty wrong.

You know, it's sad that these kind of issues even exist. It's messed up that nowadays you can't even buy a gift for someone without considering the fact that the ungrateful jerk might want to return it. This is why I don't buy a damn thing for anyone anymore.

I'm only 27 but back in MY DAY, when you got a gift you kept it to show appreciation for someone THINKING OF YOU. I would never DREAM of returning a gift just cause I didn't really like it, that is like the RUDEST thing to do. Even if it's so ugly you're afraid you might turn to stone if you look directly at it, you shut your spoiled yap & PRETEND to like it so as not to offend the nice person who just SPENT MONEY ON YOU. I still have a spare-room closet full of ugly-ass sweaters that my beloved grandma gave me as a child. She bought me a Barbie when I was *15*, and damnit- I played with it just to make her happy.

The ONLY time its ok to return a gift is if its clothing & doesn't fit, or if it's defective.

I've had it done.

So I was kind of embarrassed a year or so later when I stopped at the apple store and had it checked out for a minor problem. The tech guy at the counter took the case off it, flipped it over and chuckled at the engraving - which said something to the effect of "Smooch-ums and love-ums!"

Gotta love the guy. He always makes me laugh - such a big goofball.

You would have been much better off with the Nano. The solid state drives are much more reliable.

Some of their products have a return period, as is required of retailers and local laws, and this is unrelated to the warranty, but the engraved products carry the specific addendum that they cannot be returned.

What if you bought someone an engraved watch or a pen? Same deal.

@DeanOfAllTrades: What's an uncle doing giving a gift that their parents don't object to? I love the looks on my brother's face year after year when I give his kids the loudest, most obnoxious thing I can find. (I'll be sad when they're old enough not to appreciate such toys.)

That'll teach him for being well-adjusted, charming, and desirable unlike his older brother.

My point is that this article's title and the advice given within it is based on the iPod, and therefore it is Apple's business practices that are in question. The premise of the article is that engraving is a scheme by manufacturers to deny returns of working items. However, the data given to back up that premise is an admission by Sony, not Apple, of employing that practice. I would have the same sort of question if we were talking about Zunes and the data given referred to Sony.

Now a cited source stating that Apple deliberately encourages engraving as a means to ensure refusal of returns would fit the title and the premise of the article. Hence my comment.

@crashedpc: My 2 yr-old nephew recently called me "Aunt Grandpa," which I thought was pretty funny. There were lots of people around, and they were asking him to name everyone. I was sitting next to Grandpa (my dad), near the end of the line. He was close.

Believe it or not, this site does occasionally offer good consumer tips. It's not all just bellyaching.

Word. I tend to get new mp3 players every year or so and put the old one on eBay.

A few years ago, I got a free iPod shuffle for signing up with a stock-trading website. I was very disappointed when it came and was engraved. I was able to sell it, but for not as much as I would have if it wasn't...

@Wormfather is Wormfather: I hear those posters come with "trendy" big red lettering now.

@DeanOfAllTrades:
bah, it ain't your kid anyways hehe

then again, I do eat babies

@crashedpc: I dont need to be Uncle Kickass as long as I'm never Uncle Creepy who's got to put up posters when he moves.

Oh wait, that's engraved jewelry and engraved T-1000s.

Just asking.

Not completely unhappy ending? We loaded the music the kids listen to on it, and shoved it in a cheap ipod dock (thanks woot!) in our playroom. Now we don't have a ton of kids music on our iPods...

My cousin once tried to buy me an ipod mini for my birthday, and she opted to get it engraved. Now here comes the fun part: Apple screwed up the engraving, so she wanted to return it for a PROPERLY engraved one. Their answer? We all see this coming: because it was engraved, they said she wouldn't be allowed to return it. Due to a botched engraving. Which was their fault.

After a week of whining/arguing with them, they DID take it back, however, this was all occurring as Apple was phasing out the mini in favour of the nano. So when she wanted another mini as a replacement? Their answer? "Oh sorry, those are discontinued. Maybe you can find one at a store? Otherwise you can buy this same-price-for-less-storage ipod nano. How about that?"

Amazing.

Inscriptions will insure that you get a new stock replacement for ipods, since Apple's engraving is only done at the factories in China apparently. So sayeth AppleCare when I asked why my ipod hadn't yet been returned after a week after they got it back.

Of course I stole one. I still have it.

Yeah, considering that the ipod probably broke down by now.

Warranty always covers it, and if they replace it then you have your choce to engrave or not to engrave.

Before I totally lost faith in ipod (Three ipods, all dying within a month after the warranty was over - I had my Zune for two years now with no glitches)

Ayway, back when I had an ipod, I used to get them engraved "This iPod was stolen from Dooley"

I sold an engraved iPod on eBay - it had my name and email on it. The buyer gave me her email, so if it ever got lost, and the finder was nice enough to email me, I could contact her. That was 2+ years ago, though, so I think the point is moot by now.

Now, if you engraved it: "STOLEN FROM: [name]/[e-mail]" that would be different.

By the way, if you want to return an engraved item, just have some totally pissed off woman return it -- works every time. NO ONE messes with an irate female shopper and that's not sexist, because I'm sometimes an irate shopper, too. The difference is with all my whining, I rarely get my product returned, but my wife ALWAYS has success.

but I did order it for myself so I knew I was not going to return it.