Since 2004, Kris Schrey (pictured second from left) has been dealing in iPods, CDs and DVDs with his company, iPodmeister. His plan is simple: trade in your old CDs and DVDs and he'll give you a brand new iPod.


Of course, you'll need a lot of CDs but here's the cool part: they will digitize them and put the MP3s on your iPod for you. For example, you can get an iPod Nano in exchange for 150 CDs, not digitized, or 250, digitized. There is no discrimination as to the genre or popularity of your CDs, just so long as they don't have scratches. The other requirements are reasonable. They'll also pay for shipping.

As the demand for CDs in the U.S. is dwindling, there are still countries that buy used CDs in Eastern Europe and South America. Kris found a niche by buying up CDs and DVDs and shipping them in bulk (sometimes 40,000 of them) to other countries.

How did you get the idea for this business?
After the dot-com implosion, I wanted to simplify my life, and examined all my worldly possessions. De-cluttering was quite liberating; giving up "stuff" set me free.

The car went back to the leasing company. Suits and ties went to a therapist friend. "Early adapter" purchases, like the Apple Newton, a Psion PDA and one of the first digital cameras from Sony, went on eBay. I donated a 75-pound heavy color laser printer that had cost $5,000 to the East-West school in Queens.

Getting rid off my unused CDs was the most difficult task. I didn't want to throw them in the garbage because CDs are very difficult for the environment to break down. Trying to sell my CDs to used record stores was a humbling and humiliating experience.

First of all, I had to get all my CDs in a cab and travel across town. The guy in the first store towered on a bar stool behind a desk on some stage and made smacking noises while he went through my collection. He quipped that he was only interested in "high art" and then made a ridiculous lowball offer. I walked out and had to cough up another $12 for a second cab ride.

It started to rain and the handles of the bags I was carrying were giving in. The second store felt like a shooting gallery where cunning junkies were dealing in stolen loot. Unfortunately, only a handful of my 320 CDs were to their liking. Another cab ride later I was standing in front of a guy who put on a theatrical performance trying to convince me how disgusting my taste in music was. How dare I bring such crap to his store!

It took me another $20 to get back home with my whole collection intact. I hadn't sold a single item! That rainy afternoon taught me that it was very difficult to recycle your used CD collection and keep your human dignity intact.

I have lived in New York for many years and I just didn't like this feeling of being a sucker. Money aside, I wanted to make sure that somebody would appreciate my collection as much as I did when I bought it over the years. That afternoon, the idea for iPodMeister was born.

What's the biggest amount you've received from one person?
7,986 CDs from a former record executive who lived on Central Park West. All the walls in his living room were covered from floor to ceiling with shelves holding his collection. His wife threatened divorce unless he got rid of his collection. He finally gave in. They got divorced anyway. He moved into the YMCA around the corner.

How long does it take to digitize a collection of 300 CDs?
Two hours and fifty-three minutes.

Over the years of doing this, are there any CDs you've decided to keep for yourself?
Yes, for example, the historical Classical recordings of the now defunct Andante label. They left them behind in a Tribeca loft when the company went belly up and the landlord used them to barter with us.

What are you currently listening to?
Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58, conducted by Karl Boehm with Walter Gieseking at the piano.

To learn more about how to barter with Kris and his team for an iPod, visit the iPodMeister official Website.