If not for a broken iPod, Brett Mosley probably would still be working at his "totally corporate job" as an analyst for a mortgage-backed securities company rather than running a successful business.

But when his iPod died a little more than a year ago, Mosley wasn't about to throw the $300 player away. Instead, he opened it up and taught himself to fix it.

The 25-year-old Lahainaluna High School graduate then turned to his entrepreneurial roots and started what is now one of the most popular used/broken iPod and electronics companies in the country. His Denver-based www.BuyMyTronics.com business purchases about 100 items — primarily iPods — each week that are repaired and resold on the Internet or stripped for parts.

With millions of iPods sold each year, Mosley knew he was on to something when he launched the venture.

"I did some research and found that there actually is a life for these things beyond the trash can. They're not just rubbish," Mosley said from his home in Colorado.

Mosley's business started slowly as he figured out the complex iPod circuitry and grew his customer base. He had no electrical background, but the repair work came easy.

"I just tinkered with it. Somehow, it's just common sense to me," he said.

With the help of friends across the country who did "pick ups" for him, Mosley began to take in dozens of old iPods and he eventually quit his regular job to go full-time into his new venture.

He bought out partner Jeremy Cohen and recently hired a full-time employee.

Mosley said a key to the success of the company was the development of his Web site, which he said gets between 300 and 400 hits a day. Word of mouth via the Internet also boosted his service.

"The bloggers really propelled me," he said. "A few bloggers started writing about me and some bigger blogs started writing about me and eventually Mac Life magazine and Ready Made magazine."

www.BuyMyTronics.com and Mosley also were featured in the New York Times and on several television stations on the Mainland.

But iPods aren't the only items that Mosley will take. He has expanded his inventory to include iPhones, the Wii, Xbox, Playstation, laptop computers, cell phones and Microsoft's Zune MP3 player.

Mosley said his business also is popular because he pays more for used and broken iPods than most other companies.

For example, an iPhone retails for about $400 and Apple will pay 10 percent for a used or broken one, he said. Mosley said he offers up to $175 for a broken iPhone and $230 for a used iPod Classic, which sells for about $350 brand new.

People interested in selling a used item would log onto his Web site, fill out a form and then receive a quote. If they accept the price, they ship the item to Mosley and will be paid via PayPal within 24 hours or by check.

After Mosley repairs the units, he sells them on eBay or in bulk to companies that resell them to online distribution networks.

Mosley did not want to say how much he makes on each sale, but said the average return is about 25 percent. He said his company has grown 30 percent every month for the past six months.

Because of the Internet, his company is global and has received iPods from Japan, Canada, South America, France, Germany, Russia and South Africa. Also because of the Web, Mosley hopes to return to Hawai'i to live and run his company.

"I can easily move shop if need be," he said. "I was born and raised there and my heart's definitely in Hawai'i and I definitely want to get back there in a few years."

Mosley was born in Honolulu and attended middle school at Saint Louis before his family moved to Maui and opened a bed and breakfast. After graduating from Lahainaluna High School, Mosley earned a business degree at the University of San Diego and later followed his girlfriend to Colorado.

Mosley patterns himself after his father, Bill, who has done "many random entrepreneurial things" in his life. Brett Mosley helped his parents get the B&B up and running and assisted in the development of its Web site.

"My parents were always entrepreneurial and I had that spirit in me," Mosley said. "Obviously I went to college and that was all good and everything, but the entrepreneurial side you just can't teach."

Growing up in Hawai'i and now living in Denver, Mosley said his business also is sensitive to the environment. The electricity to his office is wind-generated and he recycles all of the packing material that is sent to him.

Mosley said he's also preventing hundreds of iPods and other equipment from winding up in landfills.

"If you do a little digging, you'd find out how bad these things are for the environment. It's really scary," Mosley said. "They've got leads and heavy metals in them that are just bad. It's like a little computer. People don't know that they're that gnarly."

"If you do a little digging, you'd find out how bad these things (iPods) are for the environment. ... It's like a little computer. People don't know that they're that gnarly."

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.