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Mike L · 12-31-2009, 11:43 AM

Richard,

I have done exactly what you described. Let me tell you my experience.

I created a new account with Amazon, using a credit card that happened to be from my company's US bank (actually, it was a debit card, but I don't think that will make any difference). For the address, I registered the address of a California company with which my own company does a lot of business (with their permission, of course).

I then registered my Kindle to that account.

So far, I've been able to purchase books in the Kindle store that are only available to US customers, and without paying the surcharge. However, I haven't been able to receive the books via Whispernet, because I have the original US-only Kindle and so am outside Whispernet range. I've had to download the books to my PC and transfer them via USB, which frankly is no great hardship.

What I can't do is to purchase books that are available in the UK but not in the US. But that only applies to a minority of titles.

If you follow this route, be careful not to actually use the credit card to purchase anything. If you do, your bank will think that someone is trying to use it fraudulently (because it's not your address). Of course, if you can use your friend's card, that won't be a problem. Otherwise, you will have to make your purchases with a gift voucher.

As for the images in the newspapers, I don't know the answer to that, but I suspect what you get will be the same, regardless of whether Amazon sees you as a US or a UK customer. As far as I know, the lack of photos in newspapers is not a geographical restriction -- it's just the way the newspapers are formatted. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong about that.)

Note that the above is based on my own experience over the last nine months. I can't guarantee that it will always work for everyone.

In any case, I hope you enjoy using your Kindle.

12-31-2009, 11:43 AM	#2
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,479 Karma: 3846231 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy	Richard, I have done exactly what you described. Let me tell you my experience. I created a new account with Amazon, using a credit card that happened to be from my company's US bank (actually, it was a debit card, but I don't think that will make any difference). For the address, I registered the address of a California company with which my own company does a lot of business (with their permission, of course). I then registered my Kindle to that account. So far, I've been able to purchase books in the Kindle store that are only available to US customers, and without paying the surcharge. However, I haven't been able to receive the books via Whispernet, because I have the original US-only Kindle and so am outside Whispernet range. I've had to download the books to my PC and transfer them via USB, which frankly is no great hardship. What I can't do is to purchase books that are available in the UK but not in the US. But that only applies to a minority of titles. If you follow this route, be careful not to actually use the credit card to purchase anything. If you do, your bank will think that someone is trying to use it fraudulently (because it's not your address). Of course, if you can use your friend's card, that won't be a problem. Otherwise, you will have to make your purchases with a gift voucher. As for the images in the newspapers, I don't know the answer to that, but I suspect what you get will be the same, regardless of whether Amazon sees you as a US or a UK customer. As far as I know, the lack of photos in newspapers is not a geographical restriction -- it's just the way the newspapers are formatted. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong about that.) Note that the above is based on my own experience over the last nine months. I can't guarantee that it will always work for everyone. In any case, I hope you enjoy using your Kindle.