Can other sites legally discount Kindle books?

[dandelioncottage]

I was searching for an ebook and came across a site called firekindlebooks.com, which features all the latest bestsellers, among other books. Their slogan is "50% off all Kindle book" [sic] They appear to accept Paypal as their only form of payment.

Based on the pricing, I'm thinking this falls under, "if it sounds too good to be true ..."

Anyone know anything about this site, and whether it's safe/legal to buy from?

Thanks!

[djulian]

I'm guessing they're not reliable. The site is no longer up.

[usuallee]

Only Amazon sells "kindle" ebooks. Anything else is illegal or a scam.

[Giggleton]

Originally Posted by usuallee

Only Amazon sells "kindle" ebooks. Anything else is illegal or a scam.

Is it actually illegal to resell kindle books that you have previously bought? I wasn't aware that was the case, please provide a link.

[susan_cassidy]

Yes, it is illegal to resell Kindle books. You are only buying a license to read them on your Kindle devices/apps. Check the Kindle Terms of Service.

[TGS]

It may contravene the terms of the license, but whether it is illegal is for the courts to decided - you might want to look at this decision by the European Court of Justice.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by usuallee

Only Amazon sells "kindle" ebooks. Anything else is illegal or a scam.

Not so. It's possible for people to sell ebooks that are compatible with Kindles without involving Amazon at all.

However, the site mentioned is certainly a pirate site.


[If you're going to pirate the latest bestsellers, at least do so without paying money to crooks.]

[Apache]

Buying from a pirate site does not necessarily make you a pirate. It can just mean you are gullible.
Apache

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Apache

Buying from a pirate site does not necessarily make you a pirate. It can just mean you are gullible.
Apache

You have obtained copyright material without the authorisation of the copyright holder. Gullible, perhaps, but still a pirate.

If you're going to end up with pirated books, it's better not to give your money to crooks while doing so.

It is, of course, much better to only obtain ebooks with the authorisation of the copyright holder.

[carpetmojo]

Or you may end up walking the plank ?

[taustin]

Originally Posted by Giggleton

Is it actually illegal to resell kindle books that you have previously bought? I wasn't aware that was the case, please provide a link.

Depends on where you are, but yes, generally speaking, it certainly is. It is most certainly a violation of the contract you agreed to when you bought the book. A contract is like a promise; in return for something you want now, you promise to act in a certain way later. If you don't keep your promise, people think very poorly of you. They might even consider you dishonest.

I explained that because you seem a little fuzzy on the concept.

[Apache]

I said not necessarily a pirate. If you bought the book knowing that you were purchasing a pirated book then you are a pirate. If you unknowingly bought the book from a pirate site, but paid so much less that you should have known the site was pirating, then you are also a pirate. If you bought from a pirate site, but paid what is considered a fair price you have a good chance at getting off if charged as a pirate. This is in the US.
Another example using stolen merchandise. and pirating is stealing.
If you knowingly buy stolen merchandise you are also criminally liable. If you bought the merchandise not knowing that it was stolen and paid so low a price that you should have known it was stolen, you are criminally liable. if you paid, what the courts determined was a fair market price, you are not criminally liable.
Apache

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Apache

IIf you bought from a pirate site, but paid what is considered a fair price you have a good chance at getting off if charged as a pirate.

Agreed. But no pirate sites I've seen charge the "going rate" for ebooks.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Agreed. But no pirate sites I've seen charge the "going rate" for ebooks.

That's the rub.
A local jeweler was charged with buying stolen merchandise. Gold and diamond jewelry. He did not know they were stolen, but they were prosecuting him because they claimed he paid to low a price and should have known they were stolen.
He got off when his defense brought in expert witnesses who were able to prove that the prices he bought at were comparable to what pawn shops and other businesses were paying.
(Rant ON)
A word of advice, if you sell jewelery at a pawn shop or any of these so called "gold buying" establishments you are getting ripped off. Yes they are buying gold a scrap value, but they are paying 10% to 20% of the scrap value in most cases. Or less in some cases. Gold today is $1775.50 a Troy Ounce. Platinum is less at $1700.00 a Troy Ounce. If you have a Diamond ring weighing 20 Penny Weights that is 1 Troy Ounce. If the gold in the ring is 14K it is 58.5% gold and the rest is made up of differing amounts of alloys.
The value of the gold in the ring is $1332.00. Most places will offer you less than $300.00. I have seen people take this price. And that is for just the gold. The buyer got the diamonds for free. Oh and there is no such thing as scrap value for diamonds.
My sister in law once pawned an antique 2.50 carat Platinum and Diamond ring worth $27,000.00 for $3,000.00. (/Rant Off)
Apache

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Apache

My sister in law once pawned an antique 2.50 carat Platinum and Diamond ring worth $27,000.00 for $3,000.00. (/Rant Off)
Apache

But surely the purpose of a pawnbroker is to get a secured loan, with the goods being held as collateral for the loan. It's not intended to be a "sale", is it?