Which Sony Reader Store to buy from?

Gerbil · 06-12-2010, 01:02 PM

I'm an expat in Korea and I'm wondering if, in your experience, the Sony Reader for certain countries are better than others for price, selection, sales etc. (as is the case with iTunes)? I'm waiting for my PRS-600 to come in the mail and want to stock up on some summer books.

Also, would the billing address for your credit card limit you to the Reader Store for certain countries? Or does it depend on your IP address? Thanks for your answers!

wallcraft · 06-12-2010, 02:13 PM

The Sony store is only for the US and Canada, and of the two US definitely has a better selection. I don't know what it takes to spoof Sony to allow purchases from outside the US. At one time is involved gift cards.

Since the Sony supports Adobe ePub, there are plenty of other stores to choose from. Anyone selling ePubs, except B&N and Apple, is providing ebooks compatible with the Sony Readers.

dorino · 06-12-2010, 03:48 PM

A gift card would still work.

And ya, aDE ePub = compatible with Sony, as wallcraft said.

bevdeforges · 06-12-2010, 04:07 PM

To start with, you have to "set" your Sony Reader to a country. Although I live in Europe, I chose to set mine to the US so as to have access to the US Sony store.

So far, what I buy from the Sony store, I buy with gift cards that a friend in the US purchases for me - and then she e-mails me the code (which is all you need to register the gift card on the Sony site). When you buy your first book using the gift card balance, they will ask you for your "home" address, which can be just about any US address. After that, they don't seem to worry about your IP address.

Have tried using my US credit card on the Sony site, and when I do, they seem to check the zip code of the billing address you give (which must be a US address) to the zip code of the billing address of the card. A couple European members here on MR have reported success in entering their European credit cards with US addresses, but I'm not sure how they are fudging the zip code control.

But other than the Sony store, I've been buying most of my purchased books from Kobo. They don't carry all the same titles, but they tend to have better prices on those I've checked.

Have yet to try buying from Waterstones or WH Smiths (i.e. in the UK), but it appears from their websites that they'll sell to anyone with a credit card, regardless of where your Reader is "registered." Am hoping that Border's new e-book store will be the same.

06-12-2010, 01:02 PM	#1
Gerbil Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: PRS-600, iPod Touch 2G, iPad	Which Sony Reader Store to buy from? I'm an expat in Korea and I'm wondering if, in your experience, the Sony Reader for certain countries are better than others for price, selection, sales etc. (as is the case with iTunes)? I'm waiting for my PRS-600 to come in the mail and want to stock up on some summer books. Also, would the billing address for your credit card limit you to the Reader Store for certain countries? Or does it depend on your IP address? Thanks for your answers!

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06-12-2010, 02:13 PM	#2
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	The Sony store is only for the US and Canada, and of the two US definitely has a better selection. I don't know what it takes to spoof Sony to allow purchases from outside the US. At one time is involved gift cards. Since the Sony supports Adobe ePub, there are plenty of other stores to choose from. Anyone selling ePubs, except B&N and Apple, is providing ebooks compatible with the Sony Readers.

06-12-2010, 03:48 PM	#3
dorino I'm odd. Take note. Posts: 325 Karma: 779 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Montana Device: deceased PRS-600, Nook STR	A gift card would still work. And ya, aDE ePub = compatible with Sony, as wallcraft said.

06-12-2010, 04:07 PM	#4
bevdeforges Addict Posts: 288 Karma: 1094000 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Essonne, France Device: Kobo Forma; Sony PRS600B; Sony 350; Sony T-2	To start with, you have to "set" your Sony Reader to a country. Although I live in Europe, I chose to set mine to the US so as to have access to the US Sony store. So far, what I buy from the Sony store, I buy with gift cards that a friend in the US purchases for me - and then she e-mails me the code (which is all you need to register the gift card on the Sony site). When you buy your first book using the gift card balance, they will ask you for your "home" address, which can be just about any US address. After that, they don't seem to worry about your IP address. Have tried using my US credit card on the Sony site, and when I do, they seem to check the zip code of the billing address you give (which must be a US address) to the zip code of the billing address of the card. A couple European members here on MR have reported success in entering their European credit cards with US addresses, but I'm not sure how they are fudging the zip code control. But other than the Sony store, I've been buying most of my purchased books from Kobo. They don't carry all the same titles, but they tend to have better prices on those I've checked. Have yet to try buying from Waterstones or WH Smiths (i.e. in the UK), but it appears from their websites that they'll sell to anyone with a credit card, regardless of where your Reader is "registered." Am hoping that Border's new e-book store will be the same.

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