Kindle Geographic Restrictions On US Website - Against US Buyers

poohbear_nc · 10-12-2009, 04:48 PM

In a move sure to confuse/anger US Kindle book buyers, the US Amazon website now has listings for Kindle versions of books (so far I've seen Penguin and Faber & Faber) that are not available for purchase by US residents.

http://www.amazon.com/Remains-Day-eb...5375972&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Live-Bait/dp/B...5375899&sr=1-1

If you play with the "change region" option, they appear to be available in the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.

To further confuse customers, the last book in the Monkeewrench series IS available in the US, but not the previous ones. And, the more recent Ishiguro novels are in US Kindle editions, but not his earlier stuff.

One wonders what Amazon's rationale for this is? Anger customers enough to demand their availability in the US? Combine all Kindle listings in one global database that is visible on all Amazon sites - where buyers will have to sift through the "change region" option to find out if they can buy the book?

CleverClothe · 10-12-2009, 05:09 PM

More likely they have just forgotten to implement a filter on the U.S. store. Prior to this, any book for the Kindle was sellable in the U.S. So there was no need for a geographic filter.

ficbot · 10-12-2009, 05:32 PM

I'm glad, actually. Maybe now Americans will get angry and help the rest of us, who have long been struggling with this, pressure the publishers to change their ways.

Terisa de morgan · 10-12-2009, 05:34 PM

I've found books available AT NO COUNTRY! I think they've got some problems with their filters.

leandroide · 10-12-2009, 05:38 PM

What do you mean?

That certain books that were avalaible from the US are no longer? Or that some books have appeared that are not avaliable from the US but they are from other coutries?

The first one would be clearly a technical problem. The second... is exactly the same discrimination based on publishing rights that us Europeans have suffered for years.

This is a big nosense... people only want to spend their money on e-books!!

L.

lisreed · 10-12-2009, 05:40 PM

Live Bait not being available makes no sense. It's an American published novel. The paperback is available as its a US paperback!

AnemicOak · 10-12-2009, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisreed

Live Bait not being available makes no sense. It's an American published novel. The paperback is available as its a US paperback!

Live Bait is published in the US by Signet (a Penguin US label) they DO NOT offer it as an ebook.

Live Bait is published in the UK by Penguin UK they DO offer it as an ebook.

There are geo restrictions for US customers on other sites selling books from UK publishers too.

Olympus · 10-12-2009, 06:21 PM

Can anybody explain to me how an author / copyright holder can agree in this totally connected world such a totally confusing situation.

Readers/buyers are allowed to buy a paperback copy and have it physically shipped from the US to Europe (or vice versa) and yet somehow an idiot creates restrictions on regions where e-book versions can be sold even though the e-books don't even compete as some publishers offer the ebook version in a specific region? As if we (their customers) are too stupid to find out should an e-book version exists somewhere else on this globe??

PUBLISHERS !!!! HELLO!!!
THIS IS 21st CENTURY, CRAWL FROM YOUR CAVE/ROCK AND EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITIES DO NOT FIGHT US AND TREAT US AS MOORONS WHO WILL ACCEPT YOUR UNNECESSARY REGIONAL RESTRICTIONS AND PRICING SCHEME'S;
YOU HAVE TO REALISE/LEARN THAT YOUR REGIONS DO NOT EXIST ON THE INTERNET.
YOU HAVE TO COMPLY TO MY WISHES (AS YOUR CUSTOMER) OTHERWISE I'LL USE "OTHER MEANS" TO GET THE PRODUCT THAT I WANT AND YOU'LL GET NOTHING IN RETURN

pfew hopefully this will wake up the sales-department

llreader · 10-12-2009, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

I've found books available AT NO COUNTRY! I think they've got some problems with their filters.

Clearly, No Country for E-Books.

Randall679 · 10-12-2009, 06:41 PM

They will be charging us more for the Kindle. They will be charging international roaming rates from AT&T to download books. They will try and limit what ebooks can be sent to Australia, a la iTunes, and you will be restricted to using their books on their reader ... so what belongs to you?

The battery life also sucks ... 7000 page turns on a simple eInk reader makes much more sense.

Open format readers like the BeBook/Hanlin/Ecoreader give you the freedom of reading ebooks or documents in any format ... or formatting them yourselves on your own computer.

I'm all for "eBooks not TreeBooks," but I want the flexibility to make my own decisions at a reasonable price.

We can get open format readers in Australia now ... www.ecoreader.com.au. When Australians turn their noses up at certain kinds of technology, it dies. Mini-disc, mini-HD, LaserDisc, betamax, CDi, etc.

And don't forget the case a few months ago when Amazon went into all the Kindles and removed "1984" wirelessly without telling anyone! BIG BROTHER is watching!

lisreed · 10-12-2009, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Live Bait is published in the US by Signet (a Penguin US label) they DO NOT offer it as an ebook.

Live Bait is published in the UK by Penguin UK they DO offer it as an ebook.

There are geo restrictions for US customers on other sites selling books from UK publishers too.

Well one of the big reasons I was interested in the concept of ebooks is because I could get British titles not available in U.S. bookstores and save the shipping costs of getting them from amazon.uk. If that won't be the case and I can but the books in paperback but not get them electronically I will see less point of using the kindle.

poohbear_nc · 10-12-2009, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olympus

Can anybody explain to me how an author / copyright holder can agree in this totally connected world such a totally confusing situation.

Readers/buyers are allowed to buy a paperback copy and have it physically shipped from the US to Europe (or vice versa) and yet somehow an idiot creates restrictions on regions where e-book versions can be sold even though the e-books don't even compete as some publishers offer the ebook version in a specific region? As if we (their customers) are too stupid to find out should an e-book version exists somewhere else on this globe??

PUBLISHERS !!!! HELLO!!!
THIS IS 21st CENTURY, CRAWL FROM YOUR CAVE/ROCK AND EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITIES DO NOT FIGHT US AND TREAT US AS MOORONS WHO WILL ACCEPT YOUR UNNECESSARY REGIONAL RESTRICTIONS AND PRICING SCHEME'S;
YOU HAVE TO REALISE/LEARN THAT YOUR REGIONS DO NOT EXIST ON THE INTERNET.
YOU HAVE TO COMPLY TO MY WISHES (AS YOUR CUSTOMER) OTHERWISE I'LL USE "OTHER MEANS" TO GET THE PRODUCT THAT I WANT AND YOU'LL GET NOTHING IN RETURN

pfew hopefully this will wake up the sales-department

It's totally perverse - as if (in the midst of an economic downturn/crisis/what have you) - publishers don't want our money - or are trying to make it as hard as possible to buy their product!

Ralph Sir Edward · 10-12-2009, 10:07 PM

I haven't had this good of a laugh since I looked in a mirror....

Blue Tyson · 10-12-2009, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

It's totally perverse - as if (in the midst of an economic downturn/crisis/what have you) - publishers don't want our money - or are trying to make it as hard as possible to buy their product!

orion2001 · 10-12-2009, 11:54 PM

Clearly Amazon will not rest till they have their customers own one Kindle for every country out there so they can have access to all global ebook releases

10-12-2009, 04:48 PM	#1
poohbear_nc Compulsive Reader Posts: 944 Karma: 4664 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Kindle 1 & 2 & DX!	Kindle Geographic Restrictions On US Website - Against US Buyers In a move sure to confuse/anger US Kindle book buyers, the US Amazon website now has listings for Kindle versions of books (so far I've seen Penguin and Faber & Faber) that are not available for purchase by US residents. http://www.amazon.com/Remains-Day-eb...5375972&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Live-Bait/dp/B...5375899&sr=1-1 If you play with the "change region" option, they appear to be available in the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. To further confuse customers, the last book in the Monkeewrench series IS available in the US, but not the previous ones. And, the more recent Ishiguro novels are in US Kindle editions, but not his earlier stuff. One wonders what Amazon's rationale for this is? Anger customers enough to demand their availability in the US? Combine all Kindle listings in one global database that is visible on all Amazon sites - where buyers will have to sift through the "change region" option to find out if they can buy the book? __________________ "I read about that in a thing with actual pages in it. A quaint thing where you flip the paper over. A book. That was it" (Ford Prefect in And Another Thing) Now reading: The Great Hunt - Robert Jordan The Labours of Hercules - Agatha Christie Moby Dick - Herman Melville More Work for the Undertaker - Margery Allingham

10-12-2009, 05:32 PM	#3
ficbot Guru Posts: 887 Karma: 2958 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Sony 505, iPod Touch, Kindle	I'm glad, actually. Maybe now Americans will get angry and help the rest of us, who have long been struggling with this, pressure the publishers to change their ways. __________________ My ebook, music, video and digital media blog http://e-finds.blogspot.com/ Featuring freebies, reviews, links and more

10-12-2009, 05:34 PM	#4
Terisa de morgan Evangelist Posts: 483 Karma: 642 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Device: Cybook Gen3, Cybook Opus, iPhone	I've found books available AT NO COUNTRY! I think they've got some problems with their filters. __________________ Ciao Terisa de Morgan

10-12-2009, 06:21 PM	#8
Olympus Connoisseur Posts: 68 Karma: 542 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Rocket & Bookeen CyGen 3	totally confused Can anybody explain to me how an author / copyright holder can agree in this totally connected world such a totally confusing situation. Readers/buyers are allowed to buy a paperback copy and have it physically shipped from the US to Europe (or vice versa) and yet somehow an idiot creates restrictions on regions where e-book versions can be sold even though the e-books don't even compete as some publishers offer the ebook version in a specific region? As if we (their customers) are too stupid to find out should an e-book version exists somewhere else on this globe?? PUBLISHERS !!!! HELLO!!! THIS IS 21st CENTURY, CRAWL FROM YOUR CAVE/ROCK AND EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITIES DO NOT FIGHT US AND TREAT US AS MOORONS WHO WILL ACCEPT YOUR UNNECESSARY REGIONAL RESTRICTIONS AND PRICING SCHEME'S; YOU HAVE TO REALISE/LEARN THAT YOUR REGIONS DO NOT EXIST ON THE INTERNET. YOU HAVE TO COMPLY TO MY WISHES (AS YOUR CUSTOMER) OTHERWISE I'LL USE "OTHER MEANS" TO GET THE PRODUCT THAT I WANT AND YOU'LL GET NOTHING IN RETURN pfew hopefully this will wake up the sales-department Last edited by Olympus; 10-12-2009 at 06:27 PM.

10-12-2009, 06:41 PM	#10
Randall679 Melbourne, AUSTRALIA Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA Device: BeBook, Softbook 250e	Kindle will make or break in Australia They will be charging us more for the Kindle. They will be charging international roaming rates from AT&T to download books. They will try and limit what ebooks can be sent to Australia, a la iTunes, and you will be restricted to using their books on their reader ... so what belongs to you? The battery life also sucks ... 7000 page turns on a simple eInk reader makes much more sense. Open format readers like the BeBook/Hanlin/Ecoreader give you the freedom of reading ebooks or documents in any format ... or formatting them yourselves on your own computer. I'm all for "eBooks not TreeBooks," but I want the flexibility to make my own decisions at a reasonable price. We can get open format readers in Australia now ... www.ecoreader.com.au. When Australians turn their noses up at certain kinds of technology, it dies. Mini-disc, mini-HD, LaserDisc, betamax, CDi, etc. And don't forget the case a few months ago when Amazon went into all the Kindles and removed "1984" wirelessly without telling anyone! BIG BROTHER is watching!

10-12-2009, 05:09 PM	#2
CleverClothe Addict Posts: 365 Karma: 1814 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Seattle, WA Device: iRex iLiad (2008/07/01!)	More likely they have just forgotten to implement a filter on the U.S. store. Prior to this, any book for the Kindle was sellable in the U.S. So there was no need for a geographic filter.

10-12-2009, 05:38 PM	#5
leandroide Zealot Posts: 139 Karma: 92 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Vigo, Spain Device: Papyre 6.1 (Hanlin V3)	What do you mean? That certain books that were avalaible from the US are no longer? Or that some books have appeared that are not avaliable from the US but they are from other coutries? The first one would be clearly a technical problem. The second... is exactly the same discrimination based on publishing rights that us Europeans have suffered for years. This is a big nosense... people only want to spend their money on e-books!! L.

10-12-2009, 05:40 PM	#6
lisreed Addict Posts: 269 Karma: 757 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Upstate NY Device: Kindle 2 & Sony pocket & iphone3G	Live Bait not being available makes no sense. It's an American published novel. The paperback is available as its a US paperback!

10-12-2009, 10:07 PM	#13
Ralph Sir Edward Gentleman & Cynic Posts: 3,000 Karma: 40016 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: 5 generation native Texan Device: BeBook/Openinkpot, CYbook 3rd gen awaiting RTF software upgrade	I haven't had this good of a laugh since I looked in a mirror.... __________________ Another proud Tarnover graduate! Remember, no matter what they say, people don't want the truth, just their prejudices reinforced. -RSE

10-12-2009, 11:54 PM	#15
orion2001 Zealot Posts: 149 Karma: 352 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-505	Clearly Amazon will not rest till they have their customers own one Kindle for every country out there so they can have access to all global ebook releases

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