MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Content Aussie K3 owner disappointed by lack of Aus content. Want access to US store.

Tychocaine · 11-09-2010, 06:50 AM

Hello all.... sorry if this is OT (and long), but I did a whole lot of research on the kindle before I bought it, and this was the thread that helped me make up my mind, so I think my comments are relevant, in case anyone else is in a similar boat.

Anyway here's my experiences with the amazon online store.... just in case there's anyone out there (like me) doing a whole lot of research and thinking the hotspot shield trick works 100%.

I've got the current gen kindle (wifi, not 3G). I have NEVER turned on it's wireless or registered it with amazon, and I shipped it as a gift, so it's not linked to my normal amazon account.

I installed hotspot shield as per everones suggestions, but I also went a little further and installed Google Chrome (web browser)... so I had a fresh browser with no history or cookies. With hotspot shield active I went to gmail.com and registered a new clean gmail account. I then went to amazon.com and registered a new amazon account. I then went to browse the kindle eBook section.

First up, I got no new york times best seller list... it already knew where I was and was listing my country as Australia (don't ask me how it decided that). I guess because amazon uses an https connection to register the new amazon account (does this bypass the hotspot shield??) and might have sniffed out my real IP addy.

I then went to the manage my kindle page and set my country to United States, using a legitimate valid US postal address (from shipito). I did not enter a credit card, and I did not use a gift certificate. The only information amazon has about me is a valid US postal address.

I went back to the kindle store and it all looked good. I was able to 1-click order 7 books (all $0), but on the eighth, it bounced me to the error message about trying to buy a book from the incorrect geographic location and please contact customer service.

I've set my country back to Australia and will try resetting it shortly, but I'm not convinced that will help. I had hotspot shield running the whole time, and a valid US address... but it still somehow sniffed out my real location in Australia.

Like I said, these are just my experiences, and I'm sure it's working fine for a lot of people, but I just wanted to flag for people reading this thread that the solutions don't work for everyone.

If anyone else has hit this problem and overcome it I'd love to hear from you.

If you're an aussie who wants a lot of stuff from the US amazon store, let me save you some time... undernet.

If you're an author, I'm sorry if what I'm about to say offends you... but you should be scared for your livelihoods... the people you're trusting to sell your product (the publishers) are letting their greed drive your industry to ruin... like the music industry before it.

Honestly, my thoughts about geo-restrictions echo everyone else on the forum. I once considered books sacrosanct.... a year ago I never would have thought I'd steal them, but I've spent the last 3 weeks jumping through hoops that shouldn't exist, trying to overcome artificial barriers that don't need to be there, all so I can BUY electronic copies of books I already own.

But the publishers don't want my money and I'm tired of all the stuffing around. Amazon's made a great product, but the publishers need to stop hamstringing it... and if you're an Aussie, looking to buy a Kindle, don't expect the range of legitimately available books to be anywhere near satisfactory.

11-09-2010, 06:50 AM	#26
Tychocaine Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle	Hello all.... sorry if this is OT (and long), but I did a whole lot of research on the kindle before I bought it, and this was the thread that helped me make up my mind, so I think my comments are relevant, in case anyone else is in a similar boat. Anyway here's my experiences with the amazon online store.... just in case there's anyone out there (like me) doing a whole lot of research and thinking the hotspot shield trick works 100%. I've got the current gen kindle (wifi, not 3G). I have NEVER turned on it's wireless or registered it with amazon, and I shipped it as a gift, so it's not linked to my normal amazon account. I installed hotspot shield as per everones suggestions, but I also went a little further and installed Google Chrome (web browser)... so I had a fresh browser with no history or cookies. With hotspot shield active I went to gmail.com and registered a new clean gmail account. I then went to amazon.com and registered a new amazon account. I then went to browse the kindle eBook section. First up, I got no new york times best seller list... it already knew where I was and was listing my country as Australia (don't ask me how it decided that). I guess because amazon uses an https connection to register the new amazon account (does this bypass the hotspot shield??) and might have sniffed out my real IP addy. I then went to the manage my kindle page and set my country to United States, using a legitimate valid US postal address (from shipito). I did not enter a credit card, and I did not use a gift certificate. The only information amazon has about me is a valid US postal address. I went back to the kindle store and it all looked good. I was able to 1-click order 7 books (all $0), but on the eighth, it bounced me to the error message about trying to buy a book from the incorrect geographic location and please contact customer service. I've set my country back to Australia and will try resetting it shortly, but I'm not convinced that will help. I had hotspot shield running the whole time, and a valid US address... but it still somehow sniffed out my real location in Australia. Like I said, these are just my experiences, and I'm sure it's working fine for a lot of people, but I just wanted to flag for people reading this thread that the solutions don't work for everyone. If anyone else has hit this problem and overcome it I'd love to hear from you. If you're an aussie who wants a lot of stuff from the US amazon store, let me save you some time... undernet. If you're an author, I'm sorry if what I'm about to say offends you... but you should be scared for your livelihoods... the people you're trusting to sell your product (the publishers) are letting their greed drive your industry to ruin... like the music industry before it. Honestly, my thoughts about geo-restrictions echo everyone else on the forum. I once considered books sacrosanct.... a year ago I never would have thought I'd steal them, but I've spent the last 3 weeks jumping through hoops that shouldn't exist, trying to overcome artificial barriers that don't need to be there, all so I can BUY electronic copies of books I already own. But the publishers don't want my money and I'm tired of all the stuffing around. Amazon's made a great product, but the publishers need to stop hamstringing it... and if you're an Aussie, looking to buy a Kindle, don't expect the range of legitimately available books to be anywhere near satisfactory.