Thanks for the insight da_jane. You may be onto something there.
@sarahw2275: We appreciate and sympathise with your frustration, but please don't shout (all caps is considered shouting, just in case you don't know that).
Sony has never been bashful about saying they weren't planning to sell the Reader outside the U.S., we've all just been hoping it wouldn't be so.
If you look around a bit here, you'll see that folks are already setting up workarounds, both individually and some hatching group plans. And all that is before any secondary retailers have even gotten started!
I think you'll easily be able to find a way before very long. <fingers crossed>