Kobo Launches Official Amazon Store in the US, Bypassing Third-Party Sellers

[Aleron Ives]

Wow, the Clara Colour and the Sage are both sold out. I sure hope Kobo is planning to announce new models soon, or something. No Sage and no Libra is a pretty dire situation for people who want a BW model.

[MegDreamsofBooks]

Originally Posted by Fbone

I'm being offered $7.50 off a $50 gift card.

Plus, use can use reward points and earn 5% on the purchase if using an Amazon Prime Visa.

FYI, Kobo has a "send $50 or more and get $10 back" deal on their gift cards through May 13 in their online store, no Prime reward points but a little bit more change in return.

[Renate]

Interesting. Of course even with links Amazon plays around with the results.
Amazon in Germany, sold by Amazon, shipped by Amazon, Clara BW, 149.99 €
https://www.amazon.de/Kobo-blendfrei...dp/B0CZXYV8GT/
Interesting to note that the specs quote a resolution of "800 x 600".

[Cactus Chef]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

Wow, the Clara Colour and the Sage are both sold out. I sure hope Kobo is planning to announce new models soon, or something. No Sage and no Libra is a pretty dire situation for people who want a BW model.

Sage seems to be back in stock?

https://www.amazon.com/Kobo-Touchscr.../dp/B09HSQ6JMM

I sure wasn't expecting this thing to hold onto its value as long as it did. I paid $180 to someone for a barely-used Sage in 2022, and that's still seemingly an incredible value three years later.

[shuvashish76]

Interesting, only for "Amazon Store in the US"?
Is that a good or bad thing? More accessibility to larger customers but controlled by Amazon which means in future they've to follow Amazon policies.

[Fat Abe]

Originally Posted by rcentros

It looks like you're still buying from Blue Proton or Triplenet Pricing via the "Kobo" storefront. You'll also note that the prices are inflated. The Clara BW, for example, is priced at about $161, compared to $140 at Kobo.

I have purchased Kobo e-readers directly from Kobo in the past, but the shipping was not free to HI. Can someone even get a 2-yr warranty policy on Kobo devices? The advantages of using Amazon outweigh using Kobo. If the unit is a DOA, I can easily return it at a local Whole Foods Market. With the decline of government services, losing US mail is now a serious risk for all consumers. It is far easier dealing with Amazon services than the Minerva bot that Kobo uses. Has anyone experienced tariff issues recently?
The quality of many imported electronic devices are very uneven. I have had to replace lithium batteries on Kindles, and possibly one on a Kobo reader. Having close to 25 readers from various companies, I consider reliability to be much more important than even performance.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Fat Abe

I have purchased Kobo e-readers directly from Kobo in the past, but the shipping was not free to HI. Can someone even get a 2-yr warranty policy on Kobo devices? The advantages of using Amazon outweigh using Kobo. If the unit is a DOA, I can easily return it at a local Whole Foods Market. With the decline of government services, losing US mail is now a serious risk for all consumers. It is far easier dealing with Amazon services than the Minerva bot that Kobo uses. Has anyone experienced tariff issues recently?
The quality of many imported electronic devices are very uneven. I have had to replace lithium batteries on Kindles, and possibly one on a Kobo reader. Having close to 25 readers from various companies, I consider reliability to be much more important than even performance.

I bought my first Kobo from Chapters in Canada. I bought it online on Wednesday or Thursday (Thanksgiving in the US) and it arrived on Sunday. I did have to pay shipping, but with the exchange rate back then I got it for slightly less then I would have from Kobo.