Kindle 3 Registration Hack

tthorne · 10-13-2010, 01:00 PM

I wish I had found this forum earlier. Oh well.

I got scammed buying a Kindle 3 brand new in the box from a 3rd party on Craigslist. Looks like its happened before. The seller is nowhere to be found. Amazon says it is a lost or stolen item, so I can't register it and they don't want it back. Now I have a lot of opinions on how Amazon is handling this, but I'll keep them to myself.

The issue is that I have this Kindle here that I'd like to put to use. I am happy that I can load my pdfs into it, since that is the major reason I purchased one, and I figured out that I can still get any book I want on this thing as long as I download to my computer and then transfer it over via usb.

I just want to know if there is a hack to getting the internet to work on it despite Amazon's deactivation. If one is not available, is this like the iphone where people just need time to develop a hack for the new version? I think I saw a registration hack out there for the Kindle 2...

tthorne · 10-13-2010, 02:10 PM

Just wanted to add, I called the police department and they said that due to the correspondences between myself and Amazon, that the situation is not something they feel is necessary to get involved in. I was told that since I called Amazon (repeatedly) letting them know that I have it, and that they have no interest in getting it back, that the property has therefore had its ownership relinquished.

This is such a weird situation. In light of all this, and the fact that I spend a ton of money with Amazon on a regular basis, why wouldn't they want me to spend more on their ebooks?

daffy4u · 10-13-2010, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tthorne

This is such a weird situation. In light of all this, and the fact that I spend a ton of money with Amazon on a regular basis, why wouldn't they want me to spend more on their ebooks?

They don't want to encourage people to buy or sell stolen Kindles. I know you didn't realize it was stolen but new Kindles are not that expensive and it is much safer to buy from the source or an authorized seller. If the price was significantly lower than purchasing new, it should have been a red flag.

At this point I don't believe there is anything you can do besides using the Kindle as generic reader. The only workaround I think of is for you to download Kindle for PC (or one of the other Kindle apps), strip the DRM from the books you purchase then load them onto the Kindle.

Sorry you were ripped off.

TotallyEpic · 10-13-2010, 02:30 PM

Could always sell it as is.

I'm sure someone is willing to buy a borked kindle, for parts, or even in hope of a registration hack.

tthorne · 10-13-2010, 02:48 PM

Thanks Daffy. You are totally right. I am only out 120 for it, which stinks, but not that big a deal.

You know what the most embarrassing thing is for me? It wasn't about saving money. I am just an instant gratification type of impulse buyer. If Amazon had a store, I'd have walked in and bought it. I considered the Nook for this very reason, but I heard more great things about the kindle.

I think the other bad part for me is that I've bought things off craigslist a bunch of times, ebay as well, and I've never had a problem. I guess I was desensitized enough to not see this coming.

tthorne · 10-13-2010, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TotallyEpic

Could always sell it as is.

I'm sure someone is willing to buy a borked kindle, for parts, or even in hope of a registration hack.

Yeah, I'm all ears if anyone wants it. I may try to sell it again, but I would definitely disclose this info. Sucks to be in this position and wouldn't want it for anyone else.

daffy4u · 10-13-2010, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tthorne

Thanks Daffy. You are totally right. I am only out 120 for it, which stinks, but not that big a deal.

You know what the most embarrassing thing is for me? It wasn't about saving money. I am just an instant gratification type of impulse buyer. If Amazon had a store, I'd have walked in and bought it. I considered the Nook for this very reason, but I heard more great things about the kindle.

I think the other bad part for me is that I've bought things off craigslist a bunch of times, ebay as well, and I've never had a problem. I guess I was desensitized enough to not see this coming.

I've used Craigslist to buy and sell. Most people are honest but there are those who look for ways to prey on people. Right now Kindle 3 is the tool to use. There is a thread on $45 Kindles being sold on eBay (we got that one shut down), so rip offs are everywhere.

FYI, Kindles can now be purchased at Target, Best Buy and Staples.

tthorne · 10-13-2010, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhillipA82

I may know someone that would be interested in purchasing your kindle. Let me ask and I will get back to you.

Wow, thanks so much. I appreciate that!

tthorne · 10-13-2010, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffy4u

I've used Craigslist to buy and sell. Most people are honest but there are those who look for ways to prey on people. Right now Kindle 3 is the tool to use. There is a thread on $45 Kindles being sold on eBay (we got that one shut down), so rip offs are everywhere.

FYI, Kindles can now be purchased at Target, Best Buy and Staples.

Target, Best Buy, and Staples!?!? Best buy is one of my favorite stores!!! I wish I'd have known. I really need a drink now.

abookreader · 10-13-2010, 05:23 PM

No. For the internet to work it will need to be registered with Amazon.
Really? You bought it to put PDF files on? Have you actually seen how a PDF file looks on a 6" screen?

Nevermind. Either sell it to the interested party or if you end up keeping that Kindle you will likely want to learn how to buy books from Amazon and other places, liberate them from DRM, and side load them onto the Kindle. It is an imperfect solution but at least you'll be able to read your books.

We really can't give you the instructions for that here but if you Google around it is pretty easy to figure out.

I feel kind of bad for you that you paid $120 for that thing when for $139 you could have had a new WiFi with a full warranty from Amazon.

tthorne · 10-14-2010, 02:16 AM

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE HOW FREAKING LUCKY I GOT!!!

This morning I pled my case with a supervisor at Amazon and he was the first person there that even remotely sounded like he felt bad about someone getting screwed. He ended up offering me $30 off a new 3G model and even gave me free OVERNIGHT shipping, laughing about how my impatience was what got me into the mess in the first place.

I know it is not a massive discount, but between that and overnight shipping, it added up to almost $70. I bought the lighted case too. Seriously, that was enough for me to reaffirm my love for Amazon. The thoughtfulness was something I won't forget. I will find that guy's boss tomorrow and make sure he knows.

THEN!!!!!

The seller of the lost/stolen Kindle called me back and told me he wanted to refund my money. Turns out he bought 60 of them from some guy the day before and sold a bunch of them yesterday only to get a bunch of calls like mine. So he was going around all day today refunding peoples money and filed a complaint with the police.

What can I say? I'm floored. Now I just can't wait until tomorrow when my new Kindle arrives.

tthorne · 10-14-2010, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abookreader

No. For the internet to work it will need to be registered with Amazon.
Really? You bought it to put PDF files on? Have you actually seen how a PDF file looks on a 6" screen?

Nevermind. Either sell it to the interested party or if you end up keeping that Kindle you will likely want to learn how to buy books from Amazon and other places, liberate them from DRM, and side load them onto the Kindle. It is an imperfect solution but at least you'll be able to read your books.

We really can't give you the instructions for that here but if you Google around it is pretty easy to figure out.

I feel kind of bad for you that you paid $120 for that thing when for $139 you could have had a new WiFi with a full warranty from Amazon.

Thanks abookreader. I work in the film/TV industry and read scripts by the dozen. During pilot season alone (January to April) I read upwards of 10,000 pages and the Kindle is a great way to be green (save paper) and not have to carry a big, heavy box of scripts wherever I go. On the green note, I think I am going to get everyone in my company switched over to a Kindle.

Surprisingly, when I'm not reading the scripts, my favorite thing to do is read books...

REVENGE · 10-14-2010, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tthorne

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE HOW FREAKING LUCKY I GOT!!!

This morning I pled my case with a supervisor at Amazon and he was the first person there that even remotely sounded like he felt bad about someone getting screwed. He ended up offering me $30 off a new 3G model and even gave me free OVERNIGHT shipping, laughing about how my impatience was what got me into the mess in the first place.

I know it is not a massive discount, but between that and overnight shipping, it added up to almost $70. I bought the lighted case too. Seriously, that was enough for me to reaffirm my love for Amazon. The thoughtfulness was something I won't forget. I will find that guy's boss tomorrow and make sure he knows.

THEN!!!!!

The seller of the lost/stolen Kindle called me back and told me he wanted to refund my money. Turns out he bought 60 of them from some guy the day before and sold a bunch of them yesterday only to get a bunch of calls like mine. So he was going around all day today refunding peoples money and filed a complaint with the police.

What can I say? I'm floored. Now I just can't wait until tomorrow when my new Kindle arrives.

Damn, where did you get all that good Karma from? :P

If you check out the other long thread, I just posted my experience. Long story short, Amazon didn't want to want to touch my case with a 20 foot pole. Strangely, they suggested that they would unban the stolen Kindle at one point, but it never happened. And even if the guys who sold me the Kindle had been burned themselves, they seemed fine with passing on the rip-off.

TheKindleWorm · 10-14-2010, 02:52 AM

Really nice OP that everything turned out well for you in the end

hope your story prevents other people from being scammed

tthorne · 10-14-2010, 03:11 AM

Sorry to hear that Revenge, it really took me speaking to a lot of reps and supervisors to find someone who cared to do anything at all, but that person did make a difference.

I can see Amazon not wanting to promote theft, but I think this policy is not going to increase or decrease such an action. I think the policy hurts Amazon more than it helps them. Case and point, I am waiting for my Kindle and I have already purchased 3 books at $35 and subscribed to 1 blog for $2 per month.

Thanks KindleWorm!

10-13-2010, 01:00 PM	#1
tthorne Member Posts: 10 Karma: 82 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle	Kindle 3 Registration Hack I wish I had found this forum earlier. Oh well. I got scammed buying a Kindle 3 brand new in the box from a 3rd party on Craigslist. Looks like its happened before. The seller is nowhere to be found. Amazon says it is a lost or stolen item, so I can't register it and they don't want it back. Now I have a lot of opinions on how Amazon is handling this, but I'll keep them to myself. The issue is that I have this Kindle here that I'd like to put to use. I am happy that I can load my pdfs into it, since that is the major reason I purchased one, and I figured out that I can still get any book I want on this thing as long as I download to my computer and then transfer it over via usb. I just want to know if there is a hack to getting the internet to work on it despite Amazon's deactivation. If one is not available, is this like the iphone where people just need time to develop a hack for the new version? I think I saw a registration hack out there for the Kindle 2...

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10-13-2010, 02:10 PM	#2
tthorne Member Posts: 10 Karma: 82 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle	Just wanted to add, I called the police department and they said that due to the correspondences between myself and Amazon, that the situation is not something they feel is necessary to get involved in. I was told that since I called Amazon (repeatedly) letting them know that I have it, and that they have no interest in getting it back, that the property has therefore had its ownership relinquished. This is such a weird situation. In light of all this, and the fact that I spend a ton of money with Amazon on a regular basis, why wouldn't they want me to spend more on their ebooks?

10-13-2010, 02:30 PM	#4
TotallyEpic Enthusiast Posts: 31 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Kindle 3 3G + Wifi	Could always sell it as is. I'm sure someone is willing to buy a borked kindle, for parts, or even in hope of a registration hack.

10-13-2010, 02:48 PM	#5
tthorne Member Posts: 10 Karma: 82 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle	Thanks Daffy. You are totally right. I am only out 120 for it, which stinks, but not that big a deal. You know what the most embarrassing thing is for me? It wasn't about saving money. I am just an instant gratification type of impulse buyer. If Amazon had a store, I'd have walked in and bought it. I considered the Nook for this very reason, but I heard more great things about the kindle. I think the other bad part for me is that I've bought things off craigslist a bunch of times, ebay as well, and I've never had a problem. I guess I was desensitized enough to not see this coming.

10-13-2010, 05:23 PM	#10
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	No. For the internet to work it will need to be registered with Amazon. Really? You bought it to put PDF files on? Have you actually seen how a PDF file looks on a 6" screen? Nevermind. Either sell it to the interested party or if you end up keeping that Kindle you will likely want to learn how to buy books from Amazon and other places, liberate them from DRM, and side load them onto the Kindle. It is an imperfect solution but at least you'll be able to read your books. We really can't give you the instructions for that here but if you Google around it is pretty easy to figure out. I feel kind of bad for you that you paid $120 for that thing when for $139 you could have had a new WiFi with a full warranty from Amazon.

10-14-2010, 02:16 AM	#11
tthorne Member Posts: 10 Karma: 82 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle	YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE HOW FREAKING LUCKY I GOT!!! This morning I pled my case with a supervisor at Amazon and he was the first person there that even remotely sounded like he felt bad about someone getting screwed. He ended up offering me $30 off a new 3G model and even gave me free OVERNIGHT shipping, laughing about how my impatience was what got me into the mess in the first place. I know it is not a massive discount, but between that and overnight shipping, it added up to almost $70. I bought the lighted case too. Seriously, that was enough for me to reaffirm my love for Amazon. The thoughtfulness was something I won't forget. I will find that guy's boss tomorrow and make sure he knows. THEN!!!!! The seller of the lost/stolen Kindle called me back and told me he wanted to refund my money. Turns out he bought 60 of them from some guy the day before and sold a bunch of them yesterday only to get a bunch of calls like mine. So he was going around all day today refunding peoples money and filed a complaint with the police. What can I say? I'm floored. Now I just can't wait until tomorrow when my new Kindle arrives.

10-14-2010, 02:52 AM	#14
TheKindleWorm Guru Posts: 860 Karma: 177868 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: East Anglia UK Device: Kindle 3G, iPhone 3G, iPod 4G, PB 360, Sony 600 sold, Kindle 2i sold	Really nice OP that everything turned out well for you in the end hope your story prevents other people from being scammed

10-14-2010, 03:11 AM	#15
tthorne Member Posts: 10 Karma: 82 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle	Sorry to hear that Revenge, it really took me speaking to a lot of reps and supervisors to find someone who cared to do anything at all, but that person did make a difference. I can see Amazon not wanting to promote theft, but I think this policy is not going to increase or decrease such an action. I think the policy hurts Amazon more than it helps them. Case and point, I am waiting for my Kindle and I have already purchased 3 books at $35 and subscribed to 1 blog for $2 per month. Thanks KindleWorm!

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