How do you buy e-books that aren't available in your country?

[technomom]

I love Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt series - I must, I've read seven big volumes in it so far! Unfortunately, I absolutely could NOT find book eight or the just-released nine available in the US in any e-book format. I managed to buy book eight on Pan MacMilllan's web site, but for book nine they just say "ebook available" - apparently it is only sold through other sites. I haven't quite figured out how to legally buy a book through the Amazon UK site as a US customer. Pan MacMillan's site says, now, that they cannot sell e-books to customers outside the UK.

Have y'all found any sort of workaround to this sort of problem? I'm entirely disinterested in getting the trade paperback, which seems the only other option - especially since it, too, is only available in the UK!

[Apache]

I set up an Amazon UK account using a second email, a UK address and my Am Ex Card. It works great and I have gotten quite a few non US Published works plus others that were released up to a year earlier in the UK.
Apache

[AnemicOak]

IIRC for Kobo you just need to change your country in your account settings, I've not done it though so maybe someone who has can comment.

[DiapDealer]

How do you buy e-books that aren't available in your country?

I don't. Not for any moral or legal reasons, but simply because I've no interest in jumping through hoops for the right to spend money.

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

IIRC for Kobo you just need to change your country in your account settings, I've not done it though so maybe someone who has can comment.

I have different accounts/email addresses for each Kobo store country that I use. You could make it simple: mary-uk@x.com, mary-us@x.com, etc. I enter the address of a hotel in that country in My Account>Payment Information. Chapters or Kobo gift cards work no matter what country your account is registered to, and coupon codes are applicable in some countries and not others. You can download your purchased ePub from any country account to a single ADE account. Then I "fly" to Canada, US, UK or India and compare prices.

[Abtacha]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I don't. Not for any moral or legal reasons, but simply because I've no interest in jumping through hoops for the right to spend money.

Same for me. I'm not going to work for the right to give someone my money.

[Istvan diVega]

The hoops are huge and basically resting on the floor. All you need to do is step right through.

[Apache]

It took me less than 5 minutes to set up my Amazon UK Account. It was well worth the time to be able to get books that are not available in the US, or are released a year after the UK release.
Apache

[crossi]

Originally Posted by Apache

It took me less than 5 minutes to set up my Amazon UK Account. It was well worth the time to be able to get books that are not available in the US, or are released a year after the UK release.
Apache

For your American Express card did you need to set your location as the UK?

[Apache]

Not for the card. I set my location on Amazon UK with a UK address.
The Am Ex Card is still linked to my business address.
Apache

[applesauce]

I ask a friend in the country I need to purchase, then email me the book. Is it wrong yes, but too bad. I find it wrong that being australian stops me buying books I want to read.

applesauce

[meeera]

Originally Posted by applesauce

I ask a friend in the country I need to purchase, then email me the book. Is it wrong yes, but too bad.

It might be against the ToS, but I don't think it's remotely wrong. You're finding a way to pay the author for their work.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by meeera

It might be against the ToS, but I don't think it's remotely wrong. You're finding a way to pay the author for their work.

+1. Author gets paid, you get your ebook. Everyone is happy.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

+1. Author gets paid, you get your ebook. Everyone is happy.

Except for the publisher who later brings it out in your region.

[crossi]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Except for the publisher who later brings it out in your region.

Their fault for being so slow. They should have released it quickly even with scanning errors. They could fix the errors later for redownload after the purchases if needed. The important thing is to make the sale. Businesses don't succeed by letting their competitors get their customers first.