Greetings and Hallucinations

Vancanman · 09-21-2008, 08:18 PM

Hello All

My name is Stephen and I live in Vancouver Canada.

I was just given a Kindle for my birthday and immediately discovered a number of things.

1. I love it - I find the fit, form and finish excellent

2. Being Canadian, I cannot buy anything for it from Amazon. Despite having bought thousands of dollars worth of books over the last few years, I must have a US credit card and address to do business for my Kindle. I'm not going to bitch about International copyright laws, it's just very frustrating. I tried downloading (and paying for) a couple of books from Mobiebook but as I'm sure you experienced folk will have realized - they don't work.
The irony is that I do have a US address in Florida but I cannot get a credit card without a SSN which (as a "furriner")I am not allowed to have.

3. Currently, I have found a number of "ripped" books that I would prefer to buy but since I'm not allowed to, they will have to do until I figure out how to do business with Amazon.

4. Any suggestions as to getting legally purchased but DRMed content onto my Kindle greatly appreciated. I did try Igor's suggestion (and learned far more about Python than I had planned in the process) but my PID (created by kindlepid.py) has a number in it which Igor says is an error.

I am an avid reader but normally read 6-8 books at once and this, combined with my traveling suggests that the Kindle is the way to go (my hand-luggage weight is 90% books).

I hope to learn from you more experienced folks and in time share what I have learned.

TAFN

pilotbob · 09-21-2008, 09:33 PM

Generally you will need to learn to string DRM from your eBooks. There are methods out there to remove DRM from LIT (MS ReadeR), Mobipocket and eReader formats. Most people that do this seem to choose to remove DRM from LIT. However, you need a Windows machine with IE browser to buy/download LIT ebooks. Once you crack the DRM you will need to convert the ebook to mobipocket. You can do this using the mobiperl package which has a lit2mobi program.

The second choice but perhaps better for Kindle users I think is to buy mobi pocket format from Fictionwise.com or Booksonboard.com. Download and install Mobipocket reader onto your PC. Register your PCs PID with the book store. The books you get in this format can be cracked with mobidedrm. After doing this there is no need to convert. The kindle will consume the nonDRMed mobi pocket book just fine.

The third idea is to get mobipocket books that are not DRMed. There are alot here in the d/l section. Also, fictionwise.com sells "muti-format" books. One of the format is of course mobi. Bean free library has mobi ebooks and webscription.com sells them in that format.

There are alot of options.

HTH,
BOb

RickyMaveety · 09-21-2008, 10:18 PM

Well, maybe this is a little off the wall, but it's late and I'm tired.

You could always form a general corporation in the States, say in Nevada .... and the corporation does zero business, so it pays no taxes (and there are no state taxes in Nevada), and the corporation would be issued a Federal Tax ID number, and could be issued a credit card, and would have a US Address (in the form of a Nevada process agent).

You could then simply use that credit card, and have the agent in Nevada forward the statements to you (or get them online). Cost for the agent is about $150 a year ... cost of the Nevada Corp is another $100 or so. Nothing illegal about it.

I know it's maybe a bit of a leap ... but it would work, at least until Amazon decides that Canada is actually a civilized country with potential customers just sitting North of us on the other side of an imaginary line.

RickyMaveety · 09-22-2008, 10:50 AM

And, of course, there are a number of companies out there who will give foreign nationals a US credit card, paid up in advance, and they do not require a SSN because you don't earn income on the account.

There's an annual fee I believe as well. That is a fairly simple solution. I think you use the CC company's address with respect to setting up the Amazon account.

Or, there may be a way to open the account for the CC using your Canadian address, then change that address to the Florida address, and then set up the Amazon account using the Florida address.

Simpler than incorporating anyway ... although that would be legal, would work, and the annual costs just depend on the state you choose to set up the corporation.

MickeyC · 09-22-2008, 12:26 PM

Hi Vancanman and welcome to the Forum. And good luck with the Kindle

09-21-2008, 08:18 PM	#1
Vancanman Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle	Greetings and Hallucinations Hello All My name is Stephen and I live in Vancouver Canada. I was just given a Kindle for my birthday and immediately discovered a number of things. 1. I love it - I find the fit, form and finish excellent 2. Being Canadian, I cannot buy anything for it from Amazon. Despite having bought thousands of dollars worth of books over the last few years, I must have a US credit card and address to do business for my Kindle. I'm not going to bitch about International copyright laws, it's just very frustrating. I tried downloading (and paying for) a couple of books from Mobiebook but as I'm sure you experienced folk will have realized - they don't work. The irony is that I do have a US address in Florida but I cannot get a credit card without a SSN which (as a "furriner")I am not allowed to have. 3. Currently, I have found a number of "ripped" books that I would prefer to buy but since I'm not allowed to, they will have to do until I figure out how to do business with Amazon. 4. Any suggestions as to getting legally purchased but DRMed content onto my Kindle greatly appreciated. I did try Igor's suggestion (and learned far more about Python than I had planned in the process) but my PID (created by kindlepid.py) has a number in it which Igor says is an error. I am an avid reader but normally read 6-8 books at once and this, combined with my traveling suggests that the Kindle is the way to go (my hand-luggage weight is 90% books). I hope to learn from you more experienced folks and in time share what I have learned. TAFN

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09-21-2008, 09:33 PM	#2
pilotbob Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,832 Karma: 11844413 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tampa, FL USA Device: Kindle Touch	Generally you will need to learn to string DRM from your eBooks. There are methods out there to remove DRM from LIT (MS ReadeR), Mobipocket and eReader formats. Most people that do this seem to choose to remove DRM from LIT. However, you need a Windows machine with IE browser to buy/download LIT ebooks. Once you crack the DRM you will need to convert the ebook to mobipocket. You can do this using the mobiperl package which has a lit2mobi program. The second choice but perhaps better for Kindle users I think is to buy mobi pocket format from Fictionwise.com or Booksonboard.com. Download and install Mobipocket reader onto your PC. Register your PCs PID with the book store. The books you get in this format can be cracked with mobidedrm. After doing this there is no need to convert. The kindle will consume the nonDRMed mobi pocket book just fine. The third idea is to get mobipocket books that are not DRMed. There are alot here in the d/l section. Also, fictionwise.com sells "muti-format" books. One of the format is of course mobi. Bean free library has mobi ebooks and webscription.com sells them in that format. There are alot of options. HTH, BOb

09-21-2008, 10:18 PM	#3
RickyMaveety Holy S**T!!! Posts: 5,213 Karma: 108401 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Diego, California!! Device: Kindle and iPad	Well, maybe this is a little off the wall, but it's late and I'm tired. You could always form a general corporation in the States, say in Nevada .... and the corporation does zero business, so it pays no taxes (and there are no state taxes in Nevada), and the corporation would be issued a Federal Tax ID number, and could be issued a credit card, and would have a US Address (in the form of a Nevada process agent). You could then simply use that credit card, and have the agent in Nevada forward the statements to you (or get them online). Cost for the agent is about $150 a year ... cost of the Nevada Corp is another $100 or so. Nothing illegal about it. I know it's maybe a bit of a leap ... but it would work, at least until Amazon decides that Canada is actually a civilized country with potential customers just sitting North of us on the other side of an imaginary line.

09-22-2008, 10:50 AM	#4
RickyMaveety Holy S**T!!! Posts: 5,213 Karma: 108401 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Diego, California!! Device: Kindle and iPad	And, of course, there are a number of companies out there who will give foreign nationals a US credit card, paid up in advance, and they do not require a SSN because you don't earn income on the account. There's an annual fee I believe as well. That is a fairly simple solution. I think you use the CC company's address with respect to setting up the Amazon account. Or, there may be a way to open the account for the CC using your Canadian address, then change that address to the Florida address, and then set up the Amazon account using the Florida address. Simpler than incorporating anyway ... although that would be legal, would work, and the annual costs just depend on the state you choose to set up the corporation.

09-22-2008, 12:26 PM	#5
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Hi Vancanman and welcome to the Forum. And good luck with the Kindle

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