Weird message when opening the kobo website

Rugbyfan1986 · 03-05-2025, 11:37 PM

Hello,

For some reason, for the last couple of weeks I have been seeing the following when opening the kobo website (see attachment 1), yet as attachment 2 shows I clearly have a uk email address.

Has anyone else encountered this issue?

Thanks
Rugbyfan 1986

Aleron Ives · 03-05-2025, 11:53 PM

Are you perhaps using a VPN that's presenting a US IP address to kobo.com?

Quoth · 03-06-2025, 04:12 AM

A .co.uk domain for email shouldn't be and usually isn't taken to be your location is in the UK. Kobo uses two things:
1) Country set in the Payment Settings. This seems to over-ride everything.
2) Assumption about country from IP address. Actually this is stupid and should be illegal, so-called geolocation.

The IP address geolocation only seems to apply if you are not logged in.

If the country has a single national sales tax or VAT rate, then no address is needed, just Country. The USA needs zip code and state at least, because of local sales tax.

Log out and log in, check your location under Payment Details. Unlike Amazon, Kobo doesn't really care where you are as long as the details make sense for tax and payment method.

The email address is irrelevant.

bluepeter · 03-06-2025, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rugbyfan1986

Has anyone else encountered this issue?

Yes, I've been getting it, too. And this is happening even though I'm already logged in with a UK billing address.

I've also been getting a popup regarding cookies - even after I've set my preferences.

Signing out and signing back in doesn't help.

It's a bit irritating.

Quoth · 03-06-2025, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluepeter

Yes, I've been getting it, too. And this is happening even though I'm already logged in with a UK billing address.

I've also been getting a popup regarding cookies - even after I've set my preferences.

Signing out and signing back in doesn't help.

It's a bit irritating.

Then, Kobo has themselves broken something. I'm not seeing it* right now, in Ireland, logged into Kobo UK.

So it's not IP address?
[* Cookies issue, Wrong Store etc]

bluepeter · 03-06-2025, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

So it's not IP address?
[* Cookies issue, Wrong Store etc]

I don't think it's my IP address. That usually comes out as either near Sheffield or in Norfolk. (Neither's correct - I'm actually in Wiltshire. But I've never seen anything to suggest that my IP address is anywhere outside England.)

bluepeter · 03-06-2025, 06:36 AM

Oh, no, that's wrong. According to https://iplocation.io/my-location, I'm now somewhere between Northampton and Bedford. Still a long way away, but also still within England.

Quoth · 03-06-2025, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluepeter

I don't think it's my IP address. That usually comes out as either near Sheffield or in Norfolk. (Neither's correct - I'm actually in Wiltshire. But I've never seen anything to suggest that my IP address is anywhere outside England.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluepeter

Oh, no, that's wrong. According to https://iplocation.io/my-location, I'm now somewhere between Northampton and Bedford. Still a long way away, but also still within England.

So it's a bug. Nothing to do with IP address or people using VPNs etc. Kobo don't care about IP or email, only country in "Payment Information" section.

Still OK here on Vivaldi and Firefox (current versions on Linux Mint)
I've uMatrix on Firefox without everything enabled (just really stupid stuff / google blocked).
Vivaldi is set to "no blocking" as it has no simple fine grain control.

Chromium: I see the message if not signed in on UK. Fine when logged in. If I select Ireland I see the message when logged in.

When I'm logged out it's using IP on Chromium, as Ireland is then OK

Third party cookies are blocked always, everywhere on everything.

So, summary:
1) If you are not logged in Kobo uses the IP for geolocation.
2) If you are logged in, Kobo uses country in "Payment Information" - "Billing Address." They only need the Country for UK or Ireland, USA needs more due to local taxes.

Tested on Vivaldi, Firefox & Chromium on Linux Mint.

JSWolf · 03-06-2025, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

So it's a bug. Nothing to do with IP address or people using VPNs etc. Kobo don't care about IP or email, only country in "Payment Information" section.

Still OK here on Vivaldi and Firefox (current versions on Linux Mint)
I've uMatrix on Firefox without everything enabled (just really stupid stuff / google blocked).
Vivaldi is set to "no blocking" as it has no simple fine grain control.

Chromium: I see the message if not signed in on UK. Fine when logged in. If I select Ireland I see the message when logged in.

When I'm logged out it's using IP on Chromium, as Ireland is then OK

Third party cookies are blocked always, everywhere on everything.

So, summary:
1) If you are not logged in Kobo uses the IP for geolocation.
2) If you are logged in, Kobo uses country in "Payment Information" - "Billing Address." They only need the Country for UK or Ireland, USA needs more due to local taxes.

Tested on Vivaldi, Firefox & Chromium on Linux Mint.

If you do need US, choose New Hampshire as there is no sales tax there.

Quoth · 03-06-2025, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If you do need US, choose New Hampshire as there is no sales tax there.

Need a zip code too. But probably searching for hardware stores or bookshops in New Hampshire works.

ps67 · 03-08-2025, 12:29 PM

I have the same issue from Italy. I use Linux, with Firefox and also with Chrome.

03-05-2025, 11:37 PM	#1
Rugbyfan1986 Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2021 Device: Kobo	Weird message when opening the kobo website Hello, For some reason, for the last couple of weeks I have been seeing the following when opening the kobo website (see attachment 1), yet as attachment 2 shows I clearly have a uk email address. Has anyone else encountered this issue? Thanks Rugbyfan 1986 Attached Thumbnails

03-08-2025, 12:29 PM	#11
ps67 Guru Posts: 755 Karma: 7025494 Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Italy Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Elipsa, Pocketbook Inkpad 4, Inkpad Color	I have the same issue from Italy. I use Linux, with Firefox and also with Chrome. Last edited by ps67; 03-08-2025 at 12:33 PM.

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03-05-2025, 11:53 PM	#2
Aleron Ives Wizard Posts: 1,683 Karma: 16307824 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: Kobo Libra 2	Are you perhaps using a VPN that's presenting a US IP address to kobo.com?

03-06-2025, 04:12 AM	#3
Quoth Still reading Posts: 13,952 Karma: 103895653 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	A .co.uk domain for email shouldn't be and usually isn't taken to be your location is in the UK. Kobo uses two things: 1) Country set in the Payment Settings. This seems to over-ride everything. 2) Assumption about country from IP address. Actually this is stupid and should be illegal, so-called geolocation. The IP address geolocation only seems to apply if you are not logged in. If the country has a single national sales tax or VAT rate, then no address is needed, just Country. The USA needs zip code and state at least, because of local sales tax. Log out and log in, check your location under Payment Details. Unlike Amazon, Kobo doesn't really care where you are as long as the details make sense for tax and payment method. The email address is irrelevant.

03-06-2025, 06:36 AM	#7
bluepeter Addict Posts: 242 Karma: 1028440 Join Date: May 2024 Location: Salisbury, UK Device: Clara BW, Mini, Libra H2O, Kindle (11G), Paperwhite (10G), Boox Poke 5	Oh, no, that's wrong. According to https://iplocation.io/my-location, I'm now somewhere between Northampton and Bedford. Still a long way away, but also still within England.

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