Buy from Amazon UK when in Australia

pietro99 · 07-26-2011, 10:58 PM

There is a book I wish to buy that is not available in the US, only from Amazon UK. I am based in Australia and I can buy from the US with a VPN, Gift card and US email address.

Is anybody using this or a similar method to buy from the UK?

One of these days the book companies will catch up with technology and abandon geographical limitations, and I hope it's soon. It encourages piracy.

hunnymonster · 07-27-2011, 04:13 AM

There's no reason to expect it to work any differently - although the VPN is overkill I think (I certainly don't use one and have bought from US, UK & German stores with no issues - otherwise those travelling outside their countries would be unable to buy on the move right?)

HarryT · 07-27-2011, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hunnymonster

There's no reason to expect it to work any differently - although the VPN is overkill I think (I certainly don't use one and have bought from US, UK & German stores with no issues - otherwise those travelling outside their countries would be unable to buy on the move right?)

It's where your account is registered that matter. Eg, I can't buy eBooks from "Amazon.com" because my account is with "Amazon.co.uk".

pietro99 · 07-27-2011, 04:26 AM

Amazon UK won't sell me any Kindle books at all. It just directs to the US. And Amazon US often tells me the book is not available in my geographical area. I need the VPN and a US email address to be able to buy these books.

AFAIK my account has to be registered in Australia because they can tell that's where I'm located.

melmac · 07-27-2011, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pietro99

There is a book I wish to buy that is not available in the US, only from Amazon UK. I am based in Australia and I can buy from the US with a VPN, Gift card and US email address.

I haven't tried with the UK store but I did with US store and wasn't very successful

I started up my VPN (hotspot shield) created a new account with a hotmail address filled it in with a US postal address and applied a gift card to the account, I was able to buy 7 books some of which I know are geo locked and it was all going well. Then I went to get another one and got the dreaded email from amazon telling me to correct my address

I have no idea what tipped them off that I wasn't american.
I was loading the books into K4PC and am wondering if perhaps the K4PC software reported back to them that it was installed on an Aussie machine? Anyhow its all too much work and I wish they'd wake up and realise its a global ecconomy now, and Yes I know its not totally Amazons fault.

pietro99 · 07-27-2011, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melmac

I haven't tried with the UK store but I did with US store and wasn't very successful

I started up my VPN (hotspot shield) created a new account with a hotmail address filled it in with a US postal address and applied a gift card to the account, I was able to buy 7 books some of which I know are geo locked and it was all going well. Then I went to get another one and got the dreaded email from amazon telling me to correct my address

I have no idea what tipped them off that I wasn't american.
I was loading the books into K4PC and am wondering if perhaps the K4PC software reported back to them that it was installed on an Aussie machine? Anyhow its all too much work and I wish they'd wake up and realise its a global ecconomy now, and Yes I know its not totally Amazons fault.

Interesting. That's exactly what I've been doing without problems but haven't tried for a while. I will probably try to set this up for UK Amazon tomorrow and see what happens.

abookreader · 07-27-2011, 08:55 AM

I think K4PC was probably what did you in. Also - did you do all 7 books in a short amount of time? I've seen people report they are okay as long as they keep it to 1 or 2 books at a time, but when they start mass buying like that it seems to trigger some sort of IP check or something.

hunnymonster · 07-27-2011, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's where your account is registered that matter. Eg, I can't buy eBooks from "Amazon.com" because my account is with "Amazon.co.uk".

Agreed, but if you physically relocate yourself and your Kindle to (say) France temporarily for a holiday, you can still buy from the Amazon.co.uk store because that's where you're registered.

Likewise if you move to France (permanently) and change your location to "France" then you will buy from whatever is on offer to the territory "France" - when you go to the UK (temporarily/on holiday) you will still be in "France" as far as Amazon is concerned.

pdurrant · 07-27-2011, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pietro99

There is a book I wish to buy that is not available in the US, only from Amazon UK. I am based in Australia and I can buy from the US with a VPN, Gift card and US email address.

I think you'll need to set up a new Amazon account with a UK-based address to be able to buy from the UK kindle store.

I hope the Australian ebook supply situation improves for you soon.

I used to fiddle with getting around geographic restrictions, but it's just too much hassle now that the UK ebook supply has improved so much. There are still US books I'd like, but there are so many other good books I try not to worry about them.

HarryT · 07-27-2011, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hunnymonster

Agreed, but if you physically relocate yourself and your Kindle to (say) France temporarily for a holiday, you can still buy from the Amazon.co.uk store because that's where you're registered.

That's right - and that's because, as you say, it's where I'm registered. If the OP's account, though, is NOT registered in the UK, Amazon won't let them buy eBooks from "amazon.co.uk" at all, just as I can't buy from "amazon.com".

pietro99 · 07-28-2011, 02:16 AM

I'm trying to find a free VPN for the UK. I tried Expatshield, which seems to be the UK version of Hotspotshield. It allows me access to BBC Iplayer OK, but can't access Amazon UK, it keeps timing out.

Does anyone have any thoughts please?

07-26-2011, 10:58 PM	#1
pietro99 Connoisseur Posts: 55 Karma: 76 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle 3	Buy from Amazon UK when in Australia There is a book I wish to buy that is not available in the US, only from Amazon UK. I am based in Australia and I can buy from the US with a VPN, Gift card and US email address. Is anybody using this or a similar method to buy from the UK? One of these days the book companies will catch up with technology and abandon geographical limitations, and I hope it's soon. It encourages piracy.

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07-27-2011, 04:13 AM	#2
hunnymonster Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 1252022 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: K3 wifi, K3 3G, K Touch, K Paperwhite	There's no reason to expect it to work any differently - although the VPN is overkill I think (I certainly don't use one and have bought from US, UK & German stores with no issues - otherwise those travelling outside their countries would be unable to buy on the move right?)

07-27-2011, 04:26 AM	#4
pietro99 Connoisseur Posts: 55 Karma: 76 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle 3	Amazon UK won't sell me any Kindle books at all. It just directs to the US. And Amazon US often tells me the book is not available in my geographical area. I need the VPN and a US email address to be able to buy these books. AFAIK my account has to be registered in Australia because they can tell that's where I'm located.

07-27-2011, 08:55 AM	#7
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	I think K4PC was probably what did you in. Also - did you do all 7 books in a short amount of time? I've seen people report they are okay as long as they keep it to 1 or 2 books at a time, but when they start mass buying like that it seems to trigger some sort of IP check or something.

07-28-2011, 02:16 AM	#11
pietro99 Connoisseur Posts: 55 Karma: 76 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle 3	I'm trying to find a free VPN for the UK. I tried Expatshield, which seems to be the UK version of Hotspotshield. It allows me access to BBC Iplayer OK, but can't access Amazon UK, it keeps timing out. Does anyone have any thoughts please?