Kindle Paperwhite without Amazon account

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by sirmaru

I own 3 Kindle Devices, one Kindle App and have one more Kindle device on the way. Without registration at the Amazon site, syncing would be impossible.

Only if a person owns a single Kindle device would it make sense to deregister the unit and buy eBooks elsewhere.

I have a Kindle, and at this time it's not registered. I've bought exactly 2 ebooks from Amazon, because I had no other choice. I have a Kindle because Kobo has way too many bugs in their firmware and waste too much space on screen.

Thus, it makes no sense to buy eBooks from anyone but Amazon but everyone has their own preferences.

You should really cut back a bit on these kinds of statements. I can give you some fairly recent examples why I didn't buy books at Amazon. Heck; why don't I?

Musashi - Eiji Yoshikawa.
Amazon: Not available for Dutch Account.
Kobo: $7.99 with 50% coupon
(Difference: unobtainable vs. cheap)

Musashi - Eiji Yoshikawa.
Amazon: Not available for Dutch Account.
Kobo: $7.99 with 50% coupon
(Difference: unobtainable vs. cheap)

Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (5 books omnibus)
Amazon: $40, for Dutch Accounts.
Kobo: $15 on offer @ Kobo, reduced to $7.50 by 50% coupon (It's only $32.50 difference... but hey... why bother?)

Whole bunch of Forgotten Realms novels.
Amazon: $9.81 per book
Feedbooks: $5.49 per book
Diesel: $4.81 per book
Kobo: $3.25 per book after 50% coupon.
(50% difference, even without any coupons, roughly 67% difference with coupons. You don't bother with 67% discounts?)

DelphiClassics works:
Amazon: $3 per work, not all of them available for Dutch accounts.
DelphiClassics: $3 per work, everything available, 25% coupon, saving me $10 recently.

You keep buying at Amazon. I buy everywhere but Amazon, and keep saving money over and over, sometimes even insane amounts using coupons, and often I'm getting access to books Amazon doesn't even want to sell me, just because I'm not in the US. Most of the time, I don't even have to break geo-restrictions, but if I have to, it's MUCH easier at other retailers than at Amazon.

[Barbara1955]

2000+ ebooks I purchsed 20 Got the rest FREE either off Amazon or other places. Not saying you cant buy from other places just dont know why you dont reg it. I also have 30 eBook Audio scync Free off Amazon.

Reasons TO Reg it! 1..Warrenty 2...Software Updated 3 You loss it they can Block/brick it

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

You keep buying at Amazon. I buy everywhere but Amazon, and keep saving money over and over, sometimes even insane amounts using coupons, and often I'm getting access to books Amazon doesn't even want to sell me, just because I'm not in the US. Most of the time, I don't even have to break geo-restrictions, but if I have to, it's MUCH easier at other retailers than at Amazon.

I agree completely. If you live in the Netherlands, you have much better choices for eBooks than Amazon.

However, I live in AMERICA !

Does the Netherlands have an eBook manufacturer? If they do, definitely by the eReader there.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by sirmaru

Does the Netherlands have an eBook manufacturer? If they do, definitely by the eReader there.

We have two companies that manufacture ereaders. (And iRex previously, which is now bankrupt.) There is only one ebook distributor, and most prices are fixed. Each Dutch book has a specific price, which is the same in all stores. Same for English books.

English books that cost $5.99 or less at Kobo/Wherever, would easily cost €7.99 ($10.95) or even more in a Dutch store. Very often, Amazon matches the prices of the Dutch stores if buying English books there, when using a Dutch account. Other retailers don't do that, and they often turn out to be 25-50% cheaper, not even including coupons.

[Barbara1955]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

We have two companies that manufacture ereaders. (And iRex previously, which is now bankrupt.) There is only one ebook distributor, and most prices are fixed. Each Dutch book has a specific price, which is the same in all stores. Same for English books.

English books that cost $5.99 or less at Kobo/Wherever, would easily cost €7.99 ($10.95) or even more in a Dutch store. Very often, Amazon matches the prices of the Dutch stores if buying English books there, when using a Dutch account. Other retailers don't do that, and they often turn out to be 25-50% cheaper, not even including coupons.

OK I understand. Has nothing to do with Amazon its the Country you live in! Will Amazon Brick it IF its reg?

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Katie1

OK I understand. Has nothing to do with Amazon its the Country you live in! Will Amazon Brick it IF its reg?

No, it won't brick. One can actually order a Kindle at Amazon.com from the Netherlands. It works just fine, and I can buy books at Amazon through the Kindle or the site. They will only be (much) more expensive most of the time, because I don't live in the US.

Amazon just stays about $.25 to $1 or so below the prices in the Netherlands. If a book in the Netherlands would cost €7.99 ($10.95), Amazon will probably ask $9.99. A €12.99 ($17.95) book would probably cost $16.95 at Amazon.

Kobo and other stores, who don't (nearly) match the Dutch prices, are therefore cheaper, often by a lot. When including coupons, the price differences between Dutch stores or Amazon from a Dutch account and other retailers often become quite ridiculous. Total savings of up to 75% compared to the Amazon price are not impossible.

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

No, it works just fine, and I can buy books at Amazon through the Kindle. They will only be (much) more expensive most of the time, because I don't live in the US.

I read the following on the Amazon Discussion boards:

"The workaround I used to buy it from The Netherlands (throught the US-Amazon-site) was change the address in my Amazon-account to a non-dutch one. In this case any address is OK, because it's a digital file."

For some reason the Netherlands gets a bad deal. Walk across the border to Germany and then set up your address at a friend's house there.

Then try Amazon again for their prices.

If you have any friends or relatives in the US, you could use their address. If you have friends or relatives in the UK, you could buy from Amazon-UK.

The eBooks are delivered digitally so it would be just buying the device where the problem would occur.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by sirmaru

I read the following on the Amazon Discussion boards:

"The workaround I used to buy it from The Netherlands (throught the US-Amazon-site) was change the address in my Amazon-account to a non-dutch one. In this case any address is OK, because it's a digital file."

Yes. I did that once, to buy a book from Amazon.co.uk. Within about 3 days, you'll get a very polite email that notifies you that your billing address and Kindle Location address are not the same.

In a somewhat circumspect way, the e-mail also tells you that your "Change your location" privileges can be revoked, "and/or other actions can be taken if necessary", if you don't match up your billing address and your Kindle Location within 90 days.

You will actually have to *prove* that you moved from one country to another, if you think that you could just change both addresses to the same country.

<snip regional stuff>

I know all of that stuff, but it's of no consequence. First, I prefer EPUB as a format, and I would have an EPUB reader if there was one that I liked. Second, why should I jump through regional restriction hoops, if I don't have to do so at other stores, or if I need to, can do so extremely easily compared to Amazon?

It's Amazon's loss. In the end, I always get the books I want for the price I want.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by sirmaru

I agree completely. If you live in the Netherlands, you have much better choices for eBooks than Amazon.

However, I live in AMERICA !

Originally Posted by Katie1

OK I understand. Has nothing to do with Amazon its the Country you live in! Will Amazon Brick it IF its reg?

There are plenty of examples of the same thing if you live in America. When Kobo has 50% (and some higher percentage) off coupons available they are often quite a bit cheaper than Amazon here too.

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

It's Amazon's loss. In the end, I always get the books I want for the price I want.

Are eReaders and eBooks controlled by US Government import / export restrictions or is this just Amazon policy?

In this digital age where everything is purchased at web sites its hard to understand.

Where are the Kobos produced?

[Katsunami]

Its Amazon or publisher policy. I don't know. If I find a book without being logged in, it may cost $5. After I log in, it could be unavailable, or cost $5, or $10. It depends on the book.

Kobo does the same thing, but far less often.