Buying used kindle questions

dakini · 08-21-2018, 01:25 AM

Hi, everyone,

I’m a Kobo user, meeting someone tomorrow about a used kindle for sale. It’s a 2014 touch, from what I can tell.

I called Amazon tonight to make sure it wasn’t blacklisted — the seller sent me pictures, including the serial number on the box. It’s not blacklisted, but it is still registered to someone. From what I gather, it’s someone deceased and she’s helping get rid of the person’s stuff. The Amazon person I talked to said as long as there’s WiFi I can deregister it in the device. So I wanted to ask how one does that.

Second, anything I should be cautious about? Or things to pay attention to?

pdurrant · 08-21-2018, 04:44 AM

So long as its not blacklisted, you can do a factory-reset which will deregister it. If it doesn't have a password lock, you can also deregister from the device.

Apart from blacklisting, and general condition, there's not much you can check. It's possible that the battery life will be lower than a new device, but you can't really test that, except to make sure that it does work from battery at least for a few minutes.

rcentros · 08-21-2018, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakini

Second, anything I should be cautious about? Or things to pay attention to?

It's going to be hard to check the battery, but you can check the screen for bad pixels, scratches, signs of too much pressure, etc. If it's a Kindle Touch, they tend to get scratched around the bezel which, for me, can be distracting. (If it's the "New" Touch — 7th Generation — Kindle it'll have a black bezel and the scratches won't be an issue.)

Be aware that, if this is the Kindle Touch (or "New Touch") model (and not a Paperwhite with a "touch" screen), it won't have front-lighting — it won't have built-in lighting at all.

dakini · 08-21-2018, 05:46 PM

Thanks everyone. I had the serial number and confirmed it was not blacklisted. I checked it out and deregistered it in front of the seller and connected it to my own account. She seemed glad I was explaining what I was doing and why ... it had been her friend’s and she didn’t know much about how to use it. She didn’t know it could be used to purchase stuff on the other account.

2014 7th gen with charger for $20. It’ll do for my upcoming travels and I kinda like being able to download from Amazon. That could be dangerous. Lol. So I guess I’m now a Kindle owner after three Kobos.

rcentros · 08-21-2018, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakini

2014 7th gen with charger for $20. It’ll do for my upcoming travels and I kinda like being able to download from Amazon. That could be dangerous. Lol. So I guess I’m now a Kindle owner after three Kobos.

At that price you're not going to get hurt. With the newest software you can install your own fonts. If your library uses Overdrive, you can borrow books and download them directly to the Kindle.

Good luck.

08-21-2018, 01:25 AM	#1
dakini not "it" Posts: 236 Karma: 1687996 Join Date: Aug 2012 Device: Kindle 7th gen	Buying used kindle questions Hi, everyone, I’m a Kobo user, meeting someone tomorrow about a used kindle for sale. It’s a 2014 touch, from what I can tell. I called Amazon tonight to make sure it wasn’t blacklisted — the seller sent me pictures, including the serial number on the box. It’s not blacklisted, but it is still registered to someone. From what I gather, it’s someone deceased and she’s helping get rid of the person’s stuff. The Amazon person I talked to said as long as there’s WiFi I can deregister it in the device. So I wanted to ask how one does that. Second, anything I should be cautious about? Or things to pay attention to?

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08-21-2018, 04:44 AM	#2
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 74,450 Karma: 318076944 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	So long as its not blacklisted, you can do a factory-reset which will deregister it. If it doesn't have a password lock, you can also deregister from the device. Apart from blacklisting, and general condition, there's not much you can check. It's possible that the battery life will be lower than a new device, but you can't really test that, except to make sure that it does work from battery at least for a few minutes.

08-21-2018, 05:46 PM	#4
dakini not "it" Posts: 236 Karma: 1687996 Join Date: Aug 2012 Device: Kindle 7th gen	Thanks everyone. I had the serial number and confirmed it was not blacklisted. I checked it out and deregistered it in front of the seller and connected it to my own account. She seemed glad I was explaining what I was doing and why ... it had been her friend’s and she didn’t know much about how to use it. She didn’t know it could be used to purchase stuff on the other account. 2014 7th gen with charger for $20. It’ll do for my upcoming travels and I kinda like being able to download from Amazon. That could be dangerous. Lol. So I guess I’m now a Kindle owner after three Kobos.