How do non-US Kindlers purchase Kindle e-books?

[HarryT]

No, not messing. Just replying to your question about why you'd want to shop other than at Amazon. The simple answer - if you have a Kindle - is that you probably have no reason at all to want to do so .

[MoSo]

I thought the Whispernet wasn't something I particularly cared about - until Sprint took the closest tower down for a week and I couldn't use it. That made me realize how much I did use it, and how much more gloriously simple it was than downloading and transferring. Also, the only way to get samples is through Whispernet, they can't be downloaded. So now that I've come to rely on it, I've decided it IS a great feature....

Oh, and Amazon customer service was great about keeping me informed of the status of the Sprint tower. Every morning they forwarded me the status report from Sprint on the tower repairs.

[JMikeD]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Exactly. I was originally responding to JMikeD's claim that there are wide price differences between the different formats. That's not true - prices at Amazon, Sony, and the various Mobi stores are, generally speaking, pretty much the same to within a few pennies. When the Kindle first appeared, Amazon were indeed cheaper than elsewhere, but these days prices of the other formats have fallen to match Amazon's prices.

There's more difference than a few pennies on the books I've purchased in the last few week. See list below ( I *think* I transcribed the numbers correctly).

Wheel of Darkness - Preston/Child
Mobi - 17.99
Amazon - 7.19
Sony - 7.19

Rex Stout (any) -
Mobi - 8.99
Amazon - 6.50
Sony - 8.09

Isaac Asimov (any) -
Mobi - 7.99
Amazon - 6.39
Sony - 7.14

Physics of the Impossible - Michio Kaku
Mobi - 17.95
Amazon - 9.99
Sony - 12.56

Drunkard's Walk - Leonard Mlodikow
Mobi - 17.95
Amazon - 9.99 (bought it last week, it's not there today)
Sony - 12.56

Old Man's War - John Scalzi
Mobi - 12.95
Amazon - 6.99 (it was free for a week, I got it then)
Sony - Not available

The Accidental Time Machine - Joe Haldeman
Mobi - 7.99
Amazon - 6.39
Sony - 7.19

Without Fail - Lee Child
Mobi - 7.99
Amazon - 6.39
Sony - 7.19

Uneasy Relations - Aaron Elkins
Mobi - 23.95
Amazon - 9.99
Sony - 16.76

The Aztec Heresy - Paul Christopher
Mobi - 7.99
Amazon - 6.39
Sony - 7.19

[HarryT]

Are you looking at the MobiPocket web site? As has been stated on innumerable occasions, they are wholesalers for all the other sellers, and are ALWAYS ridiculously expensive. Look instead at Fictionwise or BooksOnBoard for a "realistic" view of what Mobi books cost.

Eg, looking at Fictionwise:

Wheel of Darkness: $6.11
Rex Stout: $6.88
Without fail: $6.11
The Accidental Time Machine: $6.11
Uneasy relations: $9.77
The Aztec Heresy: $6.11

All, as you see, on a par with, or below, Amazon prices.

Only one book on your list is more expensive at FW than Amazon: "Physics of the Impossible", at $12.97.

[JMikeD]

You are correct.

It's no more than it claims to be: a comparison of those three stores, which are the ones I looked at. I was addressing your statement that there were only a few pennies difference between Sony and Amazon prices for the same items. That list was not one I created for this thread (which I should have made clear), I did it a few weeks ago for my own amusement before I visited any of the other MOBI stores you mention. It's not up-to-date, merely illustrative at that point in time for those stores. The purpose was to see if I would have been better off with a Sony reader. I didn't investigate the MOBI format further, as I determined that the Kindle was the more attractive choice for me at this time for newly published books.

I was just too lazy to delete the MOBI figures.

[ZaZg]

Just like she said for Amazon.

Unfortunately, the day I entered a canadian credit card number, almost one third of the books became unavailable! *but that's another story.