It is done, Amazon account deletion request sent

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

You can use PayPal with Smashwords, IIRC.

They also charge to convert from one currency to another (4.5%?), although perhaps it's cheaper than their bank.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Graham44

Smashwords looks good but I use UK based ebook sellers, my bank charges me to convert from one currency to another so ebook sellers based outside the UK are a no go for me

And of course in Ireland you can only pay Amazon in £stg/GBP (A US$ is possible) for ebooks. No Euro store for Kindle ebooks for Ireland. Also Amazon doesn't take Paypal.

You can also have multiple currencies on Paypal. It also worth looking at Revolut. I don't have a physical card with Revolut which saves a bit and stops me using it in local shops

[Ebookus]

Originally Posted by Graham44

Smashwords looks good but I use UK based ebook sellers, my bank charges me to convert from one currency to another so ebook sellers based outside the UK are a no go for me

many digital banks won't charge fees for foreign currency transactions, I know chase, first direct, starling don't (maybe other too). Also Lloyds is removing fees on their Club Lloyds debit card and the Barclaycard Rewards also does not charge anything.

[JSWolf]

We have a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees and recently our debit card went fee free for foreign transactions. So we are covered.

I used my free free credit card to order some Yaxi pads from Japan for my Koss Porta Pro headphones. I needed new pads for two of my Porta Pros. Yaxi pads make the Porta Pro sound really good.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Yaxi pads make the Prota Pro sound really good.

A quick sidetrack and related recommendation to Jon's post - I have looked around for years, but not found anything that comes close to the sound from my Sony MDR-7506 headphones in their price range ($100). If you're the type to watch "the making of..." videos tacked onto the end of movie DVD's, these headphones are often seen on the audio mixer people, directors, and other backend support people. These are studio monitor headphones - they give a nice flat response that is ideal for mixing audio, and other situations where you don't want the headphones to color the sound - artificially enhancing bass, etc. What you hear is what the mixing engineers wanted you to head, not what the headphone manufacturer thought would grab your attention. I highly recommend them. Amazon has them. I bought mine at a local pro audio store after sound testing them against many other studio monitor headphones. Besides listening to music - mostly classical in my case - I use them when practicing on my Roland piano. They really show off what a high end digital piano sounds like (digital piano built-in speakers are horrible in relation, even on very expensive high end models).

[JSWolf]

If you are looking for inexpensive headphones, the Koss Porta Pro with Yaxi Pads is really good.

$33 for the Koss Ports Pro plus $34.99 for five pairs of pads and an excellent pouch to put the Porta Pros in. The pouch that comes with the Porta Pros is a tight fit with the stock pads. The Yaxi pouch is excellent.

[Timboli]

Originally Posted by Graham44

Goodbye Amazon, hello world of smaller ebook publishers and retailers

You went too far for me this time Amazon, I don't like to be dictated to in regards to purchases I made.

Obviously this is a personal decision based on what I consider to be morally and ethically acceptable and I understand that others won't feel the same. Some may think it's a bit drastic to delete your Amazon account just because they stop you downloading your books. And thats fine I totally get it, but I've been on a bit of a journey this last year in regards to big tech and this feels like a logical conclusion to everything I've done in regards to tech over the last year.

Now I'm looking forward to exploring alternative places to buy whatever I may have bought from amazon

I respect your right to do anything you feel you need to ... within reason of course.

That said, why exactly did you feel the need to nuke your account?
Couldn't you have just left it alone, and just not used it?
That would seem far simpler and smarter to me.

Perhaps one day, there will be a reason for you to regret nuking it.

We never know what the future may bring.

I too dislike Amazon at times, especially in regard to Kindle ebooks, but I would never nuke my account, even if I stopped using it for years.

No doubt you feel you are making some kind of statement, one that Amazon are unlikely to notice I reckon ... though perhaps a bean counter somewhere.

It does rather have a feeling of being impulsive about it though. That you have thrown caution to the wind, to pretty much just yell at the Moon.

Your purchases at Amazon are on an official record, and for whatever reason that may have come in handy one day.

It's not impossible for DRM to go away. Look at what happened with the music industry.

Or what if many authors eventually decide that Amazon Kindle is the safer place to provide their ebooks to? Kobo and others would then be playing catch up, and trying to regain lost customers, and providers who may no longer trust them.

Personally I think one should remain flexible and keep their options open ... but hey, each to their own ... hope you don't regret it.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Timboli

...
Your purchases at Amazon are on an official record, and for whatever reason that may have come in handy one day.

...

Can you expand on this? Where is the official record kept?

[haertig]

Originally Posted by John F

Can you expand on this? Where is the official record kept?

I imagine they're just talking about "Amazon's records" here. Indeed they do go way back. I just found the following in my purchase history (I do wonder when they're going to get around to shipping it - it's been delayed for 27 years now...)

[Graham44]

Originally Posted by Timboli

I respect your right to do anything you feel you need to ... within reason of course.

That said, why exactly did you feel the need to nuke your account?
Couldn't you have just left it alone, and just not used it?
That would seem far simpler and smarter to me.

Perhaps one day, there will be a reason for you to regret nuking it.

We never know what the future may bring.

I too dislike Amazon at times, especially in regard to Kindle ebooks, but I would never nuke my account, even if I stopped using it for years.

No doubt you feel you are making some kind of statement, one that Amazon are unlikely to notice I reckon ... though perhaps a bean counter somewhere.

It does rather have a feeling of being impulsive about it though. That you have thrown caution to the wind, to pretty much just yell at the Moon.

Your purchases at Amazon are on an official record, and for whatever reason that may have come in handy one day.

It's not impossible for DRM to go away. Look at what happened with the music industry.

Or what if many authors eventually decide that Amazon Kindle is the safer place to provide their ebooks to? Kobo and others would then be playing catch up, and trying to regain lost customers, and providers who may no longer trust them.

Personally I think one should remain flexible and keep their options open ... but hey, each to their own ... hope you don't regret it.

Amazon is just a company, there isn't anything on Amazon I couldn't buy somewhere else instead. I don't know whether it's clever marketing on Amazons part or maybe a cultural thing but I truly don't understand where this fear of leaving Amazon comes from. They are just a shop, a shop with a terrible reputation, nothing more, nothing less.

As for my leaving not making a difference to Amazon, no of course it doesn't but that's not why I left, it's having something called principles, something that people used to put more stock in. Amazon are operating in a way I personally think is wrong, I don't like the ethics of the company so why would I support them?

I asked for my account to be deleted for simple safety reasons, I don't want my details left with a company I won't be using anymore, just good housekeeping to my mind

[John F]

Originally Posted by haertig

I imagine they're just talking about "Amazon's records" here. Indeed they do go way back. I just found the following in my purchase history (I do wonder when they're going to get around to shipping it - it's been delayed for 27 years now...)

That doesn't sound very "official" to me.

And if Graham44 is in the EU or UK, they could ask for that data to be deleted? Or maybe it was deleted when the account was deleted.

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by John F

And if Graham44 is in the EU or UK, they could ask for that data to be deleted? Or maybe it was deleted when the account was deleted.

Can the data be deleted? I doubt it. There are financial transactions that would need to be preserved for accounting and taxation reporting obligations, and those transactions still need to be linked to the purchaser and payment method, so I doubt anything would be deleted. Hidden, yes. Deleted, no.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Karellen

Can the data be deleted? I doubt it. There are financial transactions that would need to be preserved for accounting and taxation reporting obligations, and those transactions still need to be linked to the purchaser and payment method, so I doubt anything would be deleted. Hidden, yes. Deleted, no.

I thought it was an EU "law"/GDPR?

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by John F

I thought it was an EU "law"/GDPR?

Honestly, I don't have that deep a level of knowledge of it. I was just thinking of the practicality of deleting financial data.
If a million users suddenly decide to "delete their data" according to GDPR, then there would be massive holes in the financial information that Amazon needs to report tax and other regulatory information. I would think tax departments around the world would be very concerned about all the income that is not reported and tax revenue that is lost.
Does that mean I can ask my bank to forget me? Delete all my transaction records, forget I have visa cards etc. I use online banking services, so why not?
There must be some sort of exemption for financial records?

[John F]

Originally Posted by Karellen

Honestly, I don't have that deep a level of knowledge of it. I was just thinking of the practicality of deleting financial data.
If a million users suddenly decide to "delete their data" according to GDPR, then there would be massive holes in the financial information that Amazon needs to report tax and other regulatory information. I would think tax departments around the world would be very concerned about all the income that is not reported and tax revenue that is lost.
Does that mean I can ask my bank to forget me? Delete all my transaction records, forget I have visa cards etc. I use online banking services, so why not?
There must be some sort of exemption for financial records?

I would think that Amazon could keep a record of "I sold an ebook for $8.99 on this date" (along with other non user data. I'm not sure why they would need to keep "user data". If I pay cash for a candy bar at a B&M does the shop need a copy of my ID for tax purposes?

FWIW, I'm in the U.S.