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

[Alexander Turcic]

There has been some controversy previously on whether or not you can use Amazon Gift Cards to purchase Kindle e-books from Amazon.

Thankfully, MobileReader Cush contacted Amazon and received the following positive reply:

Hello from Amazon.com.

Using an Amazon Gift Card to buy content from the Kindle store is easy. Simply redeem the Gift Card to your Amazon.com account before you make a purchase. When you click the "Buy with 1-Click" button, any available Gift Card balance on your account will automatically be applied to the purchase before your credit or debit card is charged.

Content from the Amazon Kindle store is only available to customers with a credit or debit card issued by a U.S bank with a U.S. billing address listed as the default 1-Click payment method. To successfully complete your purchase, you must have a valid payment method listed even if you intend to pay for your entire purchase with a Gift Card.

Note the second paragraph with Amazon explicitely stating that a US credit card is still required to complete the purchase. But at the same time, this place (thanks TadW!) has a step-by-step instruction how folks without US affiliation can still use Amazon Gift Cards to purchase e-books from Amazon.

So what's going on? Does it work for you? And do you have other tricks up your sleeve to get the most out of your Kindle reader, without living in the US?

[daffy4u]

There is a person who has been helping people outside of the U.S. get and use Kindles. Many on the Amazon boards have chosen not to advertise how to do to it for fear of Amazon closing the loop hole and making the use outside the U.S. impossible.

[LazyScot]

I've got a Kindle, and it does still work me -- I've just checked as I wanted to get today's New York Times. Note, however, that the Kindle was registered and used in the US by the friend who got it for me (so, as they say, your mileage may vary).

A couple of pointers from when I tried to get it working.

1) You must not have a non-US credit card associated with the account. It checks this and will block any purchases using the account, based on the card. So when I first did this I had to remove the credit card from it.

2) I think it needs a valid US billing address, number, etc associated with it. (I changed this first before deleting card details).

This means I need to run a completely separate account from my normal Amazon account.

Although I need to go to the Amazon MediaLibrary to manually download the content (but I still got the issue of NYT in under two minutes.)


(I'm not sure I'm popular with my friend as a result of asking them to get the Kindle; whislt they had it, they became addicted and had to buy one themselves and now claim to have a large book, magazine and newspaper bill as a consequence. Something I fully understand! )

[JSWolf]

What I want to know is why do people want a Kindle outside the US since it seems to be such a hassle and whispernet won't work.

[HarryT]

Annotation, searching, support for the popular Mobi book format; I can think of all sorts of good reasons to buy a Kindle that have nothing to do with Whispernet.

[TadW]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Annotation, searching, support for the popular Mobi book format; I can think of all sorts of good reasons to buy a Kindle that have nothing to do with Whispernet.

And: +100.000 book titles.

[HarryT]

That's very misleading. The number of actual books is pretty much the same as is available in the Mobi (and Sony) bookstores. Most of the rest is self-published crap that nobody would actually want in a million years .

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I want to know is why do people want a Kindle outside the US since it seems to be such a hassle and whispernet won't work.

Maybe because it's a well made ebook reader, with a built in dictionary, a user changeable battery, and loads of storage space??

I only very rarely use Whispernet, even to purchase books myself ... so I don't see not having it as any big deterant to loving the Kindle.

[jerryleejr]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's very misleading. The number of actual books is pretty much the same as is available in the Mobi (and Sony) bookstores. Most of the rest is self-published crap that nobody would actually want in a million years .

Not that I disagree on the misleading numbers just Remember Harry some of those self-publishers are members of this site.

JJ

[LazyScot]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I want to know is why do people want a Kindle outside the US since it seems to be such a hassle and whispernet won't work.

For the same reason people climb mountains. Because its there.

If that seems flippant, apologies. It is meant seriously. Different devices have different interfaces and experiences. I love the iLiad, but it is not really a polished CE device in the same way the Kindle is. The Sony is better, but it doesn't have the same functionality a keyboard gives. At least mine doesn't have an integrated dictionary (A lovely feature for those of us whose vocabulary isn't what it might be, and hate not knowing what a word means). Yes, true, absence of whispernet is a great pity, but from what I've heard that applies to parts of the US -- and I don't think it stops people in those areas using their Kindles.

As mentioned above, the Kindle has many non-whispernet features. And it isn't that much hassle if you have kind friends in the US.

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's very misleading. The number of actual books is pretty much the same as is available in the Mobi (and Sony) bookstores. Most of the rest is self-published crap that nobody would actually want in a million years .

I agree the numbers are somewhat misleading. And given the Mobi is Amazon, I'd be surprised if there was much of a difference.

As for self-publishing. Well, the quality if definitely variable. But have a look at some of the outstanding authors history has produced and is producing. And some of the best selling (J.K for example). They had more than a little difficulty publishing. The ease of Self-Publishing is a real potential strength of this category of device. It might even shake up parts of the publishing industry.

And anyway, "real" published books are not necessarily any better. For those in the UK, I'll just say this: Katie Price's "auto"biographies. Okay, so I've not read it, but...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by jerryleejr

Not that I disagree on the misleading numbers just Remember Harry some of those self-publishers are members of this site.

JJ

That's why I said most of the rest. I am of course aware that there is some excellent self-published material out there .

[JMikeD]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's very misleading. The number of actual books is pretty much the same as is available in the Mobi (and Sony) bookstores. Most of the rest is self-published crap that nobody would actually want in a million years .

Is this just a gut feeling, or do you have some numbers on this?

Just curious. I haven't any idea.

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I want to know is why do people want a Kindle outside the US since it seems to be such a hassle and whispernet won't work.

Once your account is set up, it's no more hassle than any other reader. You have to load titles over USB rather than Whispernet just like with the Sony, Cybook, etc. You can still search your books, look up words in the dictionary and make notes which is more than you can do with the other readers out there right now. Whispernet gets a lot of attention but it's not the only differentiating factor.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

So what's going on? Does it work for you? And do you have other tricks up your sleeve to get the most out of your Kindle reader, without living in the US?

Amazon DOES NOT WANT YOUR MONEY.

Fortunately there are quite a few places where you can get the content. Either free stuff, or DRM free, or with DRM that can be "liberated" for use on the reader of your choice - check the E-Books link on the top of this page, or our wiki, or search the messageboard here.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

So what's going on? Does it work for you? And do you have other tricks up your sleeve to get the most out of your Kindle reader, without living in the US?

Originally Posted by kacir

Amazon DOES NOT WANT YOUR MONEY.

Fortunately there are quite a few places where you can get the content. Either free stuff, or DRM free, or with DRM that can be "liberated" for use on the reader of your choice - check the E-Books link on the top of this page, or our wiki, or search the messageboard here.

So, kacir ... this is how you reply to a post by Alexander Turcic, the man who created Mobileread?? You inform him that Amazon does not want his money (and I'd love to know who hired you to be the spokesperson for Amazon), and then tell him that he can check the e-books link, or the wiki, or search the message board?? Really?? Do you think the man who created this site doesn't already know that?? Seriously??