Glo When will Kobo Glo actually be available in the US?

[kukafei]

I'm wondering when the Kobo Glo will actually be available in the US - I've seen Oct 1, Oct 5, early Oct, and the Kobo site actually says September.

I'm in Asia and would like to get one to replace my dead Sony. My parents are flying out of the US on Oct. 2. Is there any way they could get one in their hands by Oct. 1?

[filmo]

Stop over in Toronto maybe could buy one then.

[TongueTied]

In one of the other threads, Sameer from Kobo said that it would be available Internationally on 1st October. So, it will probably be highly dependant on your local reseller as to when they receive stock and put it out on the floor. Being in Asia, you have to remember that many North American companies can't find Asia on a map without getting through all the rest of the map first (even then, they get horribly confused and give up). Kobo does seem better than most but I would guess that it will take quite a while for them to start filling Asian distribution channels (other than Japan which will likely be at or near the top of the list). I lived in Malaysia until very recently and I didn't see Kobo Original or Touch selling anywhere and all the online retailers wouldn't send to Malaysia (because Malaysia is evil? strange? truly Asia?). I had to get mine via a friend in Toronto. As far as I can tell, the situation hasn't changed. However, many will send to Singapore but I think it is going to depend on where you are located.

As for your parents picking one up on the Oct. 1st, good luck! I hope they can but don't get your hopes up. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't hit the shelves in most stores until the following week.

[EldRick]

At this time, no U.S. distributor has even stated that they will Ever sell the new models, with the exception of Best Buy, where the listing still says "Coming Soon", which could mean 2013 or never.

It is still not possible to pre-order from any Canadian distributor for U.S. delivery.

I guess I won't hold my breath on buying a Kobo Mini...

[kukafei]

I'm in China, so I don't expect it to ever be sold in stores here - that's why I'm planning to have my parents bring me one from the US. Unfortunately, if it's not out on the 1st I may be stuck buying a Sony since that's my one chance for the year to get a replacement brought over. Only other option is to pay 50% more online here to get a Kobo sent from the US.

[Cdesja5]

Originally Posted by EldRick

At this time, no U.S. distributor has even stated that they will Ever sell the new models, with the exception of Best Buy, where the listing still says "Coming Soon", which could mean 2013 or never.

It is still not possible to pre-order from any Canadian distributor for U.S. delivery.

I guess I won't hold my breath on buying a Kobo Mini...

If Best Buy US has a page set up on their website site for it, although incomplete, it would be logical to assume that "coming soon" means just that. I doubt that they would prepare a page for something that is months away from being sold...A waste of time and money I would think...

[taming]

I have to admit it, I get a little tickle when folks in the US feel behind on this sort of thing. Per GoodEReader, Amazon will not make it's Paperwhite device available outside of the US until 2013.

Kobo states that the Glo will be sold at (or through) Best Buy, Target, Frys, Sears, Buy.com, Newegg.com and Walmart.com in the US.

Since they are not taking pre-orders on Kobo itself, the fact that preorders aren't happening yet with the US distributors would not worry me overly much. I would not be surprised to find that Chapters-Indigo had something about preorders written into whatever agreement they made when their shares were sold to Rakuten. It's actually amazed me that the ease with which one can buy Kobo books through the Chapters-Indigo site was unchanged after this happened.

[TongueTied]

Originally Posted by kukafei

I'm in China, so I don't expect it to ever be sold in stores here - that's why I'm planning to have my parents bring me one from the US. Unfortunately, if it's not out on the 1st I may be stuck buying a Sony since that's my one chance for the year to get a replacement brought over. Only other option is to pay 50% more online here to get a Kobo sent from the US.

Have you heard of hopshopgo.com? It is Singapore based group that acts as a mail forwarder. Their focus is for people buying from outside the US who need a US address. I don't know if there is a similar service offering Canadian addresses but a mail forwarder might be the answer you need. Since HopShopGo is Singaporean, I would expect they would have no problem dealing with you in China.

As for the cost, it is may to be more expensive than ordering direct but they aren't overly expensive. They will also do consolidation of orders from multiple retailers for you to reduce the shipping costs. Might be a solution for you.

[Cdesja5]

Originally Posted by kukafei

I'm in China, so I don't expect it to ever be sold in stores here - that's why I'm planning to have my parents bring me one from the US. Unfortunately, if it's not out on the 1st I may be stuck buying a Sony since that's my one chance for the year to get a replacement brought over. Only other option is to pay 50% more online here to get a Kobo sent from the US.

Kobo will be available in several other countries much closer to you such as Australia, New Zealand and Rakuten in Japan... wouldn't you be able to order from there instead of the US?
Press release quoted below:

TORONTO, Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kobo, a global leader in eReading, today unveiled its new Kobo Family of eReading devices: the Kobo Glo, Kobo Mini, Kobo Touch and the Kobo Arc – a 7" Android tablet. Designed by booklovers for booklovers, the new Kobo Family starts at $79.99 and provides readers with more choice and more ways to personalize their eReading experience than ever before – including new stylish colors, accessories, lighting and multimedia options.

Launched in 2009, with a vision to transform the world of reading, Kobo remains focused on delivering a superior eReading experience. Today, Kobo has more than 10 million users in 190 countries, and offers one of the world's largest eBookstores with nearly 3 million books across 60 different languages. Kobo pioneered the affordable eReader in May 2010 and is now introducing for the first time its new Kobo Family – offering an eReader for Everyone. The company is a driving force behind the adoption of eReading around the world with its award-winning eReaders and tablets, free apps for tablets, PCs and smartphones, and extensive network of booksellers and leading retailers. "Our focus has remained firmly on delivering a superior experience for booklovers around the world. With 11,000 booksellers and leading retail partners across five continents, we are bringing the new Kobo Family to booklovers everywhere," said Michael Serbinis, CEO, Kobo. "The new Kobo Family provides more choice for booklovers and a superior eReading and content discovery experience – truly, an eReader for Everyone." This announcement follows last week's news of Kobo's partnership with the American Booksellers Association, empowering up to 2,000 bookstores across America. U.S. independent bookstores join Kobo's global network of leading booksellers including Indigo (Canada), WHSmith (UK), FNAC (France), Mondadori (Italy), Libris (Netherlands), Collins (Australia), Whitcoulls (New Zealand) and Rakuten (Japan).

[Cdesja5]

Originally Posted by kukafei

I'm in China, so I don't expect it to ever be sold in stores here - that's why I'm planning to have my parents bring me one from the US. Unfortunately, if it's not out on the 1st I may be stuck buying a Sony since that's my one chance for the year to get a replacement brought over. Only other option is to pay 50% more online here to get a Kobo sent from the US.

Kobo will be available in several other countries much closer to you such as Australia, New Zealand nd Rakuten in Japan... wouldn't you be able to order from there instead of the US?
Press release quoted below:

TORONTO, Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kobo, a global leader in eReading, today unveiled its new Kobo Family of eReading devices: the Kobo Glo, Kobo Mini, Kobo Touch and the Kobo Arc – a 7" Android tablet. Designed by booklovers for booklovers, the new Kobo Family starts at $79.99 and provides readers with more choice and more ways to personalize their eReading experience than ever before – including new stylish colors, accessories, lighting and multimedia options.

Launched in 2009, with a vision to transform the world of reading, Kobo remains focused on delivering a superior eReading experience. Today, Kobo has more than 10 million users in 190 countries, and offers one of the world's largest eBookstores with nearly 3 million books across 60 different languages. Kobo pioneered the affordable eReader in May 2010 and is now introducing for the first time its new Kobo Family – offering an eReader for Everyone. The company is a driving force behind the adoption of eReading around the world with its award-winning eReaders and tablets, free apps for tablets, PCs and smartphones, and extensive network of booksellers and leading retailers. "Our focus has remained firmly on delivering a superior experience for booklovers around the world. With 11,000 booksellers and leading retail partners across five continents, we are bringing the new Kobo Family to booklovers everywhere," said Michael Serbinis, CEO, Kobo. "The new Kobo Family provides more choice for booklovers and a superior eReading and content discovery experience – truly, an eReader for Everyone." This announcement follows last week's news of Kobo's partnership with the American Booksellers Association, empowering up to 2,000 bookstores across America. U.S. independent bookstores join Kobo's global network of leading booksellers including Indigo (Canada), WHSmith (UK), FNAC (France), Mondadori (Italy), Libris (Netherlands), Collins (Australia), Whitcoulls (New Zealand) and Rakuten (Japan).

[TongueTied]

Originally Posted by Cdesja5

Kobo will be available in several other countries much closer to you such as Australia, New Zealand and Rakuten in Japan... wouldn't you be able to order from there instead of the US?
Press release quoted below:

TORONTO, Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kobo, a global leader in eReading, today unveiled its new Kobo Family of eReading devices: the Kobo Glo, Kobo Mini, Kobo Touch and the Kobo Arc – a 7" Android tablet. Designed by booklovers for booklovers, the new Kobo Family starts at $79.99 and provides readers with more choice and more ways to personalize their eReading experience than ever before – including new stylish colors, accessories, lighting and multimedia options.

Launched in 2009, with a vision to transform the world of reading, Kobo remains focused on delivering a superior eReading experience. Today, Kobo has more than 10 million users in 190 countries, and offers one of the world's largest eBookstores with nearly 3 million books across 60 different languages. Kobo pioneered the affordable eReader in May 2010 and is now introducing for the first time its new Kobo Family – offering an eReader for Everyone. The company is a driving force behind the adoption of eReading around the world with its award-winning eReaders and tablets, free apps for tablets, PCs and smartphones, and extensive network of booksellers and leading retailers. "Our focus has remained firmly on delivering a superior experience for booklovers around the world. With 11,000 booksellers and leading retail partners across five continents, we are bringing the new Kobo Family to booklovers everywhere," said Michael Serbinis, CEO, Kobo. "The new Kobo Family provides more choice for booklovers and a superior eReading and content discovery experience – truly, an eReader for Everyone." This announcement follows last week's news of Kobo's partnership with the American Booksellers Association, empowering up to 2,000 bookstores across America. U.S. independent bookstores join Kobo's global network of leading booksellers including Indigo (Canada), WHSmith (UK), FNAC (France), Mondadori (Italy), Libris (Netherlands), Collins (Australia), Whitcoulls (New Zealand) and Rakuten (Japan).

I wouldn't count on it. If you can find an Australian or New Zealand online retailer willing to send to China, it will probably still be cheaper to order from the US. It seems here we are suffering from the Ripoff Britian syndrome only down under on top of that, with the high dollar, people here see it as an opportunity to increase profit and don't see that they are just driving sales offshore. I was talking to a shop owner the other day who was telling me that he thought the high dollar was the best thing that happened to him. He orders in USD but sells in AUD so his profit margin has gone up by 20%. So, I asked him why I should buy from him when I can order online and pay a high shipping cost and still get the product cheaper than he was selling it. He said nothing, turned and went to fix a display cabinet.

[dakini]

Another option might be to contact independent booksellers in the area your parents are visiting. Kobo announced a contract with Independent Booksellers.

http://bookweb.org/index.html

Chances are, if any of these smaller bookstores get the models on 1 October, they're more likely to be willing to hold one for your folks than a big box store would be. You might contact a few in the area they'll be and ask if they expect to get them on the 1st and if they'd be willing to reserve one for a visitor to the area.

[Frankr]

I sure hope it is available here in the USA on or before Oct 1

[Loafers]

ugh... indigo doesn't ship outside of canada and there is no option to pre-order on best buy...

i know kobo's main audience aint in the states, but if they wanna capture the market more they're going to have to do better than this...

[taming]

Funny, when Amazon would not ship some models to Canada at all, and others could not be shipped for holiday gift giving, I sorta kinda felt the way you do too, Loafers. They are not selling them on their own website yet. I am not holding my breath for availability in a couple of weeks--even though I did preorder.