Buying a Kindle which can't register to Amazon

[stumped]

This article says that dictionaries can be sideloaded
https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...-dictionaries/

[crich70]

Originally Posted by stumped

all true - but the question asked was should I buy a used + blacklisted= i.e. stolen reader, to read with , not " how to I retrieve the books I already paid for "
to me its a no brainer - NO - buying blacklisted devices just encourages theft, and the OP is a recent victim of that. if he decides YES and finds he has just bought back the one he has had stolen, well there's some poetic justice in there somewhere

PS yes the internet is full of " free files to read "- but there's a difference between free and legal - be careful what you brag about here

I'd be careful about buying a Kindle from anywhere but Amazon itself. Others have bought Kindles at pawnshops, via craigslist and Ebay and usually it turns out the Kindle is blacklisted. Not only can you not register the blacklisted kindle but you can't easily access your books or make collections since you need to register in order to do that.

[stumped]

amazon prices, on sales/deals of the day, for new Kindles are often lower than prices of used ones on ebay.
the last time I bought a paperwhite, I had a few shortlisted on an ebay watchlist, but then Amazon put up a sales deal that undercut all of them!
there's also amazon warehouse and amazon certified refurbished. I don't usually recommend getting electronics from there but if a warehouse Kindle works ok on arrival , it will probably go on working, and if not - you can do an immediate return.
it used to also be the case that with certified refurbished you'd see a pop up for a cheap extended warranty ( 2 or 3 years) deal at checkout.

Avoid amazon marketplace sellers though - Amazon charge a ridiculous 40%+ commission for amazon devices on marketplace , so anyone listing there is desperate or dodgy

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by crich70

I'd be careful about buying a Kindle from anywhere but Amazon itself. Others have bought Kindles at pawnshops, via craigslist and Ebay and usually it turns out the Kindle is blacklisted. Not only can you not register the blacklisted kindle but you can't easily access your books or make collections since you need to register in order to do that.

I've bought about 25 used Kindles at eBay, Craigslist, Shop Goodwill and at pawn shops — most I gave away to family, some were resold (a few kept) — and only one of them was blacklisted. So "usually blacklisted" (at least in my case) is a big exaggeration.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by stumped

This article says that dictionaries can be sideloaded
https://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...-dictionaries/

I will try this and report back.

edited to add: No problem with sideloading a Fictionary. However, I couldn't find a free english dictionary that was compatible. I don't own any purchased dictionaries at Amazon, but downloading the freebee one resulted in an error because I couldn't remove DRM.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by crich70

I'd be careful about buying a Kindle from anywhere but Amazon itself. Others have bought Kindles at pawnshops, via craigslist and Ebay and usually it turns out the Kindle is blacklisted. Not only can you not register the blacklisted kindle but you can't easily access your books or make collections since you need to register in order to do that.

It's always a buyer beware for anything purchased used. The seller should provide the serial number (so you can contact Amazon) or SHOW that the device is/can be registered. You can show a photo of it operational and registered. When I sell a unit, that is what I do, explaining that it will be returned to factory settings before shipping.

By the way, when asking questions, be sure to explain to the seller what 'blacklisted' means. Some don't understand what that means (inability to register unit to Amazon). Keep in mind that liquidators often get Kindles to sell that were originally lost, replaced using insurance, and then found and sold to a liquidator. They are still blacklisted, but no nefarious scheme has occurred.

As mentioned before, you can read on a non-registered Kindle Paperwhite without any problems. You can change all the reading options (text size, bolding, choice of fonts, etc.). It's the enhanced features that you can't use such as collections. (see my other post about dictionaries).