Aura HD Is Kobo filtering non NA IPs?

[potatohead]

Originally Posted by rambling

Hi there, I live in Thailand and ordered the Aura about 3 weeks ago. Back then those pages you asked about were still working fine, now I'm also getting the same 404 error. Anyway I had it shipped to a US package forwarder called shipito.com and from there with FedEx to Bangkok. Shipito can also assist you with the purchase but it gets really expensive once you add up all these fees and shipping costs. Probably best to find a way to place the order yourself and just use them to get it to Singapore.

I also had to pay the sales tax for shipping the item to a CA address (it's charged at purchase time). For some reason Kobo didn't accept the OR address of the package forwarder.

How's the haze situation btw? Hopefully it'll clear soon. Cheers.

Guess I missed the boat, I was to have placed the order about a week back, if not for card authorization error. Tried few cards but none could get through, thought it was due to the reason that they are non US issued, turned out Kobo may have began their site revamp then, causing the errors.

I understand there will be fees and extra charges involved if purchasing through a 3rd party, this is why I asked about taxes and shipping, to have a better grasp and control over the amount that will be incurred.

Haze situation in Singapore has improved tremendously over the past few days, largely due to a change of wind direction from NE to N, inevitably, central Malaysia has bared the full force of the smog because of this. Be it Singapore or Malaysia, unfortunately, we are all still at the mercy of the raging forest fires back in Riau, at least for the coming weeks.

[BeeTee-Ess]

In Australia, and I cannot see the page with standard browser settings.

However, I use Firefox, and when I enable the FF addon "Add X-Forwarded-For Header", with the IP address 12.13.14.15, voila! There it is.

[potatohead]

Originally Posted by moffattm

No I get a "page not found" error for that URL.

Thanks for the response. Guess only those in NA can access that page and buy now, sigh.

[potatohead]

Originally Posted by BeeTee-Ess

In Australia, and I cannot see the page with standard browser settings.

However, I use Firefox, and when I enable the FF addon "Add X-Forwarded-For Header", with the IP address 12.13.14.15, voila! There it is.

Are you referring to this page http://www.kobo.com/kobo-aurahd.html ?

No go for me even with FF and the above mentioned addon, am on Windows 8, will try it on another machine with Windows 7 later.

Will it help if we use an actual US based IP instead of 12.13.14.15 or the default 8.8.8.8?

[TongueTied]

Kobo has been filtering content by IP for a long time. Not only does it help them with taxes (some countries you have to add the tax to the price listed on the website and others you add it at time of purchase) but also with local content and different localised publishers. So, when it comes to devices, those too are restricted to which countries Kobo has deemed worthy of being offered the privilege to purchase a given device. Using a VPN, it certainly helps to show the a US or Canadian version of the site but as soon as you long in, you will get the localised version for the country you have identified in your account.

[kukafei]

I am an American living in China and am having the same problem. It's not just with the Aura, it's with all the ereaders, and it worked fine a couple weeks ago (before I was ready to buy)... I have been in contact with Customer Support and they have never asked whether I was in the US or not, so I'm glad to at least confirm what the problem is.

Since I have an American credit card, my account views me as in the US. In the past, I have had book content say it was unavailable internationally until I logged into my account. But I still can't access the ereaders even when logged in.

[kukafei]

I thought Kobo was the one company that was international-friendly. I understand the restriction on books is beyond their control, but why are they now restricting their readers to the US and Canada (and Japan)? That was the big reason I wanted to buy a Kobo over a Nook, but it sounds like they're in danger of becoming like B&N now.

[potatohead]

Originally Posted by kukafei

I thought Kobo was the one company that was international-friendly. I understand the restriction on books is beyond their control, but why are they now restricting their readers to the US and Canada (and Japan)? That was the big reason I wanted to buy a Kobo over a Nook, but it sounds like they're in danger of becoming like B&N now.

I have sent you a PM, hope it helps

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by kukafei

I thought Kobo was the one company that was international-friendly.

The question is.... are they doing it deliberately? or is it an accident due to incompetence?

[potatohead]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

The question is.... are they doing it deliberately? or is it an accident due to incompetence?

That is something we may never know, unless any Kobo employee who is also a member here can shed some light.

I used to think that as I am not using NA banks issued cards, I cannot place an order on Kobo.com, but after hearing how some NA folks here are also having persistent payment authorisation error, I am no longer sure.

[kukafei]

It works for me on Mac OS 10.6.8.

Now my only problem is deciding whether to use my $40 off coupon for the Glo or go for the Aura...

Originally Posted by BeeTee-Ess

In Australia, and I cannot see the page with standard browser settings.

However, I use Firefox, and when I enable the FF addon "Add X-Forwarded-For Header", with the IP address 12.13.14.15, voila! There it is.

[BeeTee-Ess]

Originally Posted by potatohead

Are you referring to this page http://www.kobo.com/kobo-aurahd.html ?

No go for me even with FF and the above mentioned addon, am on Windows 8, will try it on another machine with Windows 7 later.

Will it help if we use an actual US based IP instead of 12.13.14.15 or the default 8.8.8.8?

Hello potatohead...

Yes, that is the page I am talking about. I have read that the default IP 8.8.8.8 should work, but I have been using 12.13.14.15 at the suggestion of the person who told me about the "Add X-Forwarded-For Header" addon, and it worked for me. I'd expect any genuine US IP should work.

For the record, I am using Win8 Pro.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by potatohead

can you access http://www.kobo.com/kobo-aurahd.html ?

i am from Singapore btw.

Just tried it from the UK and I can access the page - the price comes up on USD although they have me logged in with a UK address.

BobC

[potatohead]

Originally Posted by BeeTee-Ess

Hello potatohead...

Yes, that is the page I am talking about. I have read that the default IP 8.8.8.8 should work, but I have been using 12.13.14.15 at the suggestion of the person who told me about the "Add X-Forwarded-For Header" addon, and it worked for me. I'd expect any genuine US IP should work.

For the record, I am using Win8 Pro.

Thanks BeeTee-Ess, I got it working on both Chrome (ModHeader) and FF in Win7 x64.

But still no luck with placing the order, got the 'card authorization error' that NA folks here are getting.

Hope it is something which Kobo is already looking into, given how many of us have already raised it with their support team.

[kukafei]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

The question is.... are they doing it deliberately? or is it an accident due to incompetence?

It seems to be deliberate, according to the reply I got from Customer Service:

Response Via Email (Keith O) 06/28/2013 11:31 AM
Hello Carey

Thank you for Contacting Kobo Tier 2 Direct Orders.

I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing an issue when attempting to make a purchase of the Kobo Glo.

As you are in China trying to make a purchase to the U.S.A the ordering system is rejecting it.

The only solution I can think of is that a friend or family member places an order for you and they the post it on to you once received.

Hope this helps your situation.

I am now closing this ticket if by chance you have any further queries or concerns, please reply back to this email and it will reopen the ticket.

Sincerely,

The Kobo Team