Booksellers for non US residents

No Sade · 06-04-2009, 07:47 PM

Hi, I have almost decided on a PRS-700, but I have som problems.

I want to buy books to a decent price, in a format that i can remove the DRM on (or non DRM books), and I want to buy them as a non US resident.

I have searched in previous treads but I must admitt I still feel a bit confused. Its actually amasing how messy the whole situation with diffrent formats and DRM is.

Witch formats do other PRS-700 users prefer?
How do you handel the situation with DRM. Even if a format is perfect now just buying a new computer seems to create problems.

desertgrandma · 06-04-2009, 11:46 PM

Welcome to Mobileread, Sade

Someone with the knowledge you need will chime in soon, I'm sure.

Knowing where you are might help find an answer.....just the country would do.

Good luck!

Andybaby · 06-05-2009, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by No Sade

Hi, I have almost decided on a PRS-700, but I have som problems.

I want to buy books to a decent price, in a format that i can remove the DRM on (or non DRM books), and I want to buy them as a non US resident.

I have searched in previous treads but I must admitt I still feel a bit confused. Its actually amasing how messy the whole situation with diffrent formats and DRM is.

Witch formats do other PRS-700 users prefer?
How do you handel the situation with DRM. Even if a format is perfect now just buying a new computer seems to create problems.

most region specific book stores can be bypassed by setting the country to US, and using something like paypal or a US credit card.

the DRM can be removed from Mobi and Lit files, and both are excellent sources for LRFs that you can make in Calibre or book designer.

I have never really done it, so I cant get into specifics, but Fictionwise and books on board come to mind, a quick forum search will tell you how to bypass the region lock on those book stores.

the workshop section of the forum is a good place to look around to get some clues.

No Sade · 06-05-2009, 08:53 AM

Well I'm from Sweden, in this area totally under developed. As far as i know there is not a single reseller to any e-book reader

So its possible to bypass the restrictions on some of the the US sellers? Had a look at the ones in UK but the prices don't feel especially good.

Andybaby · 06-05-2009, 09:16 AM

bhphoto ships worldwide I believe. though it could be another seller.

pdurrant · 06-05-2009, 09:28 AM

I don't have a PRS-700, but since it takes ePUB, I'd suggest mostly getting that format. DRM-removal is available for Adobe ePUBs, which are the only DRMed ePUBs at the moment.

Work around for non-US purchases from US stores:

Give US address
Use non-geographic payment, or set country to US when giving CC details, or set up a US Paypal account.

Quote:

Originally Posted by No Sade

Hi, I have almost decided on a PRS-700, but I have som problems.

I want to buy books to a decent price, in a format that i can remove the DRM on (or non DRM books), and I want to buy them as a non US resident.

richyhu · 06-05-2009, 09:34 AM

I am in the UK and have a 700 - I actually buy most of my books though through BooksOnBoard (or occasionally) Fictionwise - either in ePub format or as an MSReader format or sometimes Adobe Digital Edition PDF's for some technical books. In all cases you can remove the DRM from them and convert to LRF / ePub in the case of the MSReader files.

wallcraft · 06-05-2009, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by No Sade

So its possible to bypass the restrictions on some of the the US sellers?

The thread geographic restrictions at Fictionwise has 9 pages on how to do this at FictionWise. One example is:

Quote:

In my case the simple solution was to change the delivery address of my Fictionwise account to the Boston Red Sox and to pay by my UK credit card, with the country inadvertently changed to US.

but there are other techniques that work. So far as I know, it is always possible to work around the restrictions at any site. At many sites an approach that will work is to buy gift cards on one non-US account and use them on another US-registered account.

No Sade · 06-05-2009, 12:16 PM

Thanks for all the replies, I really love this forum

I think I will dare to place an order. If one tries to wait till the industry figures out that this is the future and perhaps it's stupid to make the same mistakes as the music industry, one would have to wait a long time (sadly).
Anyhow, the important thing was to assure myself that it was possible to buy books from a place with both good selection and possibility to remove DRM. To actually do so will be a late problem.

Thanks for the help!

richyhu · 06-05-2009, 12:34 PM

FWIW I don't think I have had any issues with geographical restrictions. I actually have my Fictionwise profile using my old dutch delivery address and use a Paypal account from the UK to pay, and with BooksOnBoard I think my country is set to US, but no billing address is setup and I also use my UK paypal account there.

No Sade · 06-05-2009, 07:47 PM

Sounds very promising. I think tomorrow is ordering day (for the reader that is).

wpk123 · 06-05-2009, 08:10 PM

Hi there

I recently bought a PRS700 from B&H. Definitely recommended! The whole experience was very good. Emails were answered within 24 hrs (probably would have been even faster if I were not so far away time-zone wise). To top it all off I was lucky, there were no import duties to pay!

Regarding online ebook retailers: I have bought from ereader.com, fictionwise.com, sony ereader store and once from Baen.

Ereader books (bought for reading on my iPhone) are in PDB format. I strip the DRM (can I admit to that without being banned?), then convert the file to LRF via calibre. Fictionwise books can be bought as multiformat or mobiread formats. Mobiread formatted books also need the DRM stripped then converted but so far I haven't had any experience with them as I haven't bought any mobiread formatted books. Baen sells them in multiformats but they are mostly SF/Fantasy books.

When buying books that have geographical restrictions, I can recommend you read the thread quoted by wallcraft. Good tips. The only problem I had was with the Sony Book Store. Although I used my US addresss (more correctly, my cousin's address), my Malaysian-based credit card was rejected. Eventually I managed to circumvent that hick-up by using an entropay.com issued debit card. I believe these cards are non-country specific cards.

There seems to be so many hoops that one has to traverse, but for me, it is still worth the effort. The books I buy (mostly SF/Fantasy/Technical) are difficult to find locally, usually more expensive and take a long time to arrive if ordered through Amazon. Plus I save trees when buying ebooks

Hope this helps.

PK

Andybaby · 06-06-2009, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wpk123

can I admit to that without being banned?

yes, you just cant name the tool anymore. or link to where to find it. I think. I've never bought from a drmed source though so I'm not sure as I don't talk about it much.

HansTWN · 06-06-2009, 09:53 AM

@wpk123 -- did entropay request a copy of your ID and your credit card from you during registration? That seems rather fishy to me.

Andybaby · 06-06-2009, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HansTWN

@wpk123 -- did entropay request a copy of your ID and your credit card from you during registration? That seems rather fishy to me.

afaik it's a bank, my bank needed a bit more ID than that even. (well no credit card, but lots of ID)

06-04-2009, 07:47 PM	#1
No Sade Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: None	Booksellers for non US residents Hi, I have almost decided on a PRS-700, but I have som problems. I want to buy books to a decent price, in a format that i can remove the DRM on (or non DRM books), and I want to buy them as a non US resident. I have searched in previous treads but I must admitt I still feel a bit confused. Its actually amasing how messy the whole situation with diffrent formats and DRM is. Witch formats do other PRS-700 users prefer? How do you handel the situation with DRM. Even if a format is perfect now just buying a new computer seems to create problems.

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06-04-2009, 11:46 PM	#2
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462841 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Welcome to Mobileread, Sade Someone with the knowledge you need will chime in soon, I'm sure. Knowing where you are might help find an answer.....just the country would do. Good luck!

06-05-2009, 08:53 AM	#4
No Sade Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: None	Well I'm from Sweden, in this area totally under developed. As far as i know there is not a single reseller to any e-book reader So its possible to bypass the restrictions on some of the the US sellers? Had a look at the ones in UK but the prices don't feel especially good.

06-05-2009, 09:16 AM	#5
Andybaby Wizard Posts: 1,279 Karma: 1002683 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New York Device: PRS-700	bhphoto ships worldwide I believe. though it could be another seller.

06-05-2009, 09:34 AM	#7
richyhu Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 62 Join Date: May 2008 Location: London, UK Device: Sony PRS-505 (Blue), PRS-700, PRS-T1 (Black)	I am in the UK and have a 700 - I actually buy most of my books though through BooksOnBoard (or occasionally) Fictionwise - either in ePub format or as an MSReader format or sometimes Adobe Digital Edition PDF's for some technical books. In all cases you can remove the DRM from them and convert to LRF / ePub in the case of the MSReader files.

06-05-2009, 12:16 PM	#9
No Sade Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: None	Thanks for all the replies, I really love this forum I think I will dare to place an order. If one tries to wait till the industry figures out that this is the future and perhaps it's stupid to make the same mistakes as the music industry, one would have to wait a long time (sadly). Anyhow, the important thing was to assure myself that it was possible to buy books from a place with both good selection and possibility to remove DRM. To actually do so will be a late problem. Thanks for the help!

06-05-2009, 12:34 PM	#10
richyhu Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 62 Join Date: May 2008 Location: London, UK Device: Sony PRS-505 (Blue), PRS-700, PRS-T1 (Black)	FWIW I don't think I have had any issues with geographical restrictions. I actually have my Fictionwise profile using my old dutch delivery address and use a Paypal account from the UK to pay, and with BooksOnBoard I think my country is set to US, but no billing address is setup and I also use my UK paypal account there.

06-05-2009, 07:47 PM	#11
No Sade Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: None	Sounds very promising. I think tomorrow is ordering day (for the reader that is).

06-05-2009, 08:10 PM	#12
wpk123 Member Posts: 22 Karma: 12 Join Date: May 2009 Location: KL Malaysia Device: Sony PRS700	Hi there I recently bought a PRS700 from B&H. Definitely recommended! The whole experience was very good. Emails were answered within 24 hrs (probably would have been even faster if I were not so far away time-zone wise). To top it all off I was lucky, there were no import duties to pay! Regarding online ebook retailers: I have bought from ereader.com, fictionwise.com, sony ereader store and once from Baen. Ereader books (bought for reading on my iPhone) are in PDB format. I strip the DRM (can I admit to that without being banned?), then convert the file to LRF via calibre. Fictionwise books can be bought as multiformat or mobiread formats. Mobiread formatted books also need the DRM stripped then converted but so far I haven't had any experience with them as I haven't bought any mobiread formatted books. Baen sells them in multiformats but they are mostly SF/Fantasy books. When buying books that have geographical restrictions, I can recommend you read the thread quoted by wallcraft. Good tips. The only problem I had was with the Sony Book Store. Although I used my US addresss (more correctly, my cousin's address), my Malaysian-based credit card was rejected. Eventually I managed to circumvent that hick-up by using an entropay.com issued debit card. I believe these cards are non-country specific cards. There seems to be so many hoops that one has to traverse, but for me, it is still worth the effort. The books I buy (mostly SF/Fantasy/Technical) are difficult to find locally, usually more expensive and take a long time to arrive if ordered through Amazon. Plus I save trees when buying ebooks Hope this helps. PK

06-06-2009, 09:53 AM	#14
HansTWN Wizard Posts: 4,538 Karma: 264065402 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Taiwan Device: HP Touchpad, Sony Duo 13, Lumia 920, Kobo Aura HD	@wpk123 -- did entropay request a copy of your ID and your credit card from you during registration? That seems rather fishy to me.

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