US Kindle in Canada?

[WeightyGhost]

Hey Everyone,

I'd really like to grab a new Kindle (keyboard w/ 3G).

I currently reside in Canada. My main concern is limited content availability between amazon.com and .ca.

My question is...
If I have a U.S. mailing address and a U.S. credit card, will Amazon request proof of residency if I am D/L'ing content within Canada via the 3G network?

I love shopping and buying on Amazon, but if I have to suffer regional locking that is a deal-breaker for me.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by WeightyGhost

Hey Everyone,

I'd really like to grab a new Kindle (keyboard w/ 3G).

I currently reside in Canada. My main concern is limited content availability between amazon.com and .ca.

My question is...
If I have a U.S. mailing address and a U.S. credit card, will Amazon request proof of residency if I am D/L'ing content within Canada via the 3G network?

I love shopping and buying on Amazon, but if I have to suffer regional locking that is a deal-breaker for me.

You will be subject to the 50MB per month limit, but other than that it should work.

[Synamon]

There are no ebooks on amazon.ca, Canadians shop on amazon.com. I haven't found too many geo-restricted books since many publishing contracts lump Canadian rights with the US rights, so you'll find most books available to you on amazon.com even if you use set your country to Canada.

Originally Posted by geekmaster

You will be subject to the 50MB per month limit, but other than that it should work.

My understanding is that browsing and purchases from Amazon aren't subject to the limit.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by Synamon

...
My understanding is that browsing and purchases from Amazon aren't subject to the limit.

Even amazon support staff seem to have contradictory ideas on that subject, so if YOU understand it, you are doing better than amazon support. There are those from Canada who have reported getting the 50mb limit warning message even when trying to visit the amazon store, so YMMV.

[WeightyGhost]

Thanks,

Actually, the limit doesn't bother me.

[WeightyGhost]

Originally Posted by Synamon

There are no ebooks on amazon.ca, Canadians shop on amazon.com. I haven't found too many geo-restricted books since many publishing contracts lump Canadian rights with the US rights, so you'll find most books available to you on amazon.com even if you use set your country to Canada.

Really, do you make purchases from your Kindle, or mostly use PC and side-load?
I've noticed searching and browsing on my crackberry to be lacking compared to what I can buy w/ my PC.
I just presumed, this was do due regional restrictions.

Thanks for the input,

Edit: yup, just re-tested by purchasing a title w/ PC. Tried to buy the sequel w/ Blackberry and its a no-go as it is U.S. only -bummer

[montalex]

I'm in Canada, and I found it simpler to register my Kindle to my Canadian address, but get a U.S. account with B&N for those rare books which aren't yet released in Canada. I simply use the address of a family member. And conversion to mobi is fast and easy if you get to know Apprentice Alf.

If you keep accessing your U.S. Kindle account from abroad, eventually they'll ask you if you've moved. When I first bought my Kindle 2, I also tried switching my address to the U.S. for a purchase, then switching it back to Canada. I did this to get digital content, like chess. It worked, but this is a good way to get your account banned, I believe. Amazon needs to be very careful about international rights to content.

[WeightyGhost]

Thanks for the info montalex,
I think thats all I needed to confirm. Without the complete library available on 3G, I'm out.

IMHO, amazon can jam it if they think I'm shelling out for proprietary hardware if I have to crack DRM -like some kind of pauper/punk 15 year-old.

Thanks for all the insight/opinions from everyone.

Cheers,
-WG

[ixtab]

Originally Posted by montalex

If you keep accessing your U.S. Kindle account from abroad, eventually they'll ask you if you've moved. When I first bought my Kindle 2, I also tried switching my address to the U.S. for a purchase, then switching it back to Canada. I did this to get digital content, like chess. It worked, but this is a good way to get your account banned, I believe. Amazon needs to be very careful about international rights to content.

Regarding this particular kind of content (chess, or other apps and games) their policy makes no sense at all though. Much of this content is produced by Amazon themselves (so no distribution rights issue here), and much of it is completely free. There is no sensible reason why they limit distribution of such apps to people in the US only. To me, that looks like a classic case of "All men are equal, but some are more equal than others."

[montalex]

The point you are missing is that availability of books in Canada has nothing to do with Amazon. If there is a title you can't get through Amazon because it hasn't been released in Canada, you won't be able to get it (legally) anywhere.
On the other hand, I have no idea why active content is not available everywhere, but assume it is for the same reason that you cannot buy a barbeque from Amazon and have it shipped to Canada. There are duties involved in cross-border commerce, digital or otherwise. Dont blame this on Amazon! They'll love to sell you whatever you want.

Originally Posted by WeightyGhost

Thanks for the info montalex,
I think thats all I needed to confirm. Without the complete library available on 3G, I'm out.

IMHO, amazon can jam it if they think I'm shelling out for proprietary hardware if I have to crack DRM -like some kind of pauper/punk 15 year-old.

Thanks for all the insight/opinions from everyone.

Cheers,
-WG

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by WeightyGhost

Hey Everyone,

I'd really like to grab a new Kindle (keyboard w/ 3G).

I currently reside in Canada. My main concern is limited content availability between amazon.com and .ca.

My question is...
If I have a U.S. mailing address and a U.S. credit card, will Amazon request proof of residency if I am D/L'ing content within Canada via the 3G network?

I love shopping and buying on Amazon, but if I have to suffer regional locking that is a deal-breaker for me.

We have two Kindle Keyboards, one a 3G and one a WiFi. Both are registered to our US Amazon account. We have no difficulty downloading books to our Kindles, whether over 3G or WiFi. (Though I admit, 90% of my downloading is done to my local computer to simplify DRM removal and loading into Calibre, where I manage all my books.) I have also had NO issue with replacing a Kindle under warranty while in Canada.

The available content for US registered Kindles is definitely better than for Canadian registered ones, so I would recommend this approach. For the few ebooks that are available in Canada but not in the US, I keep a Kobo account with my Canadian information and convert for the Kindle after cleaning off the DRM.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by WeightyGhost

Thanks for the info montalex,
I think thats all I needed to confirm. Without the complete library available on 3G, I'm out.

IMHO, amazon can jam it if they think I'm shelling out for proprietary hardware if I have to crack DRM -like some kind of pauper/punk 15 year-old.

Thanks for all the insight/opinions from everyone.

Cheers,
-WG

"Cracking DRM" is extremely simple, and is just smart since it allows for unencumbered backups. (Google Apprentice Alf)

The simplest solution is to register to your US account and download over 3G as and when you need to. Though setting up a local WiFi network is useful in several ways. All eBook reader hardware is proprietary - that's a non-issue. Choose the hardware that most closely matches your needs, regardless of its preferred eBook format, since format shifting is really a non-issue.