3gcosts
Status: Dr. Seuss
 Offline
Posts: 12
|
 |
« on: July 21, 2010, 03:49:27 AM » |
|
Hi,
I understand and find it reasonable that Kindle books for an international audience may come at an added costs due to Amazon not having obtained special deals for over the air distribution to allow prices to be the same in the US and outside the US.
Has there been any mention of Amazon attempting to broker new deals with 'local' mobile operators?
Would it be possible to buy US' 'editions' and use WiFi/USB to transfer the paid content?
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
Linjeakel
Moderator
Status: Dostoevsky
 Online
Gender: 
United Kingdom
Posts: 3317
So sleepy ........
|
|
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2010, 04:10:22 AM » |
|
Amazon already have deals with local mobile operators or you wouldn't be able to receive anything at all or sync with Amazon etc. The extra cost is more likely to be import duty / local taxes. For example, here in the UK we get charged 17.5% VAT on top of whatever Amazon want to charge us (which in turn depends on what deal they have with the publisher in the UK) and that's included in the price shown on the website - hence the higher prices. In some cases though, you may pay less than someone in the US for the same book, just as prices can vary from country to country with paper books.
As far as I know, there are no 'US' editions as such, it's just that you can only buy books where publishers have made a deal with Amazon in respect of your country - Amazon knows your address and the system won't let you buy anything else - they are legally bound not to sell you books they're not authorised to and they have to charge according to the deal with the publisher and take into account local taxes etc. As with the prices, ebooks are no different from paper books in that they are not always released in every country at the same time.
Oh - and welcome to Kindleboards!
|
|
|
|
« Last Edit: July 21, 2010, 04:12:06 AM by Linjeakel »
|
Logged
|
Linda  "Medicine For The Soul" ~ Inscription over the door of the Library at Thebes |
|
|
Bunknee
Status: Dr. Seuss
Offline
Gender:
Oslo, Norway
Posts: 21
|
|
« Reply #2 on: July 21, 2010, 04:11:04 AM » |
|
As far as I know they dropped the international whispernet download fee earlier this year. I don't pay it anymore anyway but I'm in the US account overseas category. Either way you can easily download books (from Amazon or elsewhere) to your computer and transfer using USB. The Kindle just shows up as an external drive you can copy your books over to.
The books themselves still cost a bit more I think to cover taxes and whatnot.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
3gcosts
Status: Dr. Seuss
Offline
Posts: 12
|
|
« Reply #3 on: July 21, 2010, 04:16:38 AM » |
|
I see. Thank you for covering that up. Looking at http://blogkindle.com/2009/10/international-release-of-kindle-2/ it seems as Hong Kong has a pretty good deal =) Does anyone know how I switch my Amazon account to be labeled as a HK account? I moved two years ago but never bothered doing that change. Cheers |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Pushka
|
|
« Reply #4 on: July 21, 2010, 05:17:03 AM » |
|
The $2 fee to International non-US residents is applied regardless of the way you get the book to your kindle. Every book is $2 more than it costs US residents. And it has nothing to do with taxes, as there are no relevant taxes to be paid on ebooks coming in to Australia. It is the whispernet charge, even if you dont use it (ie you USB it across). I dont mind paying that fee, I just wish Amazon would stop calling it 'free whispernet' when it simply isnt.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
Linjeakel
Moderator
Status: Dostoevsky
Online
Gender:
United Kingdom
Posts: 3317
So sleepy ........
|
|
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2010, 05:43:18 AM » |
|
To change your country/address details, follow Amazon's instructions |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Linda "Medicine For The Soul" ~ Inscription over the door of the Library at Thebes |
|
|
3gcosts
Status: Dr. Seuss
Offline
Posts: 12
|
|
« Reply #6 on: July 21, 2010, 10:16:02 AM » |
|
The $2 fee to International non-US residents is applied regardless of the way you get the book to your kindle. Every book is $2 more than it costs US residents. And it has nothing to do with taxes, as there are no relevant taxes to be paid on ebooks coming in to Australia. It is the whispernet charge, even if you dont use it (ie you USB it across). I dont mind paying that fee, I just wish Amazon would stop calling it 'free whispernet' when it simply isnt.
Sadly, it makes the newspapers such as Financial Times a lot more expensive. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Bigal-sa
|
|
« Reply #7 on: July 21, 2010, 11:03:09 PM » |
|
As far as I know, there are no 'US' editions as such, it's just that you can only buy books where publishers have made a deal with Amazon in respect of your country - Amazon knows your address and the system won't let you buy anything else - they are legally bound not to sell you books they're not authorised to and they have to charge according to the deal with the publisher and take into account local taxes etc. As with the prices, ebooks are no different from paper books in that they are not always released in every country at the same time. What really irritates me about this is that I can buy the paper version of the book, by the same publisher, from Amazon without any hassles... |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Bigal-sa
|
|
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2010, 07:13:06 AM » |
|
What really irritates me about this is that I can buy the paper version of the book, by the same publisher, from Amazon without any hassles...
What irritates me just as much is that Amazon's latest spam email "Popular science fiction" yields 3/10 books that I can actually buy. Why bother sending it to me? |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
aussie.354
Status: Dr. Seuss
Offline
Gender: 
Adlelaide, South Australia
Posts: 13
Next to some of the best wineries in the world
|
|
« Reply #9 on: July 22, 2010, 08:53:52 AM » |
|
What irritates me just as much is that Amazon's latest spam email "Popular science fiction" yields 3/10 books that I can actually buy. Why bother sending it to me?
Yes, I've had the same thoughts. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Ain't life grand when one can sit and read with a glass of good Red and some nice Blue Vein cheese?
|
|
|
3gcosts
Status: Dr. Seuss
Offline
Posts: 12
|
|
« Reply #10 on: July 26, 2010, 04:26:27 AM » |
|
How much does Washington Post cost for US readers?
For me it is 23.99 USD per month. (I'm in HK)
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
Ann in Arlington
Inmate # 65
Global Moderator
Status: Shakespeare
Online
Gender:
Arlington, VA
Posts: 32229
Go Nats!
|
|
« Reply #11 on: July 26, 2010, 05:10:43 AM » |
|
The current subscription rate is $11.99 per month.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Ann Von Hagel Arlington, VA |
|
|
3gcosts
Status: Dr. Seuss
Offline
Posts: 12
|
|
« Reply #12 on: July 26, 2010, 10:16:03 AM » |
|
That makes me a bit jealous =)
How much is FT?
Thank you for the help
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
Ann in Arlington
Inmate # 65
Global Moderator
Status: Shakespeare
Online
Gender:
Arlington, VA
Posts: 32229
Go Nats!
|
|
« Reply #13 on: July 26, 2010, 01:19:50 PM » |
|
What's FT?
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Ann Von Hagel Arlington, VA |
|
|
|
Daphne
|
|
« Reply #14 on: July 26, 2010, 01:27:24 PM » |
|
FT - Financial Times (US Edition) costs $27.99 in the UK (on Kindle). I just had the 14 days free trial.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
Ann in Arlington
Inmate # 65
Global Moderator
Status: Shakespeare
Online
Gender:
Arlington, VA
Posts: 32229
Go Nats!
|
|
« Reply #15 on: July 26, 2010, 01:30:23 PM » |
|
It's $14.99.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Ann Von Hagel Arlington, VA |
|
|
|
happyblob
|
|
« Reply #16 on: July 26, 2010, 03:11:53 PM » |
|
What irritates me just as much is that Amazon's latest spam email "Popular science fiction" yields 3/10 books that I can actually buy. Why bother sending it to me?
Amazon spam fail?  |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
3gcosts
Status: Dr. Seuss
Offline
Posts: 12
|
|
« Reply #17 on: July 27, 2010, 07:59:19 AM » |
|
It's $14.99.
Thank you. How I wish now that I could get those prices in HK =). |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
Ann in Arlington
Inmate # 65
Global Moderator
Status: Shakespeare
Online
Gender:
Arlington, VA
Posts: 32229
Go Nats!
|
|
« Reply #18 on: July 27, 2010, 09:16:04 AM » |
|
Well, with WaPo anyway, you can read it free on line. Don't know about Financial Times . . . . . I know: it's not the same. . .but still.  |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Ann Von Hagel Arlington, VA |
|
|
|
Lyndl
|
|
« Reply #19 on: July 28, 2010, 11:04:13 PM » |
|
What irritates me just as much is that Amazon's latest spam email "Popular science fiction" yields 3/10 books that I can actually buy. Why bother sending it to me?
This drives me nuts. I open my Amazon page, there is a nice row of "recommendations" for me.. and most of them I can't buy. How stupid is that? Especially when these recommendations are supposedly tailored just for me. Obviously it looks at my browsing, not my buying habits. Pushka, I completely agree about the so called 'free whispernet' , that has bugged me for a long time. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
3gcosts
Status: Dr. Seuss
Offline
Posts: 12
|
|
« Reply #20 on: July 29, 2010, 03:59:19 AM » |
|
Maybe with the WiFi model coming out, we will not be charged for whispernet =)
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dilber MC Theme by HarzeM
