# web access for international users...



## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Here's a workaround that has been going around over at the Amazon forums; hey, the author's and Amazon will still get paid, and it beats going the illegal route and going to a torrent site out of desperation, at any rate.

If anyone has any other information to add, *please do*; I don't know everything.

Anyways, here's what you do if you're in a country where the lack of available bestsellers and other books are driving you crazy, when they are tantalizingly available in the U.S Kindle Store;

1) Use whatever non-US credit card you have, and go to your one-click settings and associate it with some U.S billing address (couldn't you just pick any address out of a telephone book?), but with no method of payment.

And of course, change your country as the U.S, and download your books to your computer to avoid the $2.00 charge.

If number one doesn't work, see number 2.

2) Gift cards. Buy gift cards and do everything else the same as number one; change your country to U.S, give it a billing address (US)... and download the books to your computer.

If number two doesn't work, see number 3.

3) Try both, using giftcards or your own native credit card, all account settings the same as the previous two options, but use a proxy server with an address that originates from the United States. Some people have said despite it all, that they get that geographical restriction message.

I _think_ I've covered all the bases. You should appear as an American abroad with a Kindle!

Enjoy your books!


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## islandfamily (Oct 20, 2009)

you can also buy the books with a non U.S credit card.

I have my Dad's U.S credit card info saved on my account as well as my local credit card but I only buy books with my local card.
So if you have a US credit card, or know someone who will trust you their number and not use it, that also 
works.


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## jeroen (Oct 14, 2009)

see also:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,14573.0.html


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## Sweep (Oct 22, 2009)

Anarel said:


> A workaround that has been going around over at the Amazon forums; hey, the author's and Amazon will still get paid, and it beats going the illegal route and going to a torrent site out of desperation, at any rate.
> 
> If this shouldn't be on this site, well, down this thread will go!
> 
> ...


I think you've covered nearly all the bases, however my experience of attempting to purchase US Kindle store books from the UK is that it isn't sufficient just to use a Gift card and change your country to the US; Amazon 'knows' where you are (probably checks your IP address) and will refuse the transaction, be it from my Kindle or my laptop. To get round this problem you can use a VPN which emerges on the Internet in the US and then purchase books from the US Kindle store. It will deliver them wirelessly and with no delivery charge.


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## jeroen (Oct 14, 2009)

To Anarel:

Do you open a new (US) account or do you use your regular account?  I opened a new one and now have to register my kindle to it..


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## islandfamily (Oct 20, 2009)

I use my existing account with my local address and a US address


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

jeroen said:


> To Anarel:
> 
> Do you open a new (US) account or do you use your regular account? I opened a new one and now have to register my kindle to it..


Ah, uhm... I THINK you have to remove any indication of your living in another country; I'm not sure... leme look it up.

If this as worked for anyone, or if they have more tips, please post and l et me know! ^_^


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I don't know about the IP address, I order from Mexico and have no problems.  I am "registered" in the US though with a US address which could make a difference.  I have just had to order a new K2 so we'll see what happens when I get it.  Somewhere Jason911 gave a link for a workaround, think it was in the thread when we could not order books from out of the country and I meant to bookmark that for other purchases.  I'll see if I can find it.


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## Airan Gale (Oct 11, 2009)

You can just set up a US address and change your 1-click settings to that address. I linked my Australian credit card to the US address, but with the Aus billing address and I am now able to shop as a US customer. I tried it with one book I know isn't available to Australia and it works fine.
To avoid roaming charges, just download it to your computer rather than use Whispernet.


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## kete (Oct 27, 2009)

Hi, there!    New Kindle user and board member from Germany here. I followed the instructions given on the amazon forum and connected my one click settings to an address in NYC, then changed my location to USA. Now I can buy any book I want from the US Kindle store still using my German credit card. To avoid costs for whispernet I chose the option "download to PC" and transfer the books from my laptop to the Kindle via USB. Works like a charm! I even can get free books now which wasn't possible for customers in Europe before.


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Yay! Congrats, and welcome to Kindleboards!


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

Welcome to our international Kindle owners! It's great to have you here at KindleBoards. 

A note on the location workaround for acquiring U.S.-only books - the moderators and I have been discussing this. We're pretty sure it goes against the Amazon terms of service, and so we can't recommend that workaround. 

I would advise caution - - and this could even be something that Amazon enforces against at some point. Hopefully it won't be long before all those eBooks are available for all, without country restrictions!

- Harvey


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I sure hope you are right Harvey!  

I was going to get a Square Trade for my new K2i and it specifically states the insured object has to be in the US, so not able to do that legally.  Guess I'll bite the bullet and get the Amazon warranty.


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## belynda (Oct 27, 2009)

Many thanks for the useful information, I was getting quite frustrated with the Not available in UK thing!


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## Masonity (Oct 20, 2009)

Harvey said:


> Welcome to our international Kindle owners! It's great to have you here at KindleBoards.
> 
> A note on the location workaround for acquiring U.S.-only books - the moderators and I have been discussing this. We're pretty sure it goes against the Amazon terms of service, and so we can't recommend that workaround.
> 
> ...


After the reaction to the 1984 fiasco, I'd be quite surprised if Amazon takes our books away from us again. 

Hopefully it'll just kick them into gear and have them sort out international rights for the books in the US store. Even if the freebies end up having a "whispernet charge" added to them.


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## kete (Oct 27, 2009)

To tell the truth, I had a bad feeling doing this, but it was pushed aside by my delight at being able to get all the books I've lusted after (and some for free!). Now I feel like I should have listend to my conscience.


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## Airan Gale (Oct 11, 2009)

> To tell the truth, I had a bad feeling doing this,


Why? When DVD's first came out, they were zoned for the different regions of the world and we in Oz couldn't watch the movies zoned for the US. We got around that by buying cheap DVD players that played all zones.
There are no restrictions on print books available to Australian customers. I'm not fully understanding why there are restrictions on e-books, it's not like I'm going to buy the print version in Australia (they are way too expensive). So no one is missing out on my money.

I don't feel bad at all. I can quite honestly say I have never pirated a DVD, never ripped off music, never downloaded a pirated e-book. I'm simply purcahsing items from overseas as they are not available in Australia.


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## BruceS (Feb 7, 2009)

From what I have read the copyright laws are different in many countries and the period when the copyright expires could be different between countries.


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## kete (Oct 27, 2009)

"When DVD's first came out, they were zoned for the different regions of the world and we in Oz couldn't watch the movies zoned for the US. We got around that by buying cheap DVD players that played all zones."

Well, yes, you're right. I'm still doing that - buying DVDs from the US or Canada zoned region 1 because they're out there before some region 2 copy comes to Europe (if it comes at all). Thanks for making me feel better!


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

kete said:


> To tell the truth, I had a bad feeling doing this, but it was pushed aside by my delight at being able to get all the books I've lusted after (and some for free!). Now I feel like I should have listend to my conscience.


I can't see why; you are supporting the author by purchasing the books. I feel this is a case of breaking a rule that shouldn't be- I mean, if you can buy the book's print equivalent in whatever country you are in, I don't see why publishers are dragging their feet with the ebook editions.


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## Airan Gale (Oct 11, 2009)

> From what I have read the copyright laws are different in many countries and the period when the copyright expires could be different between countries.


It has nothing to do with copyright. For example, the latest Dan Brown book hit the shelves here in Australia the same day it was released in the US. I can buy a print copy here, or I can have one sent from the US. But I can't buy the e-version from Amazon as an Australian customer.
The latest Steig Larsson book (The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest) is available in Australia in the print version, or to Australian customers as an e-book from Amazon. I don't believe this particular volume has been released in the US yet, in either form. But that wouldn't stop someone from the US ordering it from Australia or the UK, and having it posted to them.

Copyright is the legal protection to the rights to copy and distribute published work, whether it be books, photographs, music, plays etc. This is more of a publishing issue. It appears that Amazon can't make the e-books available to international customers, but I doubt it's illegal for us to be buying them by other methods. Just the same as if a US citizen wanted to read the newest Steig Larsson book, they could easily order it from a bookshop in Australia, despite it not being avalaible in the US yet.


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Airan Gale said:


> It has nothing to do with copyright. For example, the latest Dan Brown book hit the shelves here in Australia the same day it was released in the US. I can buy a print copy here, or I can have one sent from the US. But I can't buy the e-version from Amazon as an Australian customer.
> The latest Steig Larsson book (The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest) is available in Australia in the print version, or to Australian customers as an e-book from Amazon. I don't believe this particular volume has been released in the US yet, in either form. But that wouldn't stop someone from the US ordering it from Australia or the UK, and having it posted to them.
> 
> Copyright is the legal protection to the rights to copy and distribute published work, whether it be books, photographs, music, plays etc. This is more of a publishing issue. It appears that Amazon can't make the e-books available to international customers, but I doubt it's illegal for us to be buying them by other methods. Just the same as if a US citizen wanted to read the newest Steig Larsson book, they could easily order it from a bookshop in Australia, despite it not being avalaible in the US yet.


I WANT that book!!! In the U.s It won't be available till... next june or something like that!!!


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## Airan Gale (Oct 11, 2009)

I have just finished reading it. It's fabulous and ties up all the loose ends very nicely.


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Airan Gale said:


> I have just finished reading it. It's fabulous and ties up all the loose ends very nicely.


It was supposed to be a like, a longer series, It's so sad that Larsson died....

But I'm glad to hear that it ends well.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Success!

I once used MyUS.com, a US based mail-forwarding company.  They provided me with a Florida address, which I entered into Amazon as a secondary account.  I changed my country to "United States" on the "Manage my Kindle" page (I didn't have to fiddle around in My Account at all) et voila!  Free Kindle titles are now really free!

And I don't feel guilty about it, because I'm transferring them to my PC, not using the wireless downloading that the $2 covers.

I'm certain any fake US address would work, the address doesn't actually do anything, they don't check it, you just need to say you're in the US.  When I need a fake US address to sign up for stuff, I just use the only US zip code I know - 90210! Thanks Aaron Spelling!


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Prazzie said:


> Success!
> 
> I once used MyUS.com, a US based mail-forwarding company. They provided me with a Florida address, which I entered into Amazon as a secondary account. I changed my country to "United States" on the "Manage my Kindle" page (I didn't have to fiddle around in My Account at all) et voila! Free Kindle titles are now really free!
> 
> ...


Yay! I'm so glad everything worked out for you ^_^ Happy reading!


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## Airan Gale (Oct 11, 2009)

> And I don't feel guilty about it, because I'm transferring them to my PC, not using the wireless downloading that the $2 covers.


You can transfer them wirelessly, you'll get a $1.99 charge the same as if you were a US citizen travelling out of the country. By transferring to your computer though, you're saving yourself that charge.

I used my husbands old address. I hope Amazon don't send any promo material there addressed to me. His ex-wife might not like it very much.


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## belynda (Oct 27, 2009)

I used Disney hotel address ( just returned) after all I was staying in the US


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

belynda said:


> I used Disney hotel address ( just returned) after all I was staying in the US


Ohh, that's a good idea!

I heard someone else used Obama's address.... (or was that in this thread) although that's kinda pushing it; I wouldn't want the secret service showing up at my house....


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I don't think Amazon sends out promo mail, paper or electronic


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Anarel said:


> I heard someone else used Obama's address.... (or was that in this thread) although that's kinda pushing it; I wouldn't want the secret service showing up at my house....


Reminds me of _The Blues Brothers_.... when one of them gave their address as 1060 W Addison, Chicago..... which would be located here:


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## belynda (Oct 27, 2009)

I am managing to get the US Books now but I am being charged 1.99 extra for the download despite downloading by USB. It would appear that as soon as I turn on wireless for any reason it picks it up and sends me a bill. yesterday I got 4 x 1.99 bills for books I bought the previous day.
Any suggestions?


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## kete (Oct 27, 2009)

Oh god, I hope that's just a glitch or I'll never again be able to turn the wireless on. I've got about 20-30 books via USB that would be USD 40-60 in wireless fees...


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

As far as I can tell, having had a Kindle for well over a year, the only way to NOT d/l purchased books wirelessly, is to never turn on the wireless modem.  You can initially purchase and request d/l to the computer, but it will still list the book as 'pending' in the "delivery status" section of "Manage your Kindle".  If you turn wireless on for any length of time, any listed there will d/l.

So, Seems to me that it's working exactly as it's designed:  When you turn on wireless, everything waiting downloads.

If you're a US customer and you're overseas, they charge you $1.99 per.  It explains that on the product page.

If you're an international customer, you are not charged extra beyond what the book is priced at for wireless download.

If you're an international customer pretending to be a US customer, they're going to charge you as a US customer.


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## mchk (Nov 2, 2009)

For my account (International Kindle, US customer, currently overseas), if I select "Deliver To: Transfer via Computer" before clicking "Buy now with 1-Click" when buying from Amazon's web site (i.e. not through the kindle) then the book is only downloaded to the computer, it is never queued for sending to the kindle via whispernet.

I only worked this out after buying a few books without changing the Deliver To: option, then downloading via USB and finding that it still downloaded via whispernet once the wireless was turned back on.


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> As far as I can tell, having had a Kindle for well over a year, the only way to NOT d/l purchased books wirelessly, is to never turn on the wireless modem. You can initially purchase and request d/l to the computer, but it will still list the book as 'pending' in the "delivery status" section of "Manage your Kindle". If you turn wireless on for any length of time, any listed there will d/l.


I thought the 'pending' status will change, to what I don't remember, if you don't d/l for some length of time. The book will no longer d/l wirelessly unless you specify.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I actually have some "pending' books, have been there for ages, but have dl'ed them a very long time ago, so never really figured out what they were there for.  Guess I'll go back and see what's what.


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## kafool (Nov 3, 2009)

Hi I am a newbie here and looking to buy an International Kindle (i currently live abroad)
I called Amazon today and they told me that the Kindle needs to be shipped to a US address, so that it would be automatically "set" to a US mode and can download US books. The Amazon representative told me that even I send the Kindle overseas, the settings implanted into the machine would be "international" and even if i return to US in the future or use a US login I would not be able to download US books.

Is that true? 

One of my friends used a UK account (but her International Kindle was bot and shipped to a US address) managed to download books abroad.

Would appreciate any feedbacks! Really want to buy an International Kindle and have access to MORE MORE MORE books!

Thanks mil!


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## happyblob (Feb 21, 2009)

Wow that sounds way too complicated and generally sucky.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

kafool said:


> Hi I am a newbie here and looking to buy an International Kindle (i currently live abroad)
> I called Amazon today and they told me that the Kindle needs to be shipped to a US address, so that it would be automatically "set" to a US mode and can download US books. The Amazon representative told me that even I send the Kindle overseas, the settings implanted into the machine would be "international" and even if i return to US in the future or use a US login I would not be able to download US books.
> 
> Is that true?
> ...


I would call again and ask the same questions and see if you get different answers. The ones you got don't seem right to me. For one thing, the Kindles clearly don't HAVE to be sent to a US address.

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I second Betsy.  Also, I'd suggest you contact KINDLE customer service, not Amazon customer service.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I third Betsy and second Ann, with the K2i they are not being sent to US addresses only any longer.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

My International kindle was couriered to a Non USA address but I can still access USA books as I do have a proper (real) address there and that is where my click1 account is set to.  And it asks me each time which kindle it is going to be stored on, so the system does know this.
I think that when you call customer service they are going to say the official line every time.  They have to.


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## belynda (Oct 27, 2009)

I haave used the above method for a week, great!!  Then yesterday when I tried the free downloads, I got a message, You are trying to buy a book whilst in another country, please change your country or contact customer services in order to continue buying kindle products!!!  
I really want to purchase some of the latest books that do not appear to be available in UK.


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## natgomez22 (Nov 4, 2009)

I'm in Colombia right now but my Kindle will by arriving in Miami later this week. Since I already have it registered to my account I figured I should get a head start downloading free books to my computer. At first I wasn't having any problems since my Kindle is registered to a US address and I have a US address on my 1-Click and no method of payment.

Suddenly, I'm getting an error message telling me to "please contact us or change your country to complete your purchase" because "You attempted to purchase an item while in a different country than listed on your Amazon account." I thought Kindles registered in the US could be used abroad so I'm totally confused. What should I do? Is anyone else experiencing something similar?

The url with the error message is:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/digital/fiona/clarification/unconfirmed-country

---------------------------
UPDATE:
I got the following email from Amazon:
"I'm sorry to hear about the problems you are having trying to download books while in Columbia. Rest assured you will be able to use your Kindle internationally. As the range of books available is limited by which country you are from it looks like the system recognized that you tried to purchase books while in Columbia when it states on your account that your are based in the US. I have unblocked international purchases for you temporarily as a courtesy, this allows you 4 more purchases. Once you are back in the US and purchasing in the US this issue should be resolved. If it persists when you are back in the US please don't hesitate in contacting us again."

I guess there is now way to permanently avoid the geographical restriction?


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

So if you are on vacation and go oversea, you won't be able to buy books from Amazon even though your account is based in the US? I often go oversea for more than a month so this will be a problem for me. There shouldn't be restriction of how many books you can buy while you're not in the US. 

This is what Amazon put on the Kindle page: 
"For U.S. customers traveling abroad, a $1.99 fee currently applies when downloading books or single issues of periodicals wirelessly from your Archived Items or the Kindle store while traveling internationally. For details on periodicals and personal documents, click here. To avoid any fees, you can always download books, periodicals, and personal documents via your computer and transfer to your Kindle using USB."


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## Airan Gale (Oct 11, 2009)

They seem to have enabled some kind of IP tracking, as I'm now getting an error message when trying to buy books from the US catalogue, using a US address. I was able to do it last week, now I can't.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Yup, looks like they check your IP now.  The only way around this is to use a proxy to reroute your IP to a US IP address (so your pc connects to Amazon via a secondary pc physically located in the US).  I hope the international selection will become better soon, most of the Kindle books I want to buy aren't available in my country yet.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Still ok for me this morning!


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Pushka said:


> Still ok for me this morning!


Hn, maybe it was just something for that particular book in particular...


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## belynda (Oct 27, 2009)

Anarel said:


> Hn, maybe it was just something for that particular book in particular...


I tried it with several books and the same thing was happening.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Are you using a gift card or credit card?


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## belynda (Oct 27, 2009)

Pushka said:


> Are you using a gift card or credit card?


 I am using a credit card, it worked ok before


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

So far I have had no problem, but have not bought any books for a couple of days, my GC is low.  I did have this happen a couple of weeks before the K2i was released, but then the next day it was fine.


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## angelad (Jun 19, 2009)

Wow, I coudn't even imagine that this could be an issue.  Buying digital books should not be a matter of location.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Copyright laws differ by country.  I believe this is most of the problem.

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I agree. . . .and the rest of the problem are country specific import laws and tarriffs.

I expect if we're patient things will be worked out. . . .after all, Jeff Bezos' mission is to have available every book ever written in every language. . . . . .


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## Shizu (Oct 27, 2008)

There's copyright laws but you can buy any DTB from Amazon and ship to oversea... so why can't the ebooks? Isn't it same thing?


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## Car0L1ne (Nov 6, 2009)

I have a couple of suggestions for those who are getting blocked by Amazon

Remove all non-US information from your account. That includes all the secondary 1-click credit cards and addresses. Buy Amazon giftcards with your non-US credit card to pay for kindle books. Sometimes Amazon's computer won't recognize you as US traveler if you are paying with non-US credit card

If that is insufficient, try an ISP blocker like Ultrasurf or Proxify. There are also services that make it look like you're in the US. See if that will remove the block.

I would try it except that I inadvertently managed to get a US billing address attached to one of my credit cards. My Kindle also came from eBay and the seller was a US resident. I've had my Kindle since May 2008 so I'm not getting these error messages so don't know if the above work arounds are any good. I've posted these instructions at ebookgab.com but they were taken down 2X. Once I can see as computer glitch but twice....So don't know how long this will stay up.

I'm from Canada, a country that is not on the list of Kindle countries.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

I used a gift card, and have had no problems.  The gift card was bought with an Aussie credit card.


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## Airan Gale (Oct 11, 2009)

Well, for the past few days I've not been able to shop in the US store, and tonight I can. I've just bought a few books over the course of the evening (I keep buying books to make sure I still can!) and it's working. I've just spent around $50. Time to stop!


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## Ariadne (Oct 7, 2009)

Hey everyone,
I also tried to buy books from the Us store last week-first I thought I was okay with not being able to have all the books, but then it was so tempting,because I really wanted to try Diana Gabldon's Outlander,because I read so musch about it on these boards. 
Last week I was able to buy a book by simply adding a US adress to my normal account.
Two days ago I tried the same thing to buy two of my favourite books, but it didn't work and I got the message so many people here got-that I should change my country or contact CS if I wanted to continue shopping in the Us store.
Today I tried it again(loved Outlander and REALLY wanted to continue the series without handling those enormous books)and it worked perfectly.
I was really happy!!


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Ariadne - you have checked the Book Klub for the Outlander Series ?  You would enjoy it and if you don't get too involved and read the threads all the way through you would get a whole lot out of it.


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## Ariadne (Oct 7, 2009)

Dear Anju, Tahnk you very much, I found the book club. I would really have loved to have participated from the beginning,but it is still great to follow all those wonderful discussions and find things I might have missed or find out about other opinions...
At the moment I try to refrain from reading ahead.

I am really happy I found this board. It is great to talk about the Kindle with other people who love it,too.And I would never have discovered the Outlander series without all of you.
I knew those books existed-well, that is hard to missBut I always stopped after reading back of the book,because I thought I wasn't really interested in the whole storyline. Boy, was I wrong
Now I am really glad I tried a sample and then the whole first book and now still have so many of those books ahead of me!!!


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## natgomez22 (Nov 4, 2009)

Thanks Caroline and Airan Gale for sharing! I followed Caroline's suggestion to remove all non-US info from my account and tried again after reading that the restriction had been lifted for Airan Gale, and it worked. If you'll recall, they said I would only be able to buy 4 more books, and since I was allowed to buy the 5th I'm going to assume that I'm not being blocked anymore. However, I won't be trying again anytime soon because I run a real risk of running out of money lol but it's nice to see I have a chance of enjoying the Kindle to the fullest. I'll post again if I have anything new to add.


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## Airan Gale (Oct 11, 2009)

I have also bought the Outlander series. Years ago I read the first one, which is called Cross Stitch in Australia, but for some reason, I never read any more. I've always meant to though. So I bought them for the Kindle and thought I had them all, but once there was a block put up for international users for buying from the US store, I realised I'd missed one. I kept trying to get it but I got that error message, so I was very happy to finally be able to complete my series last night. Now I just have to read them!


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Bump!


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## Ariadne (Oct 7, 2009)

Hello everyone!
Just wanted to tell all of you again how happy I am with amazon and my Kindle 
The selection of books here in Europe is not as big as in the US and I am really happy that there is the possibility of this workaround to buy books that are not yet available here...
But yesterday I also relized that the selection of books that can be bought from Europe is actually really growing!!! I was so happy.
I have books by 7 authors I really want to buy for the Kindle but couldn't so far.Yesterday I did a new search and 3 of those seven authors now are available from Germany.It was bliss...and quite expensive 

I hope that this trend will continue and will prove true also for readers from other parts of the world and readers of other genres!
It would really be amazing if this workaround wouldn't be necessary anymore...
I hope the publishers and amazon make great deals and make them soon!!
While they are still negociating I am really glad that, if there is a book that is available for the US but not for Europe, and if it is a book MUST read the second it comes out, there is this very handy possibility!!!

Thanks everyone for the advice and help!!

I hope all of the international (and american) Kindlers enjoy their Kindle as much as I do mine...


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## anivyl (Nov 12, 2009)

hi... I would just like to add I am also having the same problem where I can't buy the books anymore. I actually contacted customer service with the half truth, that I was staying there for certain times of the year (at the particular address). They have "enabled" my account for 5 more books, so to speak, so I don't know if they will lock down my account from us permanently, which will be horrible haha.

But, judging from the comments here, they clear the memory of our ip addresses every few days, so we do have like a 6 book purchase window every few days.


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Bump!


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## TheSeagull (Oct 25, 2009)

Won't it look funny to Amazon if I have some US-only books on my international Kindle?

EDIT: Just had a look through the thread, looks complicated and generally difficult. I'll give it a miss and get onto nagging publishers


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

TheSeagull said:


> Won't it look funny to Amazon if I have some US-only books on my international Kindle?
> 
> EDIT: Just had a look through the thread, looks complicated and generally difficult. I'll give it a miss and get onto nagging publishers


It isn't difficult and complicated at all. What's so hard about removing all non-US info from your account?


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

I still have all my contact details for Australia and the US.  And sometimes switch between the two.  The other day I clicked on a link that said 'free books'.  When it loaded, it said the same book cost $2!  Then I realised I was on the Australian site and not the US one!  So it would seem that buying off the Australian sites adds an extra $2 to every transaction, even if downloading via USB.  Is that right?  I dont like to switch back to the Australian site too often as I dont want to get 'stuck' there.


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## anivyl (Nov 12, 2009)

pushka: That is correct. even if you are not downloading off your kindle, they are charging you the extra 2 dollars. as to the hows and whys, i am not to sure about it.

Just thought I would share, for Aussies anyways, I have discovered via a mobileread contributor, that you can purchase "travel money" (prepaid credit cards loaded with the currency of your choice) from ANZ bank. because of the neutrality of the card region-wise, you can attached an American address to it and it would function just as easy as vouchers would (and thusly, less usage of a secondary amazon account).

^_^v


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Gotta love these forums and everyones creativity.  Thanks to them I was able to get kindle app for the Iphone.


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## TheSeagull (Oct 25, 2009)

Anarel said:


> It isn't difficult and complicated at all. What's so hard about removing all non-US info from your account?


I've tried it before with the PS3, it was seriously difficult, my card wouldn't work without the correct billing address, my bank is strict. Most of the books I want I can buy from other places anyhow.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I am in Mexico, usually download to the computer, avoiding the $1.99 US charge.  IF I use the WN at all, for books I have already bought, for samples, or new books I get the $1.99 charge.  So I just don't have WN on so I can't do something by mistake.  This means, though, I cannot get samples any longer at no price.  That's no biggie as I didn't used to get samples before I had to get the K2i  

I also have both US and Mexican info on my account, but my payment is via a US address with a US credit card.


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## akqjt (Dec 14, 2009)

I imagine this question comes up a lot, but I couldn't find anything in the FAQ.

If there is a book that is available in the U.S. but not available in my region, can I not simply change my region to U.S. and buy the book?  Does anything bad happen if you do this?


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## TheSeagull (Oct 25, 2009)

I believe you can but it depends on your bank etc. because other people have got it to work but my bank requires the correct billing address which obviously doesn't work.


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## Technotica (Dec 12, 2009)

Look in the 'international whispernet fee' thread, we had a discussion about this.
As far as I udnerstand it you shouldn't get any trouble from changing the region setting in 'Manage my Kindle' but amazon might display a message that you couldn't buy a book because you aren't where your region setting is and to change the region setting. For several people it works though.


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## Varin (May 12, 2009)

Bump!


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Prazzie told me I can get samples downloaded to the computer, have not tried it yet, but will soon.  Another KBer said she got a Spanish book, but had to change her registration from Mexico to the US to get it.  I keep my registration to the US>


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Believe it or not, there are books available in Australia that arent available in the US!  eg The final Stieg Larsson book.


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## TheSeagull (Oct 25, 2009)

I think it's the same everywhere, just that the US has the majority of _good_ books available


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## angelad (Jun 19, 2009)

Pushka said:


> Believe it or not, there are books available in Australia that arent available in the US! eg The final Stieg Larsson book.


That's sort of crazy


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## angelad (Jun 19, 2009)

That is a bit annoying, they should just make all books available to all regions.


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## earthlydelites (Dec 12, 2009)

I don't plan on switching around my default addresses too much, however USA has the best collection of books IMO 

I really wouldn't see a need to purchase from the AUS site.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

angelad said:


> That is a bit annoying, they should just make all books available to all regions.


I'm sure Amazon would like to. . . .but there are those pesky government laws to deal with! 

(oh, and merging this thread with a similar one . . . . .)


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## TheSeagull (Oct 25, 2009)

Look at this!:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65702


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## anivyl (Nov 12, 2009)

it is true that the email is somewhat generic. I have received 2 of it now, but after not responding to it a second time and so on and so forth, and not downloading any books for about 2 weeks, I found I have access to free books yet again.

That all said and done, I wonder how could a bookstore/general shopping store like Amazon, who is also internet-based, justify asking for someone's ID? It's a basic intrusion of privacy ain't it?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

anivyl said:


> I wonder how could a bookstore/general shopping store like Amazon, who is also internet-based, justify asking for someone's ID? It's a basic intrusion of privacy ain't it?


I'm not sure what your concern is. Amazon has information on record for me so I can buy stuff: I've elected to do business with them and abide by their requests in order to do so. In turn, they agree to keep my information safe. Call me naive, but I'm comfortable with that.

If they've been allowed by countries to do business under certain conditions, they better darn well follow those conditions or the countries will stop allowing them to do business. Same with the wireless partners. It is in Amazon's interest to enforce with some level of due diligence, the requirements put in place under whatever agreement they have with a given country or wireless provider. It is not in the interest of international customers to find their way around them, in my opinion, because it may cause the country or the wireless provider in that country, to decide to NOT do business with Amazon at all. Then you've lost any access to Kindle books. . . . .

And, again, Amazon's goal is "every ebook, in every language, available to everyone". . . .so be patient. They ARE working on it!


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## anivyl (Nov 12, 2009)

don't get me wrong, I really can't be bothered about my privacy most days and am quite comfortable if amazon wants to have it for proving anything, except if my identity gets stolen, that's another story. Most people I know though, and how people are so uptight about "privacy" over where I work would be concerned about having to fax over their personal details to, what is essentially, a book vendor online.

Also, I was just wondering about the privacy laws in America.  In essence, can anyone come back and bite Amazon on the behind for intrusion of privacy?


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

The most unusual thing about this email is that it isnt sent to everyone, just a few people.  

For what it is worth, I would never provide any Government papers (eg Passport, Identity card etc etc) to an entity that is simply selling books and other merchandise.  A financial institution yes, another Government authority, yes, but what is simply an online shop?  No way!

I am not freakish about privacy by any stretch, I have done shopping online for many years with my credit card, but this 'request' is simply not on.


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## boydm (Mar 21, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Copyright laws differ by country. I believe this is most of the problem.
> 
> Betsy


E-book distribution is going to be a sticky problem for publishers going forward just because it's easy to download electronic books anywhere in the world. You can order DTBs from overseas, but you also have to ship them, which significantly increases the cost.

The copyright laws are not necessarily the issue. Who _bought_ the publishing rights in each country is the issue. For example, I have two different publishing deals for the English-language rights for THE ARK, one with Simon and Schuster in the US/Canada and one with Little, Brown UK for the rest of the world. Each publisher has the exclusive right to sell my book in their respective markets. While the titles are different (in the US it's THE ARK, and in the UK it's THE NOAH'S ARK QUEST), the text of both versions is identical. Whichever copy you buy, I will get a royalty as the author, so it's not really an issue for me personally (although my royalty rate might be different for each market and how well my book sells in that market will determine whether the publisher wants to sign me to another deal for the next book). It's the publishers who will be unhappy if you purchase an e-copy from outside of the market you live in.


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

This hack also works for those of us in the USA who can't get international content.
Since the book originated in the UK, I temporarily changed my address to 1 Derby Gate London (a Parliment building).


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## Airan Gale (Oct 11, 2009)

Publishing restrictions are for sellers of books, not buyers. There have always been regional publishing restrictions on paper books, but buyers were not stopped from buying them. I have ordered many a paperback from the US when only the hardcover was available in Australia. 
Amazon have abided by the e-book publishing restrictions by setting up regions with the books only available to that region. How buyers get around the restrictions is up to the buyers.


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## Deemo (Dec 22, 2009)

Hi everyone!
I wasn't too sure where to post this but here goes.....

I purchased a Kindle for my wife for Christmas and may need some advance info for setting it up.

Here are the details:
1. I live in Canada
2. I have a reshipper in Houston (which is where I shipped the Kindle to)
3. I have  the Houston address on my credit card and successfully made purchases on amazon.com (not.ca)

Here are my questions:

1. Is there a physical difference between the US Kindle and the one the ship to Canada (someone mentioned the modem)?

2. if so, what is the implications?

3. Any tips for ordering? I plan on leaving the Kindle attached to my amazon.com account as they don't have any issues with it.


I would like my wife to just order wirelessly than have to dl and transfer or order online for wireless delivery.

Thanks


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

There will be no problem in ordering books from Amazon or leaving it attached to your Amazon account.  If your wife d/ls via the Whispernet, there will be a $1.99 charge for every download, including samples.  Somehow they can tell you are not in the US and you are charged an international fee.  It is just easier to order and have sent to the computer and move it from there.  Once you do it a couple of time its easy to do, even a non-techie can do it.

All the kindles, other than the DX are the International Kindle 2, regardless of where you live, right now at least.

Welcome to kindleboards and be sure to send your wife over here when she gets her kindle and join us on the boards.  Any other questions will be answered by one of our experts (we have lots and lots of those   )


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## natgomez22 (Nov 4, 2009)

Anju No. 469 said:


> Prazzie told me I can get samples downloaded to the computer, have not tried it yet, but will soon. Another KBer said she got a Spanish book, but had to change her registration from Mexico to the US to get it. I keep my registration to the US>


I have a US account and am living in Colombia, and I can get samples delivered wirelessly at no charge. I know I'm not being charged because I don't have my credit card registered at amazon (I always delete it from my account after I buy something) and right now my gift card balance is zero.


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## dazdude (Dec 10, 2009)

on the Wired website an article on how to get full web access on the international kindles.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/enable-web-browsing-and-full-catalog-access-on-international-kindle/

D


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

dazdude, I merged your post with an existing thread on the topic of International Kindle quirks.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Bumping this thread for new International DX'ers!  And Christmas K2 kindlers.


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## TechBotBoy (Jan 25, 2010)

Not to get off-side with the kind people who provide this board, but I too had success changing my Amazon account to my US address, and also found the same results - the free books are now free.  Sadly, the "text to speech" feature that I'd hoped to use isn't available on the Kindle for PC, so I might have to consume my free books the old fashioned way. 

    -- Tbb


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## paragon (Feb 6, 2010)

Hey everyone, I'm new to these boards, lots of good reading material here it seems! 

So, what is the status of all this now?

I live in Denmark, and will order a Kindle next week to my address here.

I have a US address all set up too, but will mainly use the Kindle in Denmark. I'd like to browse the US store AND save the whispernet transfer fee.

My questions are:

Can I buy books from the US store using my US address, download them to my PC in Denmark and transfer them to the Kindle from there?

Can I use whispernet in Denmark, or will I still be punked for "service fees", despite having transferred them via the computer if I turn that on?

Can I use the web-browser in Denmark?

Do I need to re-register my Kindle from my danish to my US address in order to do any of this?


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## anivyl (Nov 12, 2009)

yes

not quite sure what you mean by punked, but if you have already downloaded the books to your kindle, having access to whispernet wouldn't charge you money for the books that are already on your kindle unless you are buying books straight from your kindle - then you would be restricted and charged for overseas costs (far as i know, i haven't tried it yet). although, be aware that there would be times where they would send you an email stating that you have been found downloading outside of usa and "can't" download anymore until you can prove you are an american citizen etc etc. This will restrict your downloads for a few days, after that you can download again.

yes, if your address in use is American.

With regards to addresses, i have known people who have got 2 different (american and one other) addresses on their amazon accounts and so far nothing has happened. in any case, you don't have to delete your account, just change the address on your account.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I don't download via WN, always to my computer, but if I turn on WM for a demo (ony time I do turn it on) I get the latest books ordered, sent to the kindle and charged the fee.  I only use my US address on Amazon but do download to the computer here in Mexico.


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## paragon (Feb 6, 2010)

anivyl said:


> yes
> 
> not quite sure what you mean by punked, but if you have already downloaded the books to your kindle, having access to whispernet wouldn't charge you money for the books that are already on your kindle unless you are buying books straight from your kindle - then you would be restricted and charged for overseas costs (far as i know, i haven't tried it yet).


What I mean is, I download them onto the computer at no cost, then transfer to Kindle via USB. When I turn on the Kindle's whispernet, will a fee suddenly show up? Or do I only pay the $2 fee when downloading from Amazon directly to Kindle?

As far as samples go, I sincerely hope they don't charge $2 fees for downloading those! That could get quite expensive!


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I download to the computer - always.
I turn on WN to give a demo - and  sometimes, not always, the latest books I have downloaded to the computer will re-download and I get the charge.
Have not figured out why, just try not to turn on WN even when I demo


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## paragon (Feb 6, 2010)

Regarding the email: If I have read these boards correctly, this is an email wanting me to fax (I can't believe anyone still faxes things!) certain information to Amazon. Is this correct? Because I sure don't have a fax


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

paragon said:


> Regarding the email: If I have read these boards correctly, this is an email wanting me to fax (I can't believe anyone still faxes things!) certain information to Amazon. Is this correct? Because I sure don't have a fax


That's what it sounds like - but I would suggest you do NOT fax anything to them. They don't need your personal info. I have not been asked for anything and I am not in the US.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Amazon simply have no right to ask for identifying papers.  Of course, they also have the right not to sell to you if they dont want to.  If I was a US citizen there is no way I would be providing them those details.  They need to realise they are just a shop - nothing more!


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## paragon (Feb 6, 2010)

Anju No. 469 said:


> That's what it sounds like - but I would suggest you do NOT fax anything to them. They don't need your personal info. I have not been asked for anything and I am not in the US.


So just wait a few days before buying stuff again works? Has anyone gotten this email? How about numerous times?


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## anivyl (Nov 12, 2009)

i only had the email once. i never forwarded anything to them and my international buying of us-only books continued after a couple of weeks.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Was it this thread where someone suggested that the close the window for a few days and then re-open it?

I dunno, I guess I am one of the lucky ones! I never received an email and I have bought a lot of books


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## Xealous (Apr 6, 2010)

I had similar issues this evening with the unconfirmed country problem (was trying to get a hold of a free book) - anyhoo after a couple of unsuccessfull attempts this is what worked for me:

First closing the amazon window, enabling Foxy Proxy (addon for Mozilla Firefox) and then using a US 'elite' type of proxy - you can find uptodate working ones here: http://www.ip-adress.com/proxy_list/. Enter the proxy into the Foxy Proxy addon and then retrying amazon, and transfer book to computer. And viola! it worked


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

It is so random. I downloaded two books yesterday and still no problems. I realised too that if your kindle is registered to an account holder who is really in the US then you can download their books ( and not even pay for them as the account holder does) and that would be fine!


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## Trophywife007 (Aug 31, 2009)

Does anyone know if this works in reverse?  That is: can I, a U.S. user, change my account address to an overseas one and get access to Kindle versions that are not for sale on Amazon here due to the Penguin/Amazon fiasco?


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

I cant see why it wouldnt!  We should start trading addresses!


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Trophywife007 said:


> Does anyone know if this works in reverse? That is: can I, a U.S. user, change my account address to an overseas one and get access to Kindle versions that are not for sale on Amazon here due to the Penguin/Amazon fiasco?


Yes. It works.


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## angel_b (Nov 18, 2009)

I'm about to buy a Kindle for my sister and I want to register her to my account.

However, I'm using a US address (and luckily haven't received the dreaded email) but am a bit nervous about buying her Kindle, having it shipped to her in Aus and then registering her to my account.  

Maybe I'm best to revert to my Aus address and then go back to the US address after I've registered her Kindle. Or buy her Kindle on my husband's account and then register it to mine.

Anyone have any thoughts?

It's all so confusing, and I really hope they sort out this ridiculous copyright nonsense soon.


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## KeRaSh (Jun 7, 2010)

The email said that a passport would be sufficient to prove the US Address.
I am an American citizen (with an American passport) living in germany. If I got this email and I sent them a copy of my passport, would it work? I registered the US address of my aunt.


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## peterpallesen (Jun 10, 2011)

This is ridiculous.  I have a Wifi-only Kindle, why do I have to pay for Whispernet when my Kindle can't even access the 3G network.


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## Bigal-sa (Mar 27, 2010)

peterpallesen said:


> This is ridiculous. I have a Wifi-only Kindle, why do I have to pay for Whispernet when my Kindle can't even access the 3G network.


The charge is not for Whispernet, it's an international surcharge for downloading books (by any means) from Amazon. A few countries are exempt from it.


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