# International whispernet fee confusion



## sonofthor (Dec 11, 2009)

Hey everyone.  My first post here.  I'll try to keep it brief.  I just got my Kindle today, and I'm a bit confused.  I live in Japan, so I'm trying to avoid paying those pesky fees to download things I've already bought.  I copied all of my purchased Kindle books via USB.  But as I played with my Kindle today, I received notification that one of the books had incurred two $2 charges (totaling $4) for transferring via whispernet.  The same book was charged twice.  And it was one I had copied via USB anyway.  

So several questions.  

1)  Why did I get those charges? (Amazon refunded them btw) 
2)  Is there no confirmation button to know when you are going to be charged those fees?  
3)  Is the only way to avoid the fees, even for books you've transfered by USB, to turn off Whispernet?  
4)  If Whispernet is off, is there anyway to get free samples?  
5)  Is it possible to keep my Kindle in sync with my Windows Kindle software and iPhone with Whispernet turned off?  I imagine not.  
6)  Lastly, once I'm inside a book, could I safely turn Whispernet back on to sync the current page without incurring a fee?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-Theo


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Hi Theo, welcome!

I'm an international Kindle owner living outside the US.  My home country is set to South Africa.  As such, all the Kindle format book fees I see have a $2 Whispernet surcharge that US customers don't have to pay.  For example, Book X might cost $9 for US customers, but will be $11 for me, whether I download via USB or wirelessly.

If your country in your Amazon account is set to Japan, then the price reflected on the Kindle book page is the full price you will pay.  If this is the case, then the extra charges were clearly in error.

Since the price on the page is the full price, there is no confirmation button - there should be no hidden charges.

For international customers, since the $2 is included in the price, we can't avoid it, even if we turn off Whispernet and download via USB.

You can download a sample by transferring it to your Kindle via USB cable, no Whispernet required.

You're right, to my knowledge you cannot sync your devices without Whispernet.

If you turn Whispernet on, regardless of what you are doing on the Kindle, if you have any pending downloads, they will come through.  Log into your Amazon account and go to Manage Your Kindle to see your orders and Individual Charges.  I have never had to pay any individual charges.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I recently got two samples, with the WN on, was  charged the $2, I have not been able to figure out how to get samples without the WN.  Then I previously had a K1 and never got samples anyway.  I am not charged the extra $ for books because I do download via USB, however, my account is "based" in the US.  I think you can change your base to the US and get your books via USB, but cannot get samples without the charge, then change back to your country of choice, this is in the Manage your Kindle section at Amazon.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

To get a sample via USB, simply go to the book's page and under "Send Sample Now" you select "transfer via computer".


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Thanks Prazzie - that did not used to be an option so I had not checked that  

Have you been on vacation or just enjoying being out of school?  How did your grades come out?


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## olilea (Dec 11, 2009)

Hi,

I ordered my international K2 off Amazon last night.

I live in the UK and they don't really give specific details on the costs of using Whispernet.
I know there is a much larger choice of books in the US store so I changed the registered 
address of the Kindle to a random place in the US and ordered some free books off the US store. 
Will I be charged money for these books? Will I have to pay roaming charges?


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Even with a US address you will be charge for the WN download.  However, you can have your books downloaded to your computer and move them via the USB cord and receive no charge.  Outside the US, regardless of the device address, you will receive a charge.  I have learned that the hard way   and I am not necessarily a kindle newbie


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## olilea (Dec 11, 2009)

Thanks 

If I leave my fake "address" as the US, will I be charged for roaming? 
Because US has ALOT more books choice than the UK store...


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I am in Mexico and do not get any "roaming" charges.  If I buy and d/l via USB no extra cost was added.  I do have a US account, but the key is to NOT use the WN at all!


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Amazon are rather sneaky.  Every Free book on the US site, costs $2 if ordered from the Australian site, regardless of how it is downloaded, even through USB.  So while they say that there are no International charges, there are!  They just aren't extras but part of the book charge.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Anju No. 469 said:


> Have you been on vacation or just enjoying being out of school? How did your grades come out?


Yes, I got back from a week at the family beach house today. The weather was terrible, though. It's supposed to be summer, but it rained most of the time - I only spent one day in the sun. I did get a lot of use out of my Kindle, though  I'm going back again soon, hopefully the weather will improve.

I should be getting my exam results on Thursday, they usually send it to us via text message. That makes me more nervous than getting a letter in the mail.

I bought a magazine during my stay and they had a "holiday reads" book review section. Just out of interest, I checked to see whether the books were available on the Kindle and wouldn't you know it, I was able to download samples for all of them! I was really impressed. I also used Kindle Wikipedia to solve some quibbles over whether guano is a term applicable to bat dung and whether the Mythbusters busted the myth that you can swing 360 degrees on a swing set. If only I had a Kindle during the 1996 family argument about whether different coloured peppercorns came from different kinds of pepper trees or whether they were the same variety in different stages of ripeness - that was a big fight!


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## sonofthor (Dec 11, 2009)

Hey everyone, thank you for the kind and detailed responses.  I just got out of bed here.  I'm still a bit confused, to be honest.  My Kindle is registered to my US account, so I'm paying US prices for books.  Even though I'm in Japan, I do seem to be able to get any free sample I want via whispernet with no fee.  (Also, just FYI, I can get full books and samples on my Japanese iPhone with no extra fees.)  

But one question is still bugging me.  Why did I get charged twice for the same book?  Surely they won't charge you that $2 fee each time you access a book.  What on Earth happened there?

Also... shouldn't I only be charged the $2 fee when I attempt to download a book from the "Archived" section or from the store?  If the book is already on my Kindle's main home screen, shouldn't it be bought and paid for?  Shouldn't I be able to access it with no fear of incurring a fee?


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

They shouldn't but if you downloaded it twice - who knows.  Maybe a question for Kindle Customer Service.  But don't tell them you live in Japan, just there for awhile.


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## sonofthor (Dec 11, 2009)

I agree, I think I need to write them back.  And yeah, I am just living temporarily here in Japan.  It's not an indefinite thing.  I plan to use my Kindle primarily in America.  

And that book shouldn't have downloaded at all since I copied via USB.  It comes down to the this:  I really want to leave whispernet on so I can have my various devices in sync, but I don't want to have to worry about the Kindle incurring fees for no apparent reason.  I'll write them back and post their response.  Many thanks.


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## sonofthor (Dec 11, 2009)

Well, I spoke to them and I think what happened was that when I ordered my most recent book, I forget to change the "deliver to" field to "download."  Why it charged me twice though, I don't know.  Hopefully I can leave the whispersync on and not have anymore problems.


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## Technotica (Dec 12, 2009)

Hi!

I am new, I just ordered my Kindle 2 yesterday.

I am from Germany so I guess I won't have access to all the english books at amazon.com?

If I want to change my location to US to get access to all the books, do I do it under 'Manage your Kindle' and 'Your Country
If you're moving, you can change the country associated with your Kindle account. '? Thats currently set to Germany, or is it a different setting I'd need to change?

Would that be legal?

As an aside, amazon seems to deliver pretty quickly, right now my tracking status says that it 'completed customs clearance process' in Cologne, Germany. So it seems the kindle went from the US to Germany in just one day!

Oh, does anyone on this board know how restricted the book selection is for germans?

Thanks!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Prazzie said:


> I also used Kindle Wikipedia to solve some quibbles over whether guano is a term applicable to bat dung and whether the Mythbusters busted the myth that you can swing 360 degrees on a swing set. If only I had a Kindle during the 1996 family argument about whether different coloured peppercorns came from different kinds of pepper trees or whether they were the same variety in different stages of ripeness - that was a big fight!


Prazzie--

you can't leave us hanging on the answers to your questions above (guano, swing set, peppercorns)?!?!?

Betsy


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

Ouch those $2 fees are killer.  For international users sake, home that amazon comes out with some sort of a streamlined solution, like getting a deal signed with another carrier in Europe or something.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Hi and welcome, Technotica!  Congratulations on your Kindle purchase, very exciting!

International customers are not able to access the entire Amazon Kindle book collection yet, although the selection is improving quite rapidly.  The "Your Country" setting you mention is the correct one, but it doesn't always work.  I changed my country to US to download some of the free books without having to pay the $2 fee and was only able to download 7 books before Amazon detected that I was not in the US.  It might work for you, I don't know.  I have no idea as to the legality of changing your location in your account, though.

Since your country is set to Germany, you should be able to browse the Kindle bookstore on Amazon and see what the selection is like.  If a Kindle book is unavailable to you, it will say so in an orange box to the right of the screen.  Sometimes I will search for a book and get 0 results, even though I know the book is available to US customers.

Betsy, answers!  Guano can indeed be used to describe bat dung (I was wrong about that one, I thought it was bird dung only).  We got to that discussion, because there are bats in the beach house ceiling and someone described the weird smell near their entrance hole as guano.  In other news, someone will be called in to plug the entrances (those bats enter through tiny cracks between wall and roof) and clean up the...guano.  Mythbusters DID bust the myth that you can do a 360 degree rotation on a non-rigid swing set (a rope or chain swing) using only your own momentum (ie, if you strap rockets to yourself, you're cheating).  However, on a rigid swing, with metal arms, you can do it (if you're fit enough!).

In 1996, someone gave someone else a beautiful peppermill, filled with black, red and green peppercorns.  One of the guests wondered whether they were different kinds of pepper, encyclopedias were involved, but no answers were found.  This sparked a Big Fight, which got quite heated.  As it turns out, the peppercorns are all from the same plant, but picked at varying degrees of ripeness, with green being immature, red medium and black ripe.

So now you know


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## Technotica (Dec 12, 2009)

Thanks Prazzle!

I have been looking through the books but haven't found anything that said that it isn't available to me. Either my tastes are too 'mainstream' or the difference between book selection isn't that big.

What happened after you downloaded those 7 books? Did they change your address? Was there any fallout from it?

Thanks again!

p.s.



kevindorsey said:


> Ouch those $2 fees are killer. For international users sake, home that amazon comes out with some sort of a streamlined solution, like getting a deal signed with another carrier in Europe or something.


I guess paying more for the same book as a none-US citizen isn't fun but one should keep in mind that the Dollar is pretty weak right now, compared to what I would pay for a book in Germany, for instance, the dollar price is still much lower. The dollar is currently at about 63% of the value of an euro, and in many other areas shops simply sell something for the same number value in euro (as in: if a Software costs 49.99$ it'll be sold for 49.99 €).


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

They just gave an error message, something like "You attempted to purchase an item while in a different country than listed on your Amazon account" and then suggest you contact customer service if you've moved. I changed my country back to South Africa and have been getting my free books from other sites, mainly Manybooks. Amazon even says that their free books may be available elsewhere online and their non-classic free books aren't so great anyway.

I agree with you about the book prices - buying a book in a store or having it shipped from Amazon is still at least twice as expensive as getting it on Kindle. I really don't have space in my home for any more books, so I don't mind the extra $2 that much.


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## Technotica (Dec 12, 2009)

Hmm, I just looked at the prices at amazon.com and compared an items price for the US and the German location entry in 'Manage your Kindle'

For this:

http://www.amazon.com/Sookie-Stackhouse-8-copy-Boxed-ebook/dp/B002QCJM/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1260657450&sr=1-24

US citizens pay $29.50 but I would have to pay (with Germany as a setting) $36.23.

So I guess they don't just add a fixed $2 for international sales, but a percentage or something, from the actual price?

$2 I wouldn't mind but almost $7? Why? It can't be the whispernet charge, they aren't changing anything about the book either (its not translated or formatted differently or something).

Edit:

Oh wait, I guess I am just stupid! The higher price can problably be explained in that its a box set and they added on more $ because you'd download several books and as such would have several 'whispernet fees'...
So I guess Amazon is just thinking international customers should pay more? 

But it seems the added fee for international customers is more often than not higher than $2, for this:

http://www.amazon.com/U-is-for-Undertow-ebook/dp/B002DW92UC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1260657988&sr=1-7

its $4.05 as an example.


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## TheSeagull (Oct 25, 2009)

Technotica said:


> Hmm, I just looked at the prices at amazon.com and compared an items price for the US and the German location entry in 'Manage your Kindle'
> 
> For this:
> 
> ...


And it says unavailable in the UK for me! But for another example, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien:

US - $12.24
UK - $20.29
Africa - $17.64
Asia & Pacific - $17.64
Australia - Can't seem to find it/Unavailable
Canada - $17.64
Europe - $20.29
India - $17.64
Latin Am. & Caribbean - $17.64
Middle East - $17.64

An interesting point is that the EU sees eBooks not as books but as electronic services. So while paper books can have 0% VAT (in the UK for example), eBooks have 17.5% VAT.


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## Technotica (Dec 12, 2009)

Hmm the VAT thing just sounds soo much like greed!

I guess thats a reason for the price differences!

I wrote an email to amazon asking about the prices, I wonder if they'll put that in as a reason.

Still that bugs me, for no reason besides the greed of the governments I have to pay more for an identical product and service.


p.s.

Its odd that Germany gets a seemingly bigger book selection than the UK even though those books are all in english! (I wen't through some of the book lists on amazon.com and haven't found a restricted book yet  )


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

I havent had any problems at all using a US Address. For 70 books now in 6 weeks. It is a real address mind you, and I will get mail if it is sent to that address, but I dont live there.


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## Geoff (Dec 13, 2009)

I also have a US address that I use when some titles are not available in my home country. I have had no problems with the number of books I can buy from this address (except for the first where I made a mistake and WN delivered it - an extra $2 thanks). Since then, the US purchased books are delivered via computer with no additional charge.


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## Technotica (Dec 12, 2009)

Well that does sound good,as long as there isn't any fallout from using an address that isn't yours! 
Also: I got an answer from amazon regarding the prices:


Hello,

I understand your concern regarding the difference in price of Kindle content.

The price you pay in the Kindle Store is based on this initial publisher price. All items available in the Kindle store are listed in U.S. dollars (USD), and the availability and pricing of titles from the Kindle Store varies by your home country or region. We're working hard to build a successful digital book store and make every effort to provide you with the best price possible.

Customer feedback like yours helps us continue to improve the service we provide, and we're glad you took time to write to us. I'll send your comments to the Kindle team for consideration.




p.s.

Did you only change the region setting in 'Manage your Kindle' or the normal amazon account address too?


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

I added a valid US address to my Amazon account, and then I chose that address under Manage your Kindle. Some people experience no problems, others get the error message. It was discussed in this thread


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

Geoff said:


> I also have a US address that I use when some titles are not available in my home country. I have had no problems with the number of books I can buy from this address (except for the first where I made a mistake and WN delivered it - an extra $2 thanks). Since then, the US purchased books are delivered via computer with no additional charge.


Its good to know. Hopefully I'll avoid the surcharges once I'm in Europe.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

There is such inconsistency in all these charges.  I am in Australia. And have a legitimate US address.  Yesterday I purchased two more books and downloaded them to my PC to be later transferred to my kindle.  No whispernet charges.  A few hours later I was on my iphone and did a sync - and of course the two books were loaded on to the iphone.  Then I get the 'thankyou for my order' from Amazon which consists only of the whispernet fee (to the iphone) but only for one of the books.  12 hours later, I still havent received and invoice for the second book so I am presuming I was only charged for one of them.


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## earthlydelites (Dec 12, 2009)

Anju No. 469 said:


> I am in Mexico and do not get any "roaming" charges. If I buy and d/l via USB no extra cost was added. I do have a US account, but the key is to NOT use the WN at all!


Thanks for that, I'm glad I've looked on here prior to playing around with my Kindle (cant have it until xmas) because i probably would have gone whispernet crazy and ranked up a huge bill!!


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## Technotica (Dec 12, 2009)

My Kindle just arrived! Too bad I had to go to work and could only look at it for a few minutes.

Its pretty sweet looking and bigger than I would have thought.

Before I left for work I turned off whispernet, the browser doesn't work anyway in my country and the books I'll purchase via computer.

I 'bought' a free mobipocket book in german from libri.de and tried to read it on kindle for pc yesterday and it didn't work, now I am wondering if mobipocket books from none amazon sources can be read on the kindle?

Thanks!


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Yay! Congrats on getting your Kindle!

Mobipocket books from non-Amazon sources do work on the Kindle, as long as the file is DRM free. I downloaded a free ebook from libri.de too, to see what the problem is and they do have DRM. The mobipocket books from libri.de can only be read using the program Mobipocket Reader. If you open your downloaded file using that program, it should ask for your username and password and then you can read the protected ebook.

You might not be interested in using it, but you do have free access to Wikipedia on your Kindle. What I did was I selected one of the DailyLit Wikipedia Tours and bookmarked every page of the tour on my Kindle. That way, if I don't feel like reading a book, but I'm bored and without internet, I can read something interesting on Wikipedia.


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## Technotica (Dec 12, 2009)

So the wikipedia access isn't part of the browser? Because the browser doesn't work. I have to look around the menus to get to know the structure


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

It is part of the browser, but it's the only part that works internationally 

From the home page, hit menu.  Experimental -> Basic Web.  It will offer to turn wireless on if it is off.  You will end up on a Bookmarks page.  Selecting any URL other than Wikipedia gives you the error:  Due to local restrictions, web browsing is not available for all countries.

However, Wikipedia will load without any problems.


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## Technotica (Dec 12, 2009)

Oh! Thanks I will try that!

Ggetting online at any place (even if only to go to wikipedia) and not having to pay phone-network fees will be a new experience


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## suze2000 (Dec 23, 2009)

I'm very unhappy with Amazon right now. I got my Kindle 2 for Xmas and it all seemed as if you can avoid the $2 by transferring via USB BEFORE we bought it, but now it seems as if I'm going to be slugged for this fee every time I buy something!

I can't seem to buy any accessories in this country either. Despite the emails I keep getting from Amazon suggesting that I should buy them! 

AND to top it off, almost NONE of the books I want to read are available in Australia (where I live). And there was no indication that this would be an issue before we bought it.

Despite the fact that I love the device itself, Amazon's restrictions are really making me angry.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Pretty sure the restrictions are not Amazon's but rather the laws of the country and/or policies of the local wireless provider.  Frustrating, yes, but let's blame them as whose fault it is!  

There are a bunch of Aussies on this board. . . .perhaps one of them will wander by and be able to give you a few tips. . . . .


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Ann is correct, the restrictions aren't Amazon's fault, they're on our side (well, they want to sell books, so it's important to them to have the books to sell). Remember that the international Kindle has been available for just over 2 months now, give it time. The books will come! 

I wanted M-Edge accessories for my Kindle, but Amazon wouldn't ship them to South Africa. M-Edge's customer support explained to me that Amazon is unable to ship M-Edge's in-stock products, but I could order from M-Edge directly, as they ship internationally. I did just that, problem solved, very happy with their service.

The other option for accessories is to use a mail-forwarding company such as MyUS or US Global Mail.

Remember that you don't have to buy your Kindle books from Amazon. I've often found the same book on Mobipocket for far cheaper than on Amazon. Maybe you can find what you want elsewhere.


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## 3boysnagirl (Dec 29, 2009)

Prazzie said:


> They just gave an error message, something like "You attempted to purchase an item while in a different country than listed on your Amazon account" and then suggest you contact customer service if you've moved. I changed my country back to South Africa and have been getting my free books from other sites, mainly Manybooks. Amazon even says that their free books may be available elsewhere online and their non-classic free books aren't so great anyway.
> 
> I agree with you about the book prices - buying a book in a store or having it shipped from Amazon is still at least twice as expensive as getting it on Kindle. I really don't have space in my home for any more books, so I don't mind the extra $2 that much.


So are they saying when I travel internationally I will not be able to purchase Kindle books? I'm so very confused.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

That's not really and truly what they are saying.  IF you have a US based kindle, you can download books, but will be charged a $2 fee for downloading in a foreign country.  Probably something to do with the WN services.  You can also download via your usb cord anywhere in the world with no fee tacked on directly from Amazon or wherever you buy your books from.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Exactly!  The $2 surcharge is the international roaming fee, which is actually pretty cheap if you compare it to international roaming fees on a cellphone.  Here's a breakdown of how it works:

US Kindle inside US, book will cost $10 (as an example).
US Kindle outside US, book will cost $12 via Whispernet.
US Kindle outside US, book bought online and transferred via USB cable, $10.

International Kindle anywhere, books will cost $12.  No matter what.

(I repeat, the $10 book is an example only!)


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## BasicGreatGuy (Dec 27, 2009)

I thought all the new Kindle 2's were Global now, with the 2.3 firmware update.    I had misread previously. Disregard.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Sorry, that might have been a bit unclear, I just got back from a New Years bash  

For any still left confused, by US Kindle I mean any Kindle registered to a US address, including the new Global (international) Kindles.  Sorry, I can see why that might've been confusing.


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## KittyClaude (Jan 9, 2010)

Hello all!!

First post here, also from Mexico, but I have set up my account with my USA address .... I travel all over the place, got one of those stressful consulting jobs...

Here is what I've discovered:
I can download books via USB in Mexico and other countries and keep my regional settings to "USA", however... the moment you turn whispernet on, and do  a "sync" when not in he USA, that's when Amazon does it!!  they changed my regional setting to "Latinamerica" and then charged me a fee for a book that I forgot to mark as "download to PC" and accidentally purchased it to the Kindle directly.
So... if you want to keep no charges for WN fees, then keep "USA" on the regional settings in order to have access to all the big variety of books, ... turn your WN off (sad,sad!!.. I know), and keep it that way. Keep an eye out for your regional settings, they show up in the upper left corner when you go into the kindle bookstore. Make sure it doesn't get changed...
I have written to Amazon to complain about the changing of my regional settings without permission, because after all, who are they?? the police? INS?? How do they know where I really live They should not change my settings without my authorizations!!


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## KittyClaude (Jan 9, 2010)

Anju No. 469 said:


> That's not really and truly what they are saying. IF you have a US based kindle, you can download books, but will be charged a $2 fee for downloading in a foreign country. Probably something to do with the WN services. You can also download via your usb cord anywhere in the world with no fee tacked on directly from Amazon or wherever you buy your books from.


Anju:
I am also in Mexico and I got the same message as the poster above... I have a Kindle 2 global wireless, and it also gave me this "contact Amazon" message. It has to do with your regional settings and where the WN detects you to be physically... or something of the sorts.
Not saying it is wrong or right, but I did notice that it restricts MANY titles and books that you can't buy and have a significantly different price.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

No, that isnt right. The reason you were charged the whispernet fee is because you have a US account and it knows you arent in the US, so you are charged the fee like EVERY USA resident who downloads out of the US while travelling.

But the rest you are saying is true, if you are not in the US but have a US address registered, then download via computer and you wont pay the whispernet fee.

Amazon says whispernet is free to International Address people, but that isnt true.  They simply add the fee of the whispernet onto the price of the book.  So a book that costs $9.99 in the US, if available in Australia, it costs $12.00US.  That is not free but a not very well hidden charge.  I only discovered this when I was trying to find the Free books that Amazon has on its US site.  There are no free books in the Australian site, they all cost $1.99!  (Which is the whispernet fee)

Some people receive that email, many dont.


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## Moosh (Dec 22, 2009)

Yeah I love when you are looking on the Kindle store and it says "Includes free delivery via Amazon Whispernet". Ummm no Amazon, the book costs $10 in Aus, as opposed to $8 in the US. That's not free, thats $2 and it adds up.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

My clock is all messed up since I did a hard reset a couple of weeks ago.  So I turned on the WN and simultaneously charged to see if perhaps it would fix the clock, guess I need to write CS because it didn't.  What it did do was d/l via WN a couple of books I had already sent to the computer! and charged me the fee. hrumph don't like that at all!  Was doing a demo, and it did the same thing, d/l something I had already sent to my computer.  Now I think if I wait long enough and try again I won't get the d/l, but think before I try that again I'll write CS.


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

Mine did that too.  I posted on the Amazon forum and one of the well known posters said to go into settings and type 311 - this will take you to all the wireless options available - try one of these and see if this resets your clock.  I tried two different ones and the second one did it.


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## TheSeagull (Oct 25, 2009)

I think us international users forget about things such as VAT.


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

TheSeagull said:


> And it says unavailable in the UK for me! But for another example, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien:
> 
> US - $12.24
> UK - $20.29
> ...


For folks that live in the US or Canada, have you ever picked up a paperback book and looked at the price on it? Most of them have a US price AND a Canadian price. The prices are different.
Examples:
Booked To Die by John Dunning - US $7.99/Can $11.99
The Book Of The Dead by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child- US $7.99/Can $10.99
The City Who Fought by Anne McCaffrey & S.M. Sterling- US $5.99/Can $7.50
The Blue Zone by Andrew Gross- US $7.99/Can $10.99

I visit Canada frequently and even though I live in the US I always have to pay the Canada price when I buy a book in Canada. As you can see the different book pricing is not necessarily a new thing.


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## esivilay (Jan 28, 2010)

Hi, I'm new the board.  Think this is a great site and resource for Kindle users and wannabes!   

I am an American living in Germany.  I am debating whether or not to get the Kindle 2 Global Wireless since I had just gotten the US-only version a few months before the Global one came out. Ugh! I think getting the daily newspaper delivered automatically to the device is an awesome idea!  Esp. to stay abreast of current events and (stay fluid in the language) while living over here.  But can't do it because I only have the old US-version one and wireless doesn't work here (nor can be upgraded via software, sadly).  I get tired of and often forget to go download mags and newspapers on a daily basis via the "Download to computer" option, so I ended up just cancelling all subscriptions.

Therefore, with the Kindle Global, I wanted to know if there are charges or Whispernet fees for receiving subscriptions, like magazines and newspapers, if your home country is NOT the United States.  I read in the Terms and Conditions that there is a weekly fee of $4.99 for subscriptions IF you are US-based (Kindle) but are out of the country.  But it doesn't say for the scenario if you are already based outside the US.

Does anyone know or actually experienced this and can comment?

Summary of scenario in question:
Device: Kindle 2 Global Wireless
Home Country Setting: Germany
Question: Wireless download fee while in Germany for subscriptions?

Are subscriptions (magazines, newspapers, blogs) even available for German-based customers?  What are the prices like?  How do I check out prices "based" out of different countries if I don't have the Global Kindle yet?  Can I just change my "Home Country" setting and then go to the Kindle Store on my computer?

Can I make myself US-based just to buy them, and then switch to German home country?

Sorry if all these questions are confusing...
Thanks for any insight you can provide!!


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

Hi and welcome, Esivilay.

First, let me say I'm not in Germany, but South Africa, but Kindle works pretty much the same in all international locations.

The Whispernet fee is included in the monthly newspaper subscriptions. For example, I went to a newspaper page and this is what I see:
Delivered: Weekly
Monthly Price: $4.99 & includes international wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

Do note that "Newspapers and magazines delivered outside the U.S. will not include photos and other images."

Subscriptions to newspapers and magazines are available internationally, but no blogs. The prices for newspapers vary greatly, depending on how frequently they come out. A good estimate is $5 per month for weekly and up to $27 per month for a daily paper.

If you order a Global Kindle, all prices on Amazon will reflect the prices to you as a German customer. These prices differ from those a US customer will see. I don't know what you will see if you change your home country settings, but no harm can come from changing it and checking.

Good luck with your decision!


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## Pushka (Oct 30, 2009)

The whispernet prices are included in the price that you see for overseas people, but they arent free, the cost ($1.99) is simply added to the price you would pay if you were in the US.


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