Kindle....How to buy books?

rubberdiddies

Hi,

My Mam bought a kindle for her 16 year old grandson (my nephew), without doing a whole lot of research.

My idea was to buy an Amazon UK gift voucher, set him up with an Amazon UK account and let him work away with ordering books. but now I'm getting the impression that this wont be possible.

Can anyone suggest the best thing to do to enable him to buy books onto the kindle?

Thanks

Mars Bar

Set him up the way you were going to and he can order books for the kindle through amazon. I think...

implausible

Irish users have to order from Amazon.com. They will let you order from amazon.co.uk for a while, but without proof of a UK address, will stop you from using it and divert you to the .com site. Easiest thing to do? Set him up with a .com account and buy him .com vouchers.

rubberdiddies

implausible wrote: »

Irish users have to order from Amazon.com. They will let you order from amazon.co.uk for a while, but without proof of a UK address, will stop you from using it and divert you to the .com site. Easiest thing to do? Set him up with a .com account and buy him .com vouchers.

Thanks for the replies.
I actually already have the Amazon UK voucher, but i do have a relation in the UK and could possibly use their address.

I wonder would they accept my parcel motel address

CarrickMcJoe

Just change your address to your relations UK one and off you go, I did the same thing by using my bros address.

Mars Bar

CarrickMcJoe wrote: »

Just change your address to your relations UK one and off you go, I did the same thing by using my bros address.

If the kindle (I'm talking kindle fire here) was bought and delivered in the UK but on an Irish credit card, would that restrict what I get? I could register mine on my sisters address but she bought it with an Irish credit card...

implausible

Mars Bar wrote: »

If the kindle (I'm talking kindle fire here) was bought and delivered in the UK but on an Irish credit card, would that restrict what I get? I could register mine on my sisters address but she bought it with an Irish credit card...

It's not really to do with the credit card and the postal address. If Amazon detect that you are using a non-UK IP address all the time, they will ask you to prove that your postal address is a UK one.

CarrickMcJoe

Mars Bar wrote: »

If the kindle (I'm talking kindle fire here) was bought and delivered in the UK but on an Irish credit card, would that restrict what I get? I could register mine on my sisters address but she bought it with an Irish credit card...

No, I found that a lot of the books available here were not listed on American site which is why I switched to UK one. On it a year now and so far no problems, my card is also Irish and reciepts are sent to my eircom account.

fits

This is really annoying. I have the same problem, have to go to .com. Its more expensive for some of the things I want and I'm not using my kindle that much as a result.

CarrickMcJoe

fits wrote: »

This is really annoying. I have the same problem, have to go to .com. Its more expensive for some of the things I want and I'm not using my kindle that much as a result.

Try changing your address on your kindle acc to a N. Ireland or UK one.
Pick any address as they wont know. (Just make sure you dont send any items there by accident);)

They will send you an email welcoming you to UK store and youre in.

Mars Bar

Excellent, I'll use my sisters address so. Thank you!

Lenin Skynard

Sorry to go slightly off topic but a friend of mine has a kindle and I need to get her something small so was thinking I could get her some book credit. Is it possible to buy kindle vouchers in bricks and mortar shops? If so, which shops?

The Black Oil

Is there anything like a Kindle voucher, say in the same way there are iTunes ones? It would be great to just be able to load on X amount of credit and buy away until you run empty, would save relying on credit cards the whole time. But I guess rights issues trump this.

implausible

CarrickMcJoe wrote: »

Try changing your address on your kindle acc to a N. Ireland or UK one.
Pick any address as they wont know. (Just make sure you dont send any items there by accident);)

They will send you an email welcoming you to UK store and youre in.

How long have you been doing this? Do you connect the kindle to wifi to purchase books? They've stopped me buying from the .uk store until I provide proof of uk address.

implausible

Lenin Skynard wrote: »

Is it possible to buy kindle vouchers in bricks and mortar shops? If so, which shops?

The Black Oil wrote: »

Is there anything like a Kindle voucher, say in the same way there are iTunes ones?

Amazon gift card.

Lenin Skynard

implausible wrote: »

Amazon gift card.

I'm not sure that there is such a shop in my town.

CarrickMcJoe

CarrickMcJoe wrote: »

Try changing your address on your kindle acc to a N. Ireland or UK one.
Pick any address as they wont know. (Just make sure you dont send any items there by accident);)

They will send you an email welcoming you to UK store and youre in.

Stop spreading misinformation. The amazon location detection system is based on your IP address so if you join the uk store you will get 5 kindle purchases from outside the uk before it gets blocked. Once blocked you will be forced to change to the .com site for future purchases.

wil

implausible wrote: »

Amazon gift card.

But where? other than online.
itunes etc gift cards easily available in B&M shops but no Amazon ones that I've seen

The Sparrow

Deleted User wrote: »

Stop spreading misinformation. The amazon location detection system is based on your IP address so if you join the uk store you will get 5 kindle purchases from outside the uk before it gets blocked. Once blocked you will be forced to change to the .com site for future purchases.

That's not true. I've had a Kindle for just over two years. It is registered to my sisters account and her UK address and I've been happily buying books from Amazon UK on it the whole time in Ireland. I've probably bought close to 50 at least and they have always been purchased in Ireland using my home wifi and IP address and there has never been an issue.

implausible

The Sparrow wrote: »

That's not true. I've had a Kindle for just over two years. It is registered to my sisters account and her UK address and I've been happily buying books from Amazon UK on it the whole time in Ireland. I've probably bought close to 50 at least and they have always been purchased in Ireland using my home wifi and IP address and there has never been an issue.

And I've had mine for less time and bought less books, but I received a few emails from them and then a notification that I could not purchase any more from the uk store without proof of address. So, obviously, while some people get away with it, the poster is correct in saying that people do get blocked.

If I were the OP, I wouldn't be taking the chance of spending a lot of money on vouchers that may be usable.

The Sparrow

implausible wrote: »

And I've had mine for less time and bought less books, but I received a few emails from them and then a notification that I could not purchase any more from the uk store without proof of address. So, obviously, while some people get away with it, the poster is correct in saying that people do get blocked.

No what he is saying is that they check your IP address and block you after five purchases. My point is that is not true and once you have a UK address, you are good to go. I've never been asked for proof of address but obviously some people like you have.

Just use a UK address though that you can verify and you will be grand.

implausible

The Sparrow wrote: »

No what he is saying is that they check your IP address and block you after five purchases. My point is that is not true and once you have a UK address, you are good to go. I've never been asked for proof of address but obviously some people like you have.

Just use a UK address though that you can verify and you will be grand.

But that's exactly my experience! I've used a valid UK address and they've detected that I have made purchases outside the UK and now want verification of that address, before I can make more purchases.

The Sparrow

implausible wrote: »

But that's exactly my experience! I've used a valid UK address and they've detected that I have made purchases outside the UK and now want verification of that address, before I can make more purchases.

Yes and surely if you verify that address you will be good to go?

The Black Oil

It's a pity you can't buy a gift card in a b&m shop. A Tesco near me has an end of aisle stand full of all sorts of vouchers. I guess Ireland is such a small market for amazon and even if they had both types in b&m stores there'd still be confusion with people buying UK ones when they mean to buy US ones (if they're unfamiliar with Kindles).

I tried to buy a gift card from the .com site last night, but they wouldn't ship it here. The alternative, and just as effective, is an email version. Search the .com site for 'gift card email', and you should get this. Then set the amount, email address, pay and away you go. Handy for a present and you can set when you want the email to arrive, which might be useful if you're on birthday duty. However, if person you're buying for is not too familiar with the Kindle you might be better off getting it sent to yourself and printing the email/voucher code and sticking it in an envelope in case they accidentally delete it as junk mail.

I got Oliver Sacks's Hallucinations for $3.78 and Life of Pi $0.40, it deducts the spends from your gift card balance. Pleased enough with it so far...obviously there's the charge to the credit card, but at least further purchases won't land there until I need to buy another voucher.

CarrickMcJoe

Deleted User wrote: »

Stop spreading misinformation. The amazon location detection system is based on your IP address so if you join the uk store you will get 5 kindle purchases from outside the uk before it gets blocked. Once blocked you will be forced to change to the .com site for future purchases.

I'm purchasing books for my kindle for 1 year now and 2 years for wifes, no emails yet looking for verification of address, maybe I'm lucky.
Shouldn't bother Amazon as its still money to them.

CarrickMcJoe

While I never had a problem, my nephew got a kindle fire and as soon as he tried to purchase Amazon stopped him, said that the apps are not set up for the republic of Ireland.
In reply to earlier post, yes I always use the wifi to download books. Maybe its because everything I order from Amazon is posted to my name at my brothers northern address.

celiam

fits wrote: »

This is really annoying. I have the same problem, have to go to .com. Its more expensive for some of the things I want and I'm not using my kindle that much as a result.

I have a kindle and i haven't bought a book for it yet (over 100 books on it) Subscribe to ereader news today and they will send you an email every day will all the free books on amazon.com that day. You can use a fictitious uk address if you want to buy from uk site

celiam

The Black Oil wrote: »

Is there anything like a Kindle voucher, say in the same way there are iTunes ones? It would be great to just be able to load on X amount of credit and buy away until you run empty, would save relying on credit cards the whole time. But I guess rights issues trump this.

yes you can buy a gift certificate on amazon and add it to your account and buy away

thierrym

Talk of pirating is not allowed