How to check which Kindle model is available in your country
The all-new Kindle family makes people excited all over the world, but you’d better calm down, if you don’t live in a country where there is a Kindle Store: US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, or Japan.
Earlier today, we posted a comprehensive chart that lists which Kindles are available in which Kindle Store and at which price. The chart includes also models that ship abroad from Kindle Store US.
Generally, at the time of writing this post, there are two models, that are available for foreign users – Kindle and Kindle Keyboard. However, the situation is changing as time flies, and if you want to frequently come back to Kindle Store to check what’s new, I’ll share in this post how to find out, which Kindles ship abroad.
It’s not as easy as last year. Last year Amazon set up a special landing page for international users of Kindle Store US, who were interested in buying Kindles. I doubt it can happen this autumn. Amazon is focusing on US users and customers of other Kindle Stores.
Nevertheless, it’s possible to buy the Kindle on Amazon.com, if the shipping address is outside US. Here are three ways to do it.
Kindle international – 3 ways to check the availability
1. Find Buy a Kindle widget on Kindle Store home page
This is the easiest way, but you have to be a frequent visitor to actually notice the widget that lists Kindle models.
For logged-in customers
Once you are logged in with your Amazon credentials, go to Kindle Store home page and find Buy a Kindle widget on the left sidebar. It’s positioned right under the line which states what’s your country/region. For users from Europe four models are available:
For a couple of days after the announcement that Kindle Touch has been discontinued, it has been still visible on a list of devices available for foreign customers – but now it has gone. That’s not the end. Actually, when testing the links from Poland where I live, I’ve found out that Kindle Keyboard is not available, and Kindle DX is being sold from third-party sellers. Also, there is no option to select the black Kindle. The only version is graphite.
For new customers
If you don’t have an Amazon.com account, yet, no problem with that – you can till check which Kindles ship to your country. Go to Kindle Store home page and on the left side, from a drop down menu, select your region or country:
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Africa
- Asia & Pacific
- Australia
- Canada
- Europe
- India
- Latin America & Caribbean
- Middle East
Once you select the region, you’ll see underneath, in Buy a Kindle section, which models available. Usually, the list of models includes Kindle, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Keyboard 3G, Kindle DX. However, as I wrote above, not all of them are available, so it’s good to check the links.
2. Use the country specific web address
Another way, for more tech-savvy users, is to use and modify web addresses, specific for each Kindle model.
For example, for basic Kindle, the simple web address is:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051QVF7A?country=PL
In bold typeface are the parts of the address that you can modify:
- B0051QVF7A stands for the Kindle model (international shipment), and it is its ASIN number
- PL is a two-letter ISO 3166 country code (I live in Poland so the code is PL)
A list of country codes is available here. ASIN numbers for models available for international shipment are different from those for domestic ones. ASIN for Kindle Keyboard 3G (international shipment) is B003DZ1Y72.
Update: I was able to find the ASIN for black Kindle (international shipment): B007HCCOD0. So, if you want to check if it ships to India, go to the web address below:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HCCOD0?country=IN
3. Add the Kindle to cart
If you are really impatient (just like me: I did it already a couple of times with Kindle Paperwhite), you can simply add the model you want to basket. Before doing it, make sure you have 1-click purchase disabled.
Once you choose a model, proceed to checkout, and select the shipping address. If the model ships to your address, you can confirm the order (before that, double-check the delivery date). If it doesn’t, an alert like this will appear:
* * *
Kindles ship from Amazon.com to over 170 countries, but foreign users are always at the end of the queue. Usually, the newest models ship initially to US customers. The second stage is to make them available to customers of other Kindle Stores (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and now Japan), and to foreign customers of Kindle Store US.
The timeline for last year’s Kindle Touch is:
- shipping to US customers – November 15, 2011
- shipping to customers of Kindle Stores UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain – April 27, 2012 (shipping started 7 days ahead of schedule)
- shipping to international customers of Kindle Store US – April 27, 2012
As you see, if you live abroad, there are small chances to get Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas. However, a couple of things have changed, compared to last year. Paperwhite will be available in localized Kindle Stores in November (both WiFi and WiFi+3G). Same with Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD 7″. Bad news is that in every single Kindle Store there are shorter or longer shipping delays. In US, if you ordered Paperwhite today, you can expect it in 4 to 6 weeks.
Please share your experience with buying Kindle from abroad. If there is anything to correct in the post, please leave me a note, either in the comments of via social media.
