Amazon has just opened up shop in Australia and customers will be able to purchase eBooks and apps. Starting today, if you have the Kindle Fire you will be able to purchase paid apps and download free ones. There is also a copious amount of eBooks available including Australian best sellers and hundreds of thousands of titles that are exclusive to Kindle. You can read local customer reviews and purchase eBooks in Australian Dollars.
Existing customers in Australia who already purchased content from the UK or the main US website are in for a rude awakening. If you currently have magazine or newspaper subscriptions, they will be cancelled and you will receive a pro-rated refund. If you have purchased Audiobooks from Audible.com, you will no longer be able to access those from your Kindle Fire device. However, you can continue to access your audiobooks by downloading them from Audible.com on a supported device.
If you are a new customer to the Amazon ecosystem you should not have much trouble accessing eBooks, audiobooks and apps. The one drawback is that you will unable to purchase music or video. Due to restrictions with movie and music companies, Amazon hardly offers anyone outside the US with the ability to get this type of content.
One of the big drawbacks is the book prices. One reader had a quick peek at the top sellers list in the launch shop, Allegiant is $11.99, while on the US Kindle store it’s $6.99. The Rosie Project: equivalently priced. Hard Luck: $9.99 Aus, $7.47 US. The Luminaries: equivalent. Vicious Circle: $17.99 AUD, $12.59 US. Doctor Sleep: $19.99 AUD, $7.64 US. A Game of Thrones: $4.99 AU, $2.90 US. The Signature of All Things: equivalent. Just One Evil Act: $19.99 vs $6.59. The Book Thief: $12.99 vs $2.90.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.