Kobo has just come to terms with Amazon for a new distribution agreement for the Clara HD. The product is
available in the United States and fulfilled by Amazon, which means Kobo sent a boatload of e-readers to various fulfillment centers. This means that it is eligible for 1 or 2 day shipping for Prime members and will be delivered to customers quicker then ordering directly from the Kobo website or online orders from Walmart.
Kobo has sold their entire line of e-readers on Amazon for a longtime. They sold them directly, so when you placed an order for one, Kobo would ship it out themselves. The Clara HD is being fulfilled by Amazon, but you would not know it from the product listing. You have to scroll midway down the page and it clearly states that this is the case.
I find it interesting that Kobo is doing this. The Clara HD is considered their entry level e-reader and it is on par with the Paperwhite 4, in terms of price. Maybe this is a test product, and if Kobo experiences an influx of sales, they could be doing it with the rest of their e-reader portfolio.
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.
