Australian booksellers are offering cash to customers to dump their Kindles as Amazon finally gets around to launching an Australian Kindle store.
Amazon has been accused of neglecting Australia but it will also sell the Paperwhite, Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HDX at Australian electronics chain Dick Smith and department store chain Big W. The new dedicated Kindle store will have around two million ebooks.
Australians have found ways of using Kindles through the US and UK stores but they have faced considerable difficulties, including credit card surcharges.
But Australian independent booksellers are campaigning against the Kindle, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The news of the Aussie Kindle store prompted Sydney bookshop Pages & Pages to renew its Kindle amnesty for customers to exchange their Kindle for a $50 gift voucher if they buy the Kobo the e-reader sold by the bookstore.
The Australian Booksellers Association, which represents over 400 bookstores, has limked up with Kobo.
Jon Page, of Pages & Pages, says: “Kobo was born out of Canadian bookseller Indigo and is now the true bookseller’s choice when come to ebooks and e-readers. Our Kindle amnesty had a fantastic reception when we first launched it.”
Australia’s biggest book chain is Dymock’s and its head Steve Cox says any Australian bookseller would be “mad” to sell Kindles.
Booktopia.com.au – Australia’s biggest online book retailer – says it is confident on competing with Amazon on current and back-list Australian titles, free delivery offers for members and strong after-sales service.