Please note: Amazon has released new versions of the Kindle. For prices and features, please go to Prices in India of New Kindles 3G+WiFi and WiFi editions Original Post: My wife decided that she needed to gift me a Kindle for our anniversary. I asked a colleague, if her husband (who was traveling to the US) could carry back one. He couldn't, because of an erratic travel schedule. So we decided to order one right here directly since Amazon was kind enough to open up direct shipping to India.
So we ordered on a Tuesday evening (India Time) and Amazon being Amazon shipped the device straight away on the same day itself. I very eagerly tracked the package using the DHL sites (yes, I used three different DHL sites, US, UK and India. They give different info when the package is in that respective country) and in three days flat it was here across the seven seas at Delhi airport.
Only I was in Noida which is an interstate delivery for DHL. Which meant that I had to fill out an archaic Form 39 to comply with UP state Sales Tax rules. Form 39 is required for all imports made for personal use purchased from an unregistered dealer. (see Update 2 Below)
I never understood the need for GST and this was quick lesson in indirect taxes and sure enough I am a supporter. Go GST.
I never understood the need for GST and this was quick lesson in indirect taxes and sure enough I am a supporter. Go GST.
Anyway, I had neither a clue to what form 39 was or where to get it. The DHL guys were quite unhelpful beyond saying you need it before we the deliver the packet to you. So we called up the local DHL office, who said the office is next door. All you need to do is slip them 200-300 bucks and they will fill it out for you and you are done. Since I wasn't quite in the mood to slip any money (considering what we had already paid), so I started making calls. Lots and lots of calls. To DHL, Customs and so on. Finally I convinced enough people who mattered to re-designate my shipment to Delhi to my wife. (There is a hole in the DHL delivery scheme. If you know enough details of the shipment, you can potentially redirect a shipment to an address of your choosing.). This was apt, since she was gifting it to me.
So finally the shipment was delivered to her on the Monday next and the anticipation was killing me. The box was easy to open. Amazon really walks the talk. the device shipped in Amazon's Frustration Free Packaging (Amazon has been running a campaign called Frustration Free packaging to free people from the woes of clam-shell packaging). (See pic)
Anyway, the packaging (which was eco-friendly, no polystyrene packing, just clever use of cardboard) was promptly dispatched. And I booted up my Kindle.I had bought a free Kindle book on Amazon anticipating the arrival of the Kindle and lo and behold the book landed on the Kindle, without so much as a by-your-leave. AND I was billed $1.99 as delivery charges, since I was outside the US when the book was delivered. After a quick exchange with Customer Care (which is the best in world), the charge was reversed, with the warning that this was a one time affair and the exception will never be made in the future. You need to be careful about this. (see Update 1 below)
So, the Kindle was here, Whispernet was working and so was WhisperSync (I tried it between the Kindle and the Kindle for PC). I was all set.
Before I got reading. I tried out all the features and I became an idea-a-minute submitter of ideas and improvements and suggestions to the Kindle team.
It has a built-in MP3 player. So I uploaded some music into the device. The process is a bit clunky and not quite idiot-proof. You have to upload music into a music folder once you attach the device to a computer. Hello! Hasn't anyone in the Kindle team seen the iPod and iTunes integration? Anyway, the player is nothing fancy and does the job. Plays, skips and backs up songs. There are physical buttons for volume control on the side.
The Kindle has a decent text to speech feature. I say decent not fantastic, because the mechanical sounding aspect of text to speech has not yet been figured out yet. Make no mistake the accent is foreign (to us in India), but it is neutral, very few cultural inflections to sully the experience.
It also supports audio books and it plays them. No rocket science here, since it is already equipped with a MP3 player.
The Kindle has a browser, so I tried to use it. All my research told me that only Wikipedia would work in India and nothing else would. So on a lark I opened the mobile website of India Today (http://m.indiatoday.in/) and it opened! Very impressive. Suddenly, the utility of the device has increased manifold. It has a keyboard, a screen and a wireless connection which works without any setup or work-around.
Hello email! and freedom. Bye bye tiny mobile screen. Sure the screen is black and white and the refresh rate sucks. It is ultra-portable (fits in my jacket pocket) and very useful.
All this came at a price. the device itself is $259, there is priority shipping worth $21 and there is the customs duty worth about $95. (On the customs duty bit. I spoke to the customs officer and he said a duty was charged for ~Rs. 3500. I wonder what happened to the remaining 1000 bucks? DHL chewed it up?)
So this is a total of ~$380 approx Rs. 18,200. Worth it! Completely. (The effective price is now $341 or around Rs. 16000. See Update 4 below and this post )
There are no other fees apart from what you pay Amazon. No matter what the delivery man tells you. (See Update 3 below and comment by reader RollerCoaster)
This is about the money you will spend on a high-end phone. The Kindle (I feel) is as useful.
What are you waiting for? You could have one of your own in as little as three days. Buy it here
There are other sellers on the internet who are selling you the Kindle. It is not recommended that you use such services. The best source for the Kindle is Amazon itself. For a step by step guide to buy the Kindle. See this post
Update 1: An update on prices of books. I wrote in to Amazon querying about download fees. Apparently if you have an Indian Credit card and an Indian address. All prices are jacked up by $2 and there are no additional download fees. See more in this post.
Update 2: Reader RollerCoaster ran into the same trouble as me regarding Form 39 / VAT clearance. The solution he was provided is simpler.
You need to write a declaration letter stating the following
1) The item(s) inside the shipment are for personal use (don't purchase in the name of a company)
2) The item(s) are not for resale and do not hold a commercial value
3) A sentence like 'I declare the above to be true to the best of my knowledge'
4) Add date, name, father's name and address and signature
5) Attach photocopy of Photo ID like pan card, Passport, driver's license etc
6) Scan & email/hand this over to the local office of your courier.
Update 3: Reader RollerCoaster adds below: The deliveryman for Blue-Dart asked for more money (apart from what RollerCoaster had already paid to Amazon). This is illegal. Ask for a receipt and complain to Blue-Dart / DHL. Read his comment below.
Update 4: Amazon refunded $37 or so from import fees. This brings the price down to around Rs. 16,000. read more here.
Update 5: Kindle price has dropped to $189. To see how much it costs in India (incl. customs and shipping) see Kindle Price drop - prices in India also fall
PS: If you have any queries. Post it in comments. I will answer it as best as I can.
PPS: I started a Kindle page on Facebook. Join up.
61 comments:
Internet working in India?
Yes. Internet is working in India
I live in Hyderabad and i bought a Kindle about 3 weeks back. Internet's not working for me so I am a bit surprised. Have you done anything to make it work?
I did enable advanced web browsing. Try that. That may do it.
Hi Chirag:
Have you tried converting PDF files to read on Kindle? I heard that you have to send it to Amazon so that they will convert it and send back to you in Kindle format. Have you tried this? If so, how easy is this?
Eldo Rajan
Easy enough.
mail to youraddress@free.kindle.com (This is the address you set for your device in account management) and it comes back to the account you have on amazon (i.e. your sign-in account). After which you can transfer to the Kindle via USB.
or you can mail to youraddress@kindle.com (You can control who can send to this address) and they send it to you over-the-air. It works well for simple docs. Not so well for complex docs with complex tables or formatting. This option is chargeable. I haven't tried it.
Internet does work in Hyderabad on Kindle. Though it might be very slow due to the gprs connection (actually edge sometimes) it uses.
@ripul: You mean to say that you can access the web using the browser?
The other features such as the store and wikipedia do work. Surprisingly, at least for me, Chirag can access the web. If that's working for you too then there must be something wrong with my configuration.
I have just purchased kindle and I live in Dehradun. I have the same issue. the package is "shipment on hold".
They told me i need to fill the Form 39 or VAT 16. I have no idea about those. google sent me here.
Can you tell me if these are the forms and which one to use please?
http://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/allforms.asp (scroll for form 39)
http://www.stvat.com/strvat/pages/legislation/punjabfrm/11.php (have to register to see it)
I dont know what exactly they need me to fill and the fields other then name and address make no sense.
(hope this helps other searchers too)
I just got a kindle - now I want a cover for it - any idea how we can get accessories in India without having to pay the exorbitant delivery charges?(an m - edge jacket costs 4 times as much because I'm in India)
@RollerCoaster: You are looking at income tax forms you need to look at sales atx forms. Look for UP state forms. I know you are in Uttarakhand, but the state would have inherited the forms from UP. Alternatively, call your local dhl office and ask them to help you.
No way to import from amazon without attracting import duty and shipping. You can always use a soft cloth pouch to store it. Which is what I do. Or you could ship it to a friend and he carries it back for you.
@chirag
Thanks for replying. I was going crazy yesterday but after, like you, a million calls resulted in the following: (this will help others hopefully)
All one needs to do is write a declaration letter with these points:
* The item(s) inside the shipment are for personal(dont purchase in the name of a company)
* Not for resale so do not hold a commercial value (hence no need for sales tax forms)
* a sentence like 'I declare the above to be true to the best of my knowlidge'
* add date, name, father's name and address and signature
* attach photocopy of Photo ID like pan card, Passport, driver's license etc
If your courier company can, like DHL, accept scans then you can just email scanned copies of the letter and the photo Id to them otherwise drop it of at their nearest office or mail it to them.
Hope this helps.
Also, have a look at the reason behind these 'shipment on hold' actions and the state specific details to get them released
http://www.bluedart.com/regulatory.html
http://fedex.com/in/domestic/services/regulatoryguidelines.html
all couriers follow these ground rules layed out by our @#$@#$ govt.
Note "General Requirements - Any 'commercial shipment'..."
They should only hold commercial shipments so if you can add the declaration text etc during purchase in the 'Special directions' at amazon or other then they shouldnt need to hold it at all. they do so to determine it IS for personal use.
hey chirag
thanks for the review, have you tried the PDF ? i suppose new kindle 2 firmware has native supports PDF similar to B&N Nook or Kindle DX
i was more keen on Nook but then they don't ship to india so alternative is kindle 2 or wait for kindle DX International version
@Puneet I have tried using the PDF feature. It is better left unused. There is no zoom function. Most PDF's that I have are in A4 or Letter. The Kindle renders it, but the fonts are scaled, so it seems like reading a point size of 1.5 or thereabouts. Unless your docs are in size A5 or B5, this feature is useless, which is probably why it never figured in the initial release. I suspect that the reading experience will be the same for the Nook as well.
BTW, I have reservations about the Kindle DX, the size is unwieldy. Imagine carrying around a half kg piece of A4 sized cardboard to read from.
The 6" size of the smaller Kindle is very convenient. Unless you have a specific need to read pdf's (e.g. text books etc), the smaller size is highly recommended.
Sir,
I want to know how and where can I get this form 39/VAT clearance form in Orissa.
Will submitting an application mentioning the details given by ROLLER COASTER, be enough???
Amrutanshu Patnaik
Hi,
I should be receiving my Kindle in a day or two. You mentioned that we can browse the internet with the device. Is there any additional charge to access the internet??
@Brodius: You should try writing this application and giving it to your DHL office. They will send it back to the DHL clearance office at Delhi Airport who will then send the package onwards to you.
@Rahul: There is no additional charge (yet) to use the Internet.
I have been enjoying my Kindle for a few days now. it is amazing and today I finished my first novel "Saturn's Children by Charles Stross"
One advice to other Indian's buyers: my courier was sent thru international DHL via Blue Dart in India. After dealing with the Import and State border crossing issues as above, it reached my city i.e Dehradun and got held there.. go figure
When the guys came to my home to deliver they demanded 2375 Rs towards import fees. Since I had been dealing with the import of a shipment I knew the rules and that no such fees existed.
I was really mad but I kept my cool and took the package from them and then refused to sign the receipt chit unless they give me a bill on the spot for the extra fees they asked.
They turned red and I gave them a piece of my mind and complained to both Blue Dart and DHL. They admitted that there were no charges and that they were confused.
I am sure they take advantage of people when they see an international shipment.
I received 3 apologies calls from various people after I was done with them.
So Indian Buyers BEWARE
@RollerCoaster
Did you complain?
@chirag
yes I did but since they chickened out on demand for a bill(which would give me proof) they just said they were confused..
the customer support managers at both DHL and Blue dart were all 'so sorry so sorry... mistake..'
After I asked them to register this as a complaint and give me the complaint number i got another sorry call from a commercial officer called 'Mahinder something' from Mumbai
what else can one do in India without wasting a whole lot more time, money and energy
I am just happy that I got the kindle
I know what you are saying. It is frustrating. Perhaps Amazon needs to make it clearer in their messaging to users.
I dont think they can do anything about it as this is the reason in the first place for them not delivering in India and other 'developing' countries. They cant control the consumer experience so they simply dont accept those customers.
Otherwise India is such a huge market with about a 6th of the worlds population.
It is their prerogative and who can blame them
But they have opened shipping for select products to India.
See this
link
India is a listed country where shipping is available albeit with customs duty tacked on.
It is just a matter of time that the erudite customer will catch these delivery guys. Even Amazon must realise that this is a cost of doing business and eventually they need to overcome this.
A reason why Amazon does no business here (apart from back-end operations and development centers) is that no 100% subsidiaries are allowed for retail operations in India. Amazon likes to hold inventory, which it cannot do in India due to regulations. This is the reason why e-commerce sites are merely platforms like eBay and not true blue ecommerce vendors like Amazon.
Someday they will make their way here. Hope to work for them someday.
yes I see. so there may be hope for the desi yet :P
:)
The carrier delivery model in India is not quite like the ones in the countries where they are already established. If you notice their marketing strategy, this does make a good part of their customer experience. As of now, they seem to be experimenting in China. If that is successful they might come to India. Probably 2011-12.
Our e-market is still nascent. Except for the metros there is very little in it for them. It isn't commercially viable for them. If and when the market grows, they will most likely look to acquire something just like in China (joyo.com, I think).
But coming down wont be difficult. They have the systems. And they do have the dev centers.
finally got away from reading long enough to write a blog post about kindle :)
Buying an Amazon Kindle 2 in India? Bollywood estyle!
HI, I would be receiving my kindle in a few days you have mentioned that to avail free books the country name should be change to US.Do let me know if i need to change my Billing address to US...
thanks
Yes, when you change your Kindle country to the US. you will be asked for a US billing address.
I want to purchase a Kindle in the US and bring it back with me to India. I'm confused though about book delivery charges. Is it true that you're charged $1.99 per book for whispernet delivery of books in India?
I can't understand this from the Kindle page on Amazon.
Yes, there is a charge if your country is set to India. You can download the book to your PC and then transfer it over USB. I usually do this and there is no charge this way.
Buying it in the US and getting it is a good idea. But the effective cost is now down to 16K. See this post http://chirag.patnaiks.in/2010/01/kindle-in-india-now-cheaper.html
Hi,
Your blog is very informative. Learnt a lot about Kindle from you and have fallen in love with it. But tell me one thing. If I want to use it in India and pay for it using my Indian credit card, but give a US shipping address to save on cost, do I have to pay more than $259 (which is the listed price)as 'other charges' (for Whispernet et al)?
Please let me know.
regards
@Agni:
Yes you can buy with an Indian card and ship to the US. You will pay $259 and shipping. Currently Amazon is offering 2 day shipping free within the continental US. There are no other charges for Whispernet. Just ensure that once you recieve the device, login to your Amazon account and set country to India.
Very helpful post. I am looking to buy a Kindle/Kindle DX and your post helps in understanding the issues that may happen during the purchase and delivery.
So as I understand that PDF support is presently un-zoom-able. Can the PDF be converted to Kindle file via the kindle desktop client or any other mans?
Yes, PDF is un-zoomable. On the Kindle DX it doesn't matter too much, as most documents/books are formatted for A4/US Letter.
But on the Kindle a standard A4 formatted PDF is well nigh unreadable (the standard 10-12 pt size drops to an effective 1 or so)
You can convert PDF's (You can use Calibre) but the results are unpredictable. You will get the text and the images. Formatting goes for a zix.
PS: If you are buying to ship to the US (for someone to bring it back). Amazon has a free two day shipping offer on. Else Amazon ships to India in 3 days (4 if you are outside the major cities) anyway
Hey I am going to The US next week and plan on buying the Kindle- should i buy the Kindle or Kindle DX?
If you don't have a specific need for the Kindle DX, the regular Kindle is your best bet. Completely worth it. Amazon has a free 2 day shipping offer.
A very useful blog.. I still have a question - If I buy a kindle from US and carry it over to India - can I access books from Kindle? Will I be charged for dowloading these books or will it come free of cost?
I think I answered this question earlier. But here goes again.
You can access books. Books are priced various between $0 to $50 or so. If you download a book wirelessly, the price of the book will be $2 more. You will have the option of downloading the book on your computer (after you set your country as the US) and transferring it over cable. That way you don't get charged the extra $2.
Hi chirag,
Hope u rem me...
I was about to buy infibeam..... But finally i bought a kindle, nd man its awesome! just love it...
Infibeam Pi *
Hello, thank you for writing this its very helpful. A few things aren't clear to me. So if I have an aunt in the U.S I can have it shipped to her and have her bring it over for me without import duties? And if the billing address is her US address when the kindle is purchased I won't be charged the 2 dollar fee?
Yes, That is correct. You can change your country as well. Which has the same effect.
I'm sorry Chirag if I sound like a dumbass but please bear with me. What do you mean by changing your country? Is there an option to change your country on your kindle? on your amazon account? before you buy it? I really hope on being able to buy a kindle within the next month or so and want to know everything I can before I do. Is the billing address info related to the internet connection working or does it just work automatically regardless?
So this is procedure to get the 2 dollar waiver per book? Buy it on amazon with my Indian credit card, have the billing address as my aunts US address and the delivery as my own in India, then receive it and start using it as normal? Would changing the billing address alter the warranty or interfere with any communication with amazon if something went wrong with it and i contacted them?
I know I've asked a ton of questions and can only say thank you in advance for the help and advice.
Yes, You can change your country. It is recommended that you keep it as US at all times.
The internet works regardless of the country setting. But you will not be able to access all parts of the internet, depending on the country setting. US gives you everything. but you get dinged $2. if you download over the air.
The Indian credit card is usable.
No, your warranty doesn't change if you alter the address.
Amazon has great customer service. Rest assured if you run into trouble they will help you out.
I think I'm understanding this now. On the amazon site I change the kindle's country to the US (and give a US billing address) to receive free internet and if its set to India then some internet sites won't work?
And regardless of country setting if i choose to make wireless purchases with the kindle then i get charged a 2 dollar fee?
Hi can i read the ebooks in pdf format i have on kindle?
@anonymous #1 Yes to your first question.
to your second question. It depened on where you are if you are in the US. then no. If you are anywhere else, yes.
@anonymous#2 yes. It says so in the post.
@Chirag: wow, this is some article...very informative..and yet somehow this whole country business is driving me nuts.
My friend is coming down from the US next month. I want him to buy it for me, using his credit card (since I dont have one). Then, when I use it in India, I want to be able to wirelessly download books. How do I pay for the books? Will Amazon use the credit card that my friend initially used to buy the Kindle? That will work, as I can keep on buying books in India, having it charged to my friends CC in the US and I will keep on paying him in india (he has a local account for some local uses). Will this work? Basically, setting the Kindle to india will mean loss of certain books, right?
All answers are appreciated...
@MS
Suggest that you get a card. You could also use HDFC's Netsafe card (See post on how to buy the Kindle in India) and buy the Kindle with it. In case you need warranty support they will ask you for details of the card used when you purchased it.
In case you do still decide to go ahead with your friends card. Things will get complex pretty fast. The Kindle is keyed to a single amazon account which will have a credit card linked to it (for book purchases etc.) Unless your friend deregisters his card from the Amazon account. You will be able to buy anything without his permission. Not a comfortable situation to be in unless you are a really good friend.
The simplest solution is to get a credit card.
Chirag
wow you have some patience.. thank you for all the posts. really informative.. and so so helpful..
nice to know people are using the kindle and that you are passionate enough to help out..
cheers
Ira
Hi Chirag,
first of all, thanx a ton for such a detailed write up on kindle...i have only 1 question but before that...my main desire for kindle is due to their digiink technology...i have weak eyes and a tablet/laptop monitor adds more strain...i would not be buying any books from the amazon site, but would be using kindle to transfer articles either in doc or pdf formats to kindle and read them thru it.
I understand from your prev posts that we can transfer docs to kindle thru the usb port...but if i assume that reading .doc or .pdf files in kindle is the same as reading in a laptop minus the eye strain, will i be correct?
as i said, i have no intent of purchasing books; i have enough contents in laptop which i want to read whenever and wherever possible.
in ur opinion, is kindle the right device for this usage?
and again...thanx for all your valuable help and contribution.
Warm Regards,
Dhivya
Hi chirag
Wonderful & very Informative Post..Now that kindle price is slashed to $189/- what would be my total cost if buying from Amazon.
2) what would you suggest buying direct from Amazon or buy thru Citibank's BORDERLINX,I live in Hyderabad and i have lots of Mobi books can i just upload them in kindle directly or do i have to convert them or do i have to mail them for conversion to kindle format,any help/suggestion will be highly appreciated.
Thanks & regards..asheesh
Yes see the update here:
http://chirag.patnaiks.in/2009/11/kindle-in-india.html
It is recommended that you use Amazon's service. Borderlinx will take longer and may prove to be more expensive. buy it from Amazon direct. If you go here you will get it at your doorstep in 3 days flat. :)
Mobi books can be converted using Calibre. A highly recommended software to manage ebooks.
hi chirag Recived my kindle last week what a amazing product i have around 100+ ebooks downloaded from net all are in .mobi format when i have transferred the books to my kindle they don't show up like i have named them (eg:Mario Puzo-The God Father it shows as puzo_the_godfather,i have manuely renamed all my books in order of Author/Title)and if its convenient to you call you mail your phone no to me on asheesh.chandok@gmail.com so that a few of my doubts are cleared,would be grateful to you for your kind help.
Hi Chirag...
I have lots of ebooks in my computer. I have no idea about the copyrights or digital right managements systems. But I know that I got all my ebooks through free download sites (which possibly had pirated content). Can I use such pdfs in kindle Dx.
Also clarify the following....
Any pdf that Adobe Acrobat Reader can open will work in KindleDx as well?
Hi Chirag,
This post is awesome and answers to most of my doubts. I am in US, planning to return back and buy an Kindle2. Do you know if we are able to convert and read PDFs in regional languages, hindi and malayalam being my preferences?
@Ajith: No. Indian fonts are not supported. You can patch your Kindle and do it and the results are kind of mixed. See this post http://chirag.patnaiks.in/2010/03/hindi-and-other-indian-languages-on.html
@Depp Yes it will.
@Asheesh You can use Calibre to organise your books and Calibre allows you to enter teh appropriate metadata and automatically does what neeeds to be so that they show up on the Kindle in the right manner.
Chirag, I'm planning to buy Kindle. My main purpose of getting an Ereader is to be able to read PDF's with images and scanned books and textbooks. You said PDF's cannot be zoomed. Amazon says in Kindle's description that it has some pan and zoom 300% for PDF's. What does that do? Would that allow me to read pdf's with embedded images easily and zoom it too?
Amazon launched new Kindle priced at $139 or Rs 6.5K approx. What will be the effective price of this version after shipping and import duty? Is there any way to circumvent the import duty? I have a friend in US and he is willing to ship the Kindle to me here in India. I would deliver it to his address and he would forward it to me. Would he still have to pay import duty for shipping the Kindle to me as a personal item?
PDF Zoom is a new feature. There is a post with the new prices. you can see it here:
http://chirag.patnaiks.in/2010/07/prices-in-india-of-new-kindles-3gwifi.html
Yeah, I know. But would that feature enable me to view embedded images and scanned pdf's easily in my Kindle. You bought that Kindle 2. Why don't you try it and tell me if its worth getting for reading scanned pdf's, magazines and illustrated textbooks??
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