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It really does suck being in the US sometimes too. English is my first language, but I also speak German and it's really hard to keep that language fresh in my

It really does suck being in the US sometimes too. English is my first language, but I also speak German and it's really hard to keep that language fresh in my mind. I use a VPN to access German Netflix, because there are no German language shows on the US Netflix. I have a hard time trying to buy German books because Amazon US doesn't stock them and Amazon.de, even when accessed over a German VPN, won't sell them to me with a US credit card. And if I buy a German DVD, I can't play it on my US DVD player. I thought the Internet would fix it but instead it just lets me know all of the things I should have access to but don't. It's not like I can pop over to Germany for a few hours and pick up ein Roman. And worst of all, The Pirate Bay doesn't have 99% of anything I'm looking for in German. So I literally have zero access, legally or illegally.

why-el 11y ago
Very surprised that you can't buy stuff with your US card. I do just that; i.e. I'm in Germany, and I buy things off of Amazon.de with my US card.
- freehunter 11y ago
  That's weird. When I try, it says "I think you're trying to buy from Amazon.com" and redirects me away from the German site. edit - Yeah I just tried and I get this message: Wir konnten Ihren Einkauf nicht abschließen. Ihr Kindle-Konto ist auf Amazon.com angemeldet. Kindle-Titel, die für Ihr Land verfügbar sind, erhalten Sie auf Amazon.com. Basically saying "your account is linked to Amazon.com, to see titles available in your country go to Amazon.com". I actually signed up for a brand new account on Amazon.de, and when I go to the Kindle version of a book I want, instead of a purchase button, I get this message, which I understand the translation but I'm not sure what they're trying to communicate to me. Kindle-Titel sind für Kunden in DE unter Amazon.de verfügbar. Setzen Sie Ihren Einkauf im Kindle-Shop von Amazon.de fort. Clicking the "im Kindle-Shop von Amazon.de fort" link redirects me to the same page with the same message.
  - Freak_NL 11y ago
    Kindle; so e-books right? That's digital content, and that suffers from the same problem (and silly restrictions) Netflix is having. Real — sorry — physical books might work.
    - freehunter 11y ago
      That's a fair point. Ugh I don't want to have to wait for overseas shipping.
bilch 11y ago
You can switch your country settings from Amazon US to Amazon DE and back with no ill effects. I did it several times. You get to keep all Kindle books you bought in both countries. Just follow the link at Amazon DE where the buy button should be and instead it says "Have you moved recently? You may change your country on the Manage Your Content and Devices page."

why-el 11y ago

Very surprised that you can't buy stuff with your US card. I do just that; i.e. I'm in Germany, and I buy things off of Amazon.de with my US card.

freehunter 11y ago
That's weird. When I try, it says "I think you're trying to buy from Amazon.com" and redirects me away from the German site. edit - Yeah I just tried and I get this message: Wir konnten Ihren Einkauf nicht abschließen. Ihr Kindle-Konto ist auf Amazon.com angemeldet. Kindle-Titel, die für Ihr Land verfügbar sind, erhalten Sie auf Amazon.com. Basically saying "your account is linked to Amazon.com, to see titles available in your country go to Amazon.com". I actually signed up for a brand new account on Amazon.de, and when I go to the Kindle version of a book I want, instead of a purchase button, I get this message, which I understand the translation but I'm not sure what they're trying to communicate to me. Kindle-Titel sind für Kunden in DE unter Amazon.de verfügbar. Setzen Sie Ihren Einkauf im Kindle-Shop von Amazon.de fort. Clicking the "im Kindle-Shop von Amazon.de fort" link redirects me to the same page with the same message.
- Freak_NL 11y ago
  Kindle; so e-books right? That's digital content, and that suffers from the same problem (and silly restrictions) Netflix is having. Real — sorry — physical books might work.
  - freehunter 11y ago
    That's a fair point. Ugh I don't want to have to wait for overseas shipping.

bilch 11y ago

You can switch your country settings from Amazon US to Amazon DE and back with no ill effects. I did it several times. You get to keep all Kindle books you bought in both countries. Just follow the link at Amazon DE where the buy button should be and instead it says "Have you moved recently? You may change your country on the Manage Your Content and Devices page."