eReader.com Limits E-book Sales To US Citizens

An anonymous reader writes "eReader.com seems to have begun applying distribution restrictions to its library. I first noticed that there was a FAQ page about distribution restrictions this morning. When I tried to order a few books this afternoon I simply couldn't — a large banner on the order confirmation told me the books had distribution restrictions. I checked a number of titles but it seems a large number of books are no longer available to non-US citizens like me. It is interesting to note that this policy change got implemented shortly after Barnes&Noble purchased Fictionwise. I have no idea if the new owners are behind this new policy but it seems crazy to restrict sales of ebooks. I've bought dozens of ebooks from eReader the past 4 years. I still have 15 dollar store credit but cannot buy any of the books I am interested in." (Right now, the link that should display these new geographic restrictions returns an error message that says the page is being updated.) Sounds like Barnes & Noble is taking its cues from Apple.

Comments

Link for Geographic Restrictions

[eldavojohn]

(Right now, the link that should display these new geographic restrictions returns an error message that says the page is being updated.)

Well, they still have their (what I assume to be their old) Geographic Restrictions page here up and it says:

We are legally bound to restrict sale of titles that have these limitations to the allowed countries. If we did not, we would lose the books and nobody would be able to buy them from us. We don't like it any more than you do, believe us when we tell you that. It causes us not only to lose sales, but also to get complaints from customers, and we like to keep our customers happy.

I don't think they're taking a cue from anybody, they're just following distribution laws so they don't lose their license to distribute ... and possibly face a lawsuit. Once you get big enough, you become a target. I wouldn't blame eReader or B&N ... blame a shitty distribution system.

Re:Link for Geographic Restrictions

[ssintercept]

Oh, and the restriction mentioned would be to residents, not citizens. A US citizen living abroad would be restricted just like anyone else in their country of residence, while foreigners in the United States would not be.

according to Ereader its your billing address of your credit card:

How do you determine what country a customer is in? We look at the billing country of your credit card to determine your location.

source- http://mobile.ereader.com/ereader/mobile/help/GeographicRestrictionsFAQ.htm

as long as your credit card is resolving to the US/Canada or another non-restricted country you are in the clear.