One of the most proverbial question by Kindle Malaysia fan is can Malaysian Credit Card & MY Billing Address be used to make paid eBook purchase from Amazon Store?
The answer is yes if you enjoy paying more for the same eBook and be contented with limited choices of eBooks to read in this information age.
[Updated May 10, 2022] A simple yet truthful test to learn if your existing Amazon.com Account has been registered in US, you may easily go to your Amazon Kindle Store from your Kindle eReader and search for the following paid eBooks
- A Promised Land by Barack Obama [Kindle Edition]
- The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor by Gerald Pollack [Kindle Edition]
- Hacking Project Based Learning: 10 Easy Steps to PBL and Inquiry in the Classroom (Hack Learning Series) [Kindle Edition]
- Machine Learning and Human Intelligence: The future of education for the 21st century [Kindle Edition]
- What’s in a Name: Family, career and the heart of Malaysia by Nazir Razak [Kindle Edition]
As shown above, one can save 20% on eBook price by comparing the eBook from different store using Amazon Gift Cards here . While many Malaysians believe beggars can’t be choosers, one should content with buying what is available and often pay the full price knowingly.
See comparison table with links to Amazon Kindle Store as of June 30, 2015 and links are included below for verification with your own Amazon Account:
Amazon Kindle Store US | EBooks | Amazon Kindle Store MY | EBooks | Variance |
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender eBooks |
86,321 |
5,792 |
93% |
|
Science Fiction & Fantasy |
226,735 |
Science Fiction & Fantasy |
39,920 |
82% |
Self-Help |
98,392 |
Self-Help |
17,349 |
82% |
Literature & Fiction |
1,173,137 |
Literature & Fiction |
255,830 |
78% |
Parenting & Relationships |
63,771 |
Parenting & Relationships |
13,943 |
78% |
Children’s eBooks |
261,221 |
Children’s eBooks |
57,213 |
78% |
Crafts, Hobbies & Home |
75,406 |
Crafts, Hobbies & Home |
16,629 |
78% |
Cookbooks, Food & Wine |
59,556 |
Cookbooks, Food & Wine |
14,089 |
76% |
Humour & Entertainment |
97,322 |
Humour & Entertainment |
24,135 |
75% |
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense |
193,821 |
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense |
48,069 |
75% |
Travel |
56,615 |
Travel |
14,551 |
74% |
Teen & Young Adult |
149,022 |
Teen & Young Adult |
38,592 |
74% |
Health, Fitness & Dieting |
238,542 |
Health, Fitness & Dieting |
62,579 |
74% |
Religion & Spirituality |
368,719 |
Religion & Spirituality |
97,996 |
73% |
Romance |
290,414 |
Romance |
87,917 |
70% |
Biographies & Memoirs |
159,343 |
Biographies & Memoirs |
52,399 |
67% |
Sports & Outdoors |
66,701 |
Sports & Outdoors |
22,101 |
67% |
Foreign Languages |
668,240 |
Foreign Languages |
248,917 |
63% |
Education & Teaching |
133,858 |
Education & Teaching |
50,796 |
62% |
Comics & Graphic Novels |
62,325 |
Comics & Graphic Novels |
24,703 |
60% |
Nonfiction |
1,784,653 |
Nonfiction |
715,829 |
60% |
Reference |
116,711 |
Reference |
48,566 |
58% |
Business & Money |
220,272 |
Business & Money |
94,534 |
57% |
Computers & Technology |
61,715 |
Computers & Technology |
30,227 |
51% |
Law |
46,995 |
Law |
23,574 |
50% |
Arts & Photography |
208,822 |
Arts & Photography |
106,254 |
49% |
History |
249,983 |
History |
139,578 |
44% |
Science & Math |
207,175 |
Science & Math |
119,742 |
42% |
Engineering & Transportation |
53,196 |
Engineering & Transportation |
32,304 |
39% |
Medical eBooks |
89,806 |
Medical eBooks |
54,669 |
39% |
Politics & Social Sciences |
230,546 |
Politics & Social Sciences |
142,550 |
38% |
Subtotal |
7,799,335 |
Subtotal: |
2,701,347 |
65% |
Sample eBook Price from Kindle Store US: |
$7.32 |
Sample eBook Price from Kindle Store MY: |
$9.32 |
Variance |
27% or USD2 More per Ebook
|
In summary,
- Average Malaysian would miss 65% of eBooks published in Amazon.com from around the world.
- Malaysians will miss most for “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender eBooks” with over 93% of eBook titles unavailable to Malaysians.
- Perhaps, Malaysians can be proud for missing the least of “Politics & Social Sciences eBooks” with over 62% available in Malaysia.
- As for “Law eBooks” & “Computer & Technology eBooks” or “Arts & Photography eBooks“, Malaysians can only claim to know half of the subject with about 50% available in Malaysia.
- In short with the above “preferential treatment”, Malaysians could claim to know more about politics but are totally oblivious about everything else especially Lesbian, Gay, & Transgender issues.
On the other hand, some Malaysians may refute that the difference of eBooks are not significant because they may not buy them in the first place. So, let us compare free eBooks obtained from Kindle Store US vs Kindle Store MY. As it turns out, average Malaysian would miss up to 90% of eBooks published for Free from the world.
See comparison table with links to Amazon Kindle Store as of June 30, 2015. Once again, we include the Amazon links so that you can verify with your own Amazon Account:
Free eBook from Kindle Store US: |
102,707 |
Free eBooks from Kindle Store MY: |
9,949 |
Variance |
90%
|
Perhaps, another way to look at this is contentment. Simplify our ways of life, by being satisfied with whatever we get, and the more content we are with what we have, the happier we are.
In pursue of happiness, Kindle Malaysia keeps all our wits to offer Painless Way to Own Kindle in Malaysia with Complementary Service to register New Amazon US Account to enable download FREE e-Books, Magazines, Music, etc from Amazon Store US and make paid Ebook purchase with Amazon Gift Card, Amazon Prime Membership or Kindle Unlimited from Kindle device directly in Malaysia.