Want to Buy a Spanish Friend an EReader that Works well in Spain

What makes you think it wouldn't work?

You download books to a Kindle through wifi. So all your friend needs is a wifi connection. He can download books in Spanish through www.amazon.es

I don't see why a Kindle wouldn't work in Spain. To check my hunch, I had a quick peek at the Spanish Amazon website (www.amazon.es), and there they were at the top of the page. Original 79€, Fire 159€, Fire HD 199€. So what problem?

Mine worked just fine in Spain last spring. As others have said, he could purchase books for it (and get some books free) through the Spanish version of Amazon.

Another possibility would be FNAC, an electronics store that has outlets in both France and Spain. They sell a few different e-readers.

The only issue would be to order an European version so that the plug is the proper plug for Spain. If you purchased it in the US it would need a plug adapter if it comes with the standard US, two bladed plug. However, there should be no difference how it operates in Spain, the US or China.

You don't need to worry about the plug. The Kindle recharges via USB through any computer. You can buy it here, it'll work there.

As an ex-pat family with 3 Kindles, I know all about having them in Europe. It's not as straightforward as some people have made it out to be. The important thing is to decide where you will register the Kindle. ARe you merely gifting this to your friend and letting them register it on Amazon.es? If so, just make sure you purchase a Kindle model that is also sold on Amazon.es and everything should be okay. They will only be able to buy books on Amazon.es (and not Amazon.com), but there's plenty of books available. If you want to register the Kindle on Amazon.com and share an account, there are some potential pitfalls you'll need to watch out for. Amazon has become pretty sophisticated in detecting where you live and in blocking out-of-country purchases. About a year after moving to France, I tried to register a US purchased Kindle Keyboard 3G to Amazon.com - with a US address and credit card - and I was denied. Because Amazon had already determined that I was living outside the US. When we first moved to France, I continued to use my Amazon.com account and download music. I'm not sure exactly how long it was before I was cut off, but one day they cut me off and have since denied me any downloadable US purchases (streaming movies, music, ebooks...). I probably could have avoided this by always using a VPN, but it's a hassle. I had to register my Kindle with Amazon.fr and although I have no problem buying books, I do not have the use of the 3G feature of my Kindle Keyboard. Some people have gotten around that by buying a US Amazon.com gift card (with a high amount) and linking that to the Kindle at the time of registration and only making purchases with that. Funny thing is that I continue to be able to check out ebooks from my "home" library back in the US without any problems or use of a VPN.

If you buy a Kindle here and have it shipped to Spain, I believe the only downside will be that it will be subject to customs and VAT in Spain, and that he won't be eligible for the extended warranty. But he shouldn't have any problem registering the device to an amazon.es account and using it in Spain. Amazon's international shipping policies are on its website. I believe you can prepay the customs and VAT for him under the AmazonGlobal program. I'm guessing that the problems Dina encountered are related to customs and tax issues. Also, the price of books varies from country to country. To avoid these problems, Amazon wants you to register your Kindle in your country of residence.