Get a refurbished Kindle for $149

Forget $259: a refurbished Kindle 2 will run you just $219, full warranty included.

(Credit: Amazon)

As you've probably heard by now, Amazon just cut the price of the Kindle 2 to $259. Definitely a step in the right direction, but still too rich for my blood.

Now, $219 shipped for a refurbished Kindle 2? That's a deal worth considering.

This is the first time I've seen a refurb offer on the famed e-book reader, though, as it turns out, you can also get a 1st-generation Kindle for just $149 (!).

Both models come from Warehouse Deals by Amazon, meaning they're eligible for Amazon customer service and covered by a 30-day return policy. Better still, you get the same one-year warranty as for new units.

Consequently, you have nothing to lose by going the refurb route. So this begs the question: Will you pull the Kindle trigger for $219? For $149?

Much as I'm salivating over these deals, I'm still perfectly happy with the Kindle app on my iPhone. Indeed, as I've noted before, a Netbook or iPod Touch can pull e-book duty and a whole lot more.

That said, my bigger problem is with the out-of-whack price of e-books. I can live (sort of) with paying $9.99 for new releases, but older titles should be priced at a buck or two.

I digress. The bottom line is that if you've been itching for a Kindle, here's your chance to score last year's model for $149 or this year's for $219. Verrry tempting.

[krubby]

Since you mentioned the price of the eBooks, I don't have a kindle or other type reader so I don;t have tons of experience in this, but i know at least my local library offers many (many) titles that you can download and keep for I think 14 or more days. download to pc, copy to reader, and you are good to go, just like you checked out a regular book.

I have done this for AUDIO books to my mp3 player and works well.

[richarddrmc]

Call me old fashioned on this one, but why pay $150 for an e-book reader when most local library systems are well established and FREE. I would much rather borrow a book and read it than pay the up front reader cost and then the price of the book on top of that.

For those who actually want to own the book rather than borrow it, every library system I've ever been in has used book sales that are priced next to nothing. There are also discount used book stores that generally have decent prices. And if you can't get it there, you can usually find it online (half.com or amazon) for a cheap price. I own most of my favorite books and got physical copies of them for under $3 each.

[Mr_fleabite]

I agree, if you love books and can stand to have gently used ones, you could buy dozens if not 100+ books for the cost of an e-reader and their e-book cost. On top of all that you own the physical copy that will probably last longer than the e-reader. And then there is the uncertainty about how long your e-book format will last and if another "glitch" will allow Amazon to reach into your reader and yank the copy you bought. The biggest plus of an e-reader that I see is you don't have lots of books sitting around, but if you are like my wife that's half the fun.

[krubby]

I think it depends on your lifestyle. I drive to work, drive home, then have little time for reading. BUT I have friends however that have a 40 + minute train ride to work every day, and they also travel a lot and are always in and out of airports. One of them has the sony reader and loves it due to the fact that if he goes on a 4-6 day business trip he doesn't have to tote along 3-4 + books. Instead can have them all in one easy to get to device. also I think has a newspaper downloaded each day. I personally don;t have a need for something like this but some folks love it.

I do think if I got one I would tend to download free ones from the library vs buying them, even if they have to be 'virtually returned'.

[hakeis1]

Who wants a used book that has 370 peoples snot and germs on it???? Not me, i'd rather leave those books at the Library and have a fresh copy. If i was going to need a hard copy i'd buy discount books over useing the Library, i think the library is good for certain situations but not everything.

[jvbo]

Hey Rick, I think you should do an exclusive topic about Refurbs, like the one you made about rebates..

I'd really like to know if people have had problems with refurbs once the waranty wared off..

[rickbroida]

Way ahead of you. Will cover that subject soon... :)

[jcmark42]

I see Kindles doing really well for the holidays especially since they just dropped the price. My gf has been hinting for one, so this Xmas I'll pull the trigger.

I'm as techy as they come, i refuse to read newspapers, i read Time online, but i simply do not see the allure in these Kindles. Honestly, I'm not being smarmy - can someone explain it to me? I can *kinda* see the reasoning behind an iphone app (but 10 bucks a book is no bueno) because you always have your phone, but toting around an extra gadget just to have a book with you? Why not carry the book?

[C433Z]

I think if you travel a LOT and read a LOT of books this would be good, as you could have all your books with you in a light weight, thin package.

[hakeis1]

Because with an Ereader you don't cary a book, you cary many books. So instead of carrying 12 books you cary 1 ereader with many books. Get it????????

Well kinda, except I don't read 12 books at once, so i personally don't see the point of needing to carry 12 books. But After reading more of the comments, especially the one about people going on 4-6 day business trips and commuting to work by train, I can see valid uses for them. Just not for me! ;-)

[kris.renfro]

I bought a refurbed Kindle 1 on sept 8 for the 199 price and I called Amazon asking if they would refund the difference...even in store credit. They were polite but said no, even after I talked to a sup. But they did tell me I was within the 30 days to return it.
The Kindle is great...but I found their customer service a little frustrating

[Dan7637]

tigerdirect has the EQD 24" Monitor Full 1080p

with DVI, HDMI, VGA for only $159.99

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5276925&Sku=E500-2302

[chowza]

To answer those who think the library is a better solution, when the Kindle I launched I was ecstatic. Why? Because, although American, I live in a country where English books are rare (if available at al), and I also travel internationally regularly, sometimes for long periods. I used to carry 4-6 paperbacks with me whenever I traveled. Now I carry one Kindle with a couple hundred books inside and, if I need more, although cell network downloading was not available internationally until yesterday, it is very easy to download books to my MacBook Pro and transfer via USB to my Kindle. For those who travel regularly and/or who live or spend lengthy periods in locations where English books, newspapers, etc. are not available, the Kindle is an excellent reading solution.

[milosb55]

I would put maximum of $99 for it since there is a montly charge or access charge for each book that adds up each month.
I will wait until low cost producers introduce lower cost products, and unitil than local library card is much chipper deal.

[kfinegan]

Er, where did you hear that? There are no monthly fees for regular books. You don't even pay for the wireless internet access. The only time you get charged is if you have Amazon convert books from .PDF or .doc to the Kindle format, and even that's only 15 cents - and that's easy to do yourself if you don't want to shell out.

[windooor7]

WELL they can sence "the coming of the dry season" with apples tablet/e-reader/ipod/mac/everthing else . so the only way out its to give out their instances of a e-reader rather than risk been put off "apple does not compromise ever! wait and see.
when apple sells a milloin books overnight. something they never dot never thought off.
right now i keep on checking when steve jobs take the stages holding it. itap.

[rickbroida]

That's my guess, too, although the rumored Apple tablet will likely cost quite a bit more. I'd love to see Apple finally get into the e-book game, as competition should help drive down e-book prices.

[Zyvxn]

Remember, the cost of a book is not the paper, it is the cost of the author's time and the editors that clean it up.

If you like a book you read, then make sure you support the author that wrote it. Authors don't get compensated for library copies or used copies.

[asking68]

As a writer, you'd think you'd respect other writers a bit more than to want to read their stories virtually for free just because they're older titles. Authors have bills to pay and kids to feed as well, and unless you believe the myth that all authors make loads of money (about as accurate as all bloggers for cnet get paid millions per column) then I can't understand why you'd think you should get something at the expense of a hard working person who deserves to get paid fairly for their work. I'm as cheap as they come, but I don't think you should get paid less for a column because I've decided it's not as valuable as another column you may have written.
I'm all for ebooks and ereaders--but please don't forget that without authors, there are no books. Taking away their only means of income would be a pretty rash thing just because you're chep, eh?