Amazon usually has low and competitive prices when it comes to buying most things from them, but like most retailers they don’t have any problem ripping customers off for certain items.
Kindle and Fire tablet accessories have always been on the high side price-wise, probably to help make up for the lower cost of the less-expensive models.
But when it comes to the Amazon 5W USB adapter for Fire tablets and Kindle ereaders, they’ve taken it to a whole new level of price-gouging (apparently they think they’re Apple).
This has been bugging me for a long time, and now that Amazon tries to pedal Kindle bundles using these same overpriced USB adapters, it bothers me even more.
They try to make the bundles seem like they are on sale and a good deal, but they really aren’t. They are just using the ridiculously inflated price of the USB adapter to make it seem like you’re saving money.
Lately Amazon has been advertising the Kindle bundles on their deals pages, implying that they are “on sale”, but it’s not true because they’re the same price that they always are. Kind of like the Fire HD 6 they keep advertising as “on sale” but it’s been that price for months now.
There’s no need to pay anywhere near $20 for a simple 5W USB plug. They’re all basically the same anyway. You can use a different brand, such as an Apple or Samsung adapter, with a Kindle and it will work just fine. Pretty much any phone or tablet plug will work.
Here are a few much more affordable USB plugs than the one that Amazon sells:
Amazon Kindle 5W Power USB Adapter – eBay $4.75 with free shipping
JC Technologies – USB Wall Charger – Amazon $5.50 with free shipping on orders over $49
Mobile Zone Info USB Wall Charger With Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 – Amazon $6.99 with free shipping (3rd party seller)
Apple 5W USB Power Adapter – Walmart $8.99 with free shipping
9W USB Adapter for Kindles – Banggood $3.49 with free shipping
Kind of like they forcefully include a $5 (manufacturing cost) leather cover on the Oasis in order to inflate and justify its outrageous cost. Then the Kindle fanatics will defend Amazon by implying that its actually “almost” the same price as the Voyage with a cover but only better. There is a reason Amazon forcefully included the “Charging” cover. They had to find another angle to price gouge their customers while making them think they are actually getting a good deal.
This is the first time I’ve heard the term “Kindle fanatics” used; Apple fanatics and Microsoft fanboys… yes 😉
I do agree that the charger and cover are over priced. The Kid-Proof Case for Amazon Fire is $24.99 (I bought one because I’m clumsy) and this is definitely over-priced being half the cost of the device it is supposed to protect 🙁
Back in 2013 when I got my KFHDX7, I bought the $20 Amazon Powerfast charger on sale for $10. It didn’t last long, and neither did the replacement I talked Amazon into sending. Neither did 3 (!) $12-ish Duracell 2-amp chargers.
I finally bought a Photive 25w 5-port “smart” charger for $15, and for going on 2 years now it’s been charging 3 Fires, a Paperwhite and various phones and GPS’s without a hitch.
Believe it or not, you only need the usb port in your computer to charge a kindle. No need for any adapter.
I’m going to try this.
But you have to remember to eject the device, which is not really something I think of, when I only want to charge. Also, the newer (just bought my 2nd tizi 4port charger) charge faster and intelligent – they negotiate the charging speed with the device.
Also, my USB-ports on the computer (mac mini) are all in use, so I have to eject and disconnect one device, also the Kindle is not only device I have to charge (iPhone, iPad min, FairPhone2, second Kindle, sometimes an old Sony PRS-T1, 2 Displio WLAN-eInk-Displays, a Blu-tooth Creative Speaker).
Charging all these one after another (or even two at a time) with the Computer would be time-consuming, also I believe the charger is faster, but maybe wrong.
My mom actually bought the adapter because she didn’t realize there was nothing special about it to make it mandatory for Kindle use, and that’s what bothers me most… People who are savvy in any industry are generally able to see the best deals, but it seems like a low blow to take advantage of people who are trying to enter the ereader market, and don’t know any better because they’ve just never had many devices.
I actually think that’s why Amazon charges the price that they do on these things. Many people don’t realize that pretty much any USB AC adapter will do.
I understand that that is the reason… However, I dislike the reason, because I find it to be scummy.
When I bought my first Kindle, the adapter was included for free.
The funny thing is that Amazon also makes a 9 W adapter that charges faster and costs less than the 5 W adapter.
Fire tablets come with an adapter but they cheap out on Kindles for some reason and just include a USB cable nowadays. It’s kind of ridiculous that they expect people to charge them with a computer when they are advertised as not needing a computer at all to use them. It’s beyond absurd that a $49 Fire tablet would come with an adapter but not a $380 Kindle Oasis with 3G.
This is a whole lot of complaining over nothing.
Maybe if this was Microsoft’s $79 USB-C adaptor, I would see the complaints.
Or maybe if it required a $300 Corning USB Optical cable to go with this adapter.
Or if it was any type of legacy “B” connector (shame on you Akai and a multitude of other musical equipment vendors.)
Or any of the goofy power options that Sony has tried to push over the years.
I could even see the problem if it was some goofy proprietary adapter that you could only buy from Amazon (thinking of you again Apple.)
But it is not. It is a $20 5W, 1A (or 1000 mA if that is your thing) charger.
But so what? Caveat emptor! If a buyer is too lazy (while they are buying online) to open up a new tab and see if they can find a cheaper price on a charger–then that is their problem!
Amazon is in business to make money by selling products, people have a choice to either buy or not.