It looks like Kobo has just launched their own Kobo US Amazon store to sell their ereaders and accessories in the United States without going through a reseller.
The storefront is titled “Kobo US” and the business name is “Rakuten Kobo US Inc” so it appears to be Kobo’s official store, but it just launched and doesn’t have any feedback yet. All the products are being shipped by Amazon so the standard shipping and return policies apply.
Kobo’s devices have been available on Amazon for several years now so that’s nothing new, but up until now they’ve always been sold by third-party sellers, namely Blue Proton.
Blue Proton is Kobo’s official retail partner in the US, or at least they were. They sell Kobo ereaders through Amazon, Walmart, and Target—all online, not in retail stores.
I wonder if Kobo is going to stop using Blue Proton now that they’ve launched their own Amazon store. It’s funny timing because Blue Proton suddenly seems to be out of stock of most Kobo models. Meanwhile Kobo’s new store has both color models and the Kobo Sage in stock, and the Kobo Clara BW is on sale for $10 off. So far the listings all have Kobo’s normal prices, unlike most 3rd party sellers on Amazon that have been charging above MSRP for Kobo’s ereaders, Blue Proton included.
Kobo is based in Canada so it’s possible they’re doing this now to avoid paying extra fees. Kobo has never had much of a presence in the US. They used to be partnered with Walmart, but ultimately that didn’t pan out for either company and Walmart no longer sells Kobo’s ereaders, and they hardly ever sold them in stores anyway. Blue Proton has been Kobo’s main distributor in the US since Walmart fell through. Kobo still sells their ereaders directly from their website as well.
I wonder how the new 25% tariffs will affect Kobo prices in the US and Kindle prices in Canada?
Kobo raised their prices by $10 for each of the newer models last month, but so far I haven’t noticed any Kindle price increases.
I just looked because I’m in the market for a new Kobo with Amazon gift cards to burn. The only thing I see is resellers offering them for scalp prices. Even the “Kobo store” has the clara BW for $30 more than their home website and it appears to be the “used” price. Not sure what’s going on but it looks sketchy.
Kobo’s distribution in the US is a joke. They shouldn’t allow their official resellers to constantly price gouge customers, but they don’t seem to care. It’s really irritating and it’s a bad look for their company. So far I haven’t seen Kobo US charging above retail from their Amazon store, but they’re constantly out of stock on most items. Are you sure the one you saw wasn’t a bundle package that included a cover?