# Amazon is making a fortune off Kindle Accessories **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381 "2012-02-10T04:37:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/41 "2012-02-10T16:53:29Z")
I bought [this](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004A7ZEI2/ref=oh_o05_s01_i00_details) for my new Kindle after I dropped my first one. $5.98 is a great deal IMO, and I have no complaint at all. My Kindle recharges pretty quickly too. I can put my laptop to sleep and the Kindle will still charge. The adapter came with the Kindles that I bought, but I don’t use them. I have the Kindle keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/42 "2012-02-10T16:54:01Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > These problems shot right past white people and skipped to albino. Says the person whose recent topics of discussion include [Captain America](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14757385#post14757385), [Wii Tennis](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14756119#post14756119), [80’s Cartoons](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14732395#post14732395), and [how a bad episode of Six Feet Under ruined the entire show](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14731842#post14731842). I’m sure these are all problems you’ve been having in your Darfur refugee camp, right? Thanks for contributing though, we all appreciate it so very much. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/43 "2012-02-10T17:25:27Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > You must be new to the tech world. Cases and spare chargers always have costed money and rarely are cases for any device ever included. I agree with this. I don’t have a Kindle, although I do have an iPhone and an iPad. Each comes with a USB power adapter, but a second one will cost you $29. The iPhone dock is also $29, as is the bumper case. And the in-ear headphones are $79. I’ve bought some of this stuff, although I’ve also bought third-party accessories. My point is that these companies regularly charge a lot for accessories. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/44 "2012-02-10T17:39:13Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I understand that accessories cost money, but this is just ridiculous. > > Amazon is mining gold with this Kindle Stuff. First they release the Kindle Touch **without** a power adapter. What’s up with that? Besides pure greed? $14.99 or your Kindle is totally useless after the initial charge goes down. The power adapter had always been included with previous versions of the Kindle. You can charge it on a computer. I realize you may not _like_ this, but saying your Kindle becomes “useless” just makes you seem like a whiner when that isn’t true. > [@](#): > > Kindle comes with no case. That’s anywhere from $25 to $39. The one I bought was $29.99. 50 cents of fabric, a piece of Velcro and a little foam. My grandmother could have made the pattern and sewn one of these in less than two hours. > [Amazon.com: Timbuk2 Kindle Plush Sleeve with Memory Foam for impact absorption, Brown/Grey (fits Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle, and Kindle Touch) : Amazon Devices & Accessories](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005K2ZEPO/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details) Then have Grandma make one. Or make your own. Or buy one from one of the hundreds of places that make them cheaply. No one made you pay $30 for a case- you did that. If you didn’t like the price, you should have gotten a cheaper one. it isn’t hard to do. > [@](#): > > Want a spare USB cable? Give Amazon $9.99. It’s nothing more than a standard USB A-Male to a Micro-B cable. They are $5 from Amazon if you don’t get the Kindle marketed one. So… you found a serviceable cable, on Amazon, for $5 and you’re still complaining? What the hell!? > [@](#): > > Long John Silver and Blackbeard had nothing on these suckers. This is just pure capitalistic greed. > > It occurred to me last night after ordering that $29.99 case how frigging stupid I was. If you were in Walmart and saw a small fabric electronics case would you pay almost $30? Hell no you wouldn’t. Especially after holding it in your hand and seeing just how little there was too it. We get sucked in with this mouse click and shop mentality. You forget its money your clicking away. Meanwhile the Amazon Pirates are laughing their asses off all the way to the bank. “We” don’t get sucked into shit. You spend your money foolishly, but that is no one’s fault but your own. Thankfully, Amazon is awesome about returns, so send back the merchandise you are unhappy with. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/45 "2012-02-10T17:54:52Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Why would you even need a USB for a Kindle? It’s all wireless now, isn’t it? It makes charging on the go easier, and means you can transfer non-Amazon content onto your Kindle. You can’t tell whether your Kindle is a Kindle? 😕 I must be misreading you. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/46 "2012-02-10T18:01:56Z")
I know it’s a Kindle but I don’t know specifically what kind. Is there just a regular Kindle because that must be what I have. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/47 "2012-02-10T18:04:47Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I know it’s a Kindle but I don’t know specifically what kind. Is there just a regular Kindle because that must be what I have. Yeah, that is kind of a design flaw, that they didn’t put the type name on the machine. Mine was a gift, I threw the packaging out, and when I wanted to buy a case I didn’t quite know what I had. anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/48 "2012-02-10T18:07:02Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Yeah, that is kind of a design flaw, that they didn’t put the type name on the machine. Mine was a gift, I threw the packaging out, and when I wanted to buy a case I didn’t quite know what I had. anymore. Yeah, I remember calling amazon about an issue I had with my Kindle and I tried to describe what kind I had but I still don’t think the guy ever knew. The problem was resolved, but I’m not sure I’ll ever know the exact brand. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/49 "2012-02-10T18:17:19Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I know it’s a Kindle but I don’t know specifically what kind. Is there just a regular Kindle because that must be what I have. Oh, I get you. If you look up pictures of a Kindle 3/Kindle Keyboard and Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire you should be able to tell the difference. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/50 "2012-02-10T18:28:12Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Yeah, I remember calling amazon about an issue I had with my Kindle and I tried to describe what kind I had but I still don’t think the guy ever knew. The problem was resolved, but I’m not sure I’ll ever know the exact brand. If you bought the Kindle yourself, you can look at your purchase history in Amazon. That will list the exact model you bought and also list the serial number of the device. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/51 "2012-02-10T19:06:13Z")
I didn’t buy it myself. It was a gift (or regift, I guess). It seems to be a Kindle 3G Keyboard from the look ofi t. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/52 "2012-02-10T19:13:38Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I didn’t buy it myself. It was a gift (or regift, I guess). It seems to be a Kindle 3G Keyboard from the look ofi t. Can you just accept that the Kindle ($79) and the Kindle Touch ($99) are NOT shipped with adapters, just a USB cable that can used for either charging or data transfer? I promise it is true. Despite the overall silliness of OP’s gripes, he isn’t wrong about this part. The outlet adapter plug is extra for these models. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/53 "2012-02-11T00:43:50Z")
i made my own kindle case. went to barnes and noble, found a writing journal i liked the cover of, then cut the book block out, put 4 little velcro squares on the cover and kindle… and viola! kindle cover under 10 dollars. i took the book block to work and use it for note taking, scrap paper, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/54 "2012-02-11T01:46:49Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > i made my own kindle case. went to barnes and noble, found a writing journal i liked the cover of, then cut the book block out, put 4 little velcro squares on the cover and kindle… and viola! kindle cover under 10 dollars. > > i took the book block to work and use it for note taking, scrap paper, etc. That’s actually pretty clever. I’m gonna pass that idea on to my friends.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![ecseas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ecseas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecseas)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/55 "2012-02-11T08:02:21Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Sure, you can charge it from your computer if you want to leave your computer on all night. I much rather plug it in the wall and charge it. Just like all the other Kindle owners that bought the earlier models. > > Even worse, the box that the Kindle Touch comes in doesn’t have room for the charger. So now you have to carry two things around when you travel. The box and the charger. I’m guessing the earlier Kindles had room in the box for the charger, since they came with one. I don’t know what kindle you’re using, but mine charges in less then a hour. I’ll browse the amazon store, download samples, read them, and buy them if I like in that time/ ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/56 "2012-02-11T15:46:52Z")
> [@ecseas](#): > > I don’t know what kindle you’re using, but mine charges in less then a hour. And it goes about 20 days on a charge, with daily reading. The e-ink system is incredibly efficient. I understand that the LCD variants use a lot more power. But I got my Touch in December and I’ve only charged it twice. I did buy the converter, but I’ve used it more often to charge my Ipod than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/57 "2012-02-12T01:59:49Z")
Incidentally, you will save a lot of battery life by only turning your wireless on when you need it (I typically do so to sync before and after a lengthy bit of reading, since I read on both my Kindle and my iPod) ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381/58 "2012-02-12T04:42:04Z")
For you creative types, there are instructions for a number of different homemade Kindle covers at **[Instructables.com](http://www.instructables.com/id/Fun-easy-to-make-SUPER-BEAUTIFUL-padded-Kindle-co/)** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-is-making-a-fortune-off-kindle-accessories/612381.md?page=2)