I promise: it is not a goal of mine in life to become known as Crazy Eddie, or Crazy Steve, or Crazy Anybody.
But you may have noticed that we’re really getting a kick out of these Kindle give-away sweepstakes that we have been having. So far during the month of May we have given away two Kindle 3Gs and two Kindle gift certificates ($100 and $50), and we’re just getting warmed up.
We’ve just opened up a new Kindle Nation Sweepstakes in which we will be giving away a brand new Kindle Tablet when it is launched … sometime this year!
That’s right: Amazon hasn’t even announced or launched the Kindle Tablet yet, and we are giving one away — as soon as Amazon announces it (or when our Sweepstakes closes on June 21, 2011, whichever comes later). You can enter and read all the rules by clicking on this link — http://bit.ly/Win-a-Kindle-Tablet. (There’s a screenshot of the entry form at the right, but to actually fill out the entry form you will have to click on it or on http://bit.ly/Win-a-Kindle-Tablet and check to make sure that you “Like” our Kindle Nation Facebook page.)
And just in case you don’t win, every entrant will also be added to a notification list so we can alert you when the new Kindle Tablet is officially announced and available for order.
And one more thing – please share this news on your Facebook page and tell your friends, family, colleagues, and the guy sitting next to you on the train and trying to read your Kindle book over your shoulder, because we promise to hold another Kindle Tablet giveaway if we reach 5,000 entries in this one!
Here’s the small print in which we discuss tiny little details like what we will do if Amazon doesn’t actually launch a new Kindle Tablet device by the week before Christmas.
Official Rules: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MANY WILL ENTER, ONE WILL WIN.
1. How to Enter: This is an online sweepstakes only, sponsored by Kindle Nation. The Sweepstakes is open to new or existing fans of Kindle Nation’s page and is administered entirely within an appropriate App created for this purpose. To become (or verify your status as) a fan of Kindle Nation, go to www.Facebook.com/KindleNation and “like” the page if you have not already done so. To enter the sweepstakes, submit your name, email address and birthday as indicated on the entry form. Merely liking or becoming a fan of Kindle Nation, commenting on its page, or sending an email message of your interest does not constitute entry into or participation in this sweepstakes. Sweepstakes entry is limited to one entry per person and no more than one entry per email address. Submission of multiple entries may result in disqualification from the sweepstakes. Sponsor will not verify receipt of entries. Automated entries are prohibited, and any use of such automated devices or programs in association with this Sweepstakes will cause disqualification. Sponsor and its advertising and promotion agencies are not responsible for lost, late, illegible, misdirected or stolen entries or transmissions, or problems of any kind whether mechanical, human or electronic.
2. Eligibility: Open to residents of all countries except: Belgium, Norway, Sweden, India, Côte d’Ivoire/Ivory Coast, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Myanmar, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. If you win and you reside in a country where Amazon does not ship the base Kindle Tablet Device, you will receive an Amazon Gift Card in lieu of the base Kindle Tablet Device. Participants must be 18 years of age or older. Employees of Kindle Nation and its affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, the judging organization, and immediate families in the same household are not eligible. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. This promotion shall only be construed and evaluated according to United States law. You are not authorized to participate in the Sweepstakes if you are located within and a legal resident of Belgium, Norway, Sweden, India, Côte d’Ivoire/Ivory Coast, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Myanmar, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Puerto Rico or any other place where the Sweepstakes is prohibited or restricted by law.
3. Prizes: See section 4 for prize details and value of the prize being offered. Odds of winning the prize depend on number of eligible entries received. Value of the prize is estimated at between $200 and $750. The prize cannot be transferred or substituted except at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor will pay any sales tax due for domestic delivery in the United States, not to exceed 10 percent of the value of the prize; otherwise prize winners are responsible for all taxes and import duties. Neither Sponsor nor its affiliates or subsidiaries will be responsible for any loss, liability or damages arising out of the winner’s acceptance or use of the prize.
4. Drawing and Awarding of Prizes: Winner will be determined by a random drawing from all eligible entries received online per the drawing schedule outlined. The winners will be notified by email from kindlenation@gmail.com and must respond directly via email to kindlenation@gmail.com within 24 hours to receive the winning prize. If a potential winner cannot be contacted within 24 hours of first attempt, prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected. There is one prize, total value estimated at between $200 and $750, consisting of a base model Kindle Tablet electronic device, which the sponsor expects to be manufactured and offered for sale by Amazon.com at some unknown time in 2011. If a base model Kindle Tablet electronic device is not manufactured and offered for sale by Amazon.com by December 18, 2011, the sponsor will allow the winner to substitute any existing Kindle product valued at $400 or less, or an Amazon.com gift certificate for $400. The phrase “base model Kindle Tablet electronic device” herein refers to the lowest-priced Kindle Tablet electronic device offered by Amazon at time of the device’s launch announcement. The winning prize will be shipped to the winner directly from Amazon.com at the sponsor’s expense, and the winner will have sole discretion as to whether she wishes to return the prize either for an account credit or for an upgrade to a higher-priced model.
5. Notification of Winners. Winners will be notified by email using the email address with which they have entered the sweepstakes. Email notification will come from kindlenation@gmail.com.
It is the sole responsibility of each participant to ensure that they will be able to receive, read, and respond to email notifications from kindlenation@gmail.com in a timely fashion.
6. Waiver of Responsibility or Liability. As a condition of entry and participation each entrant or participant releases Facebook and Kindle Nation from any and all responsibility or liability in association with the sweepstakes promotion and acknowledges that this sweepstakes promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. Entrants or participants are providing contact and entry information only to the sponsor, Kindle Nation, and to the company administering the sweepstakes, and not to Facebook.
DISCLOSURE: All entries will receive a special notification email from Kindle Nation when the Kindle Tablet electronic device is announced and available for order from Amazon.com. All entries will also receive a free subscription to the Kindle Nation email newsletter and/or the BookLending.com email newsletter, from which they may opt out at any time. No other use will be made of participants’ contact and entry information, which will be held confidentially by the sponsor and the company administering the sweepstakes.
writing, the Nook — beginning with that first Kindle 1 for which you may, like me, have paid $399. As you can see at the right, Amazon’s algorithms initially set a “like new” trade-in price of $29 along with $26.25 (Good) or $18.50 (Acceptable), but those didn’t last long. It may be a good indication of how popular the trade-in program is the Kindle 1 trade-in offer has already, as of this morning, fallen to less than half the original levels at $12/$10.75/$7.
As any auto dealer can tell you, there is a tremendous amount of market power involved in having what is effectively a two-way market, and of course Amazon is far more knowledgeable about relative price elasticity and inventory control than most auto dealers and manufacturers have proven themselves to be. For everyone who has been feeling that very common feeling of buyer’s remorse over having purchased less advanced but higher priced models in the past, even the prospect of a nickels-to-dollars trade-in transaction has to sweeten the appeal of purchasing a new Kindle Fire or Kindle Touch.
