If you are a fan of Google products and services you have probably heard of Google eBookstore. It’s a brand-new service that exposes more than 3 million books, many of them free. Learn how to access Google eBookstore from outside the US.
Unfortunately, Google eBooks are currently only available for sale to users located in the United States. If you are located outside the US you are able to read the free books, but you are not allowed to see paid ones.
How to Access Google eBookstore from anywhere
If you want to get in, there is a simple solution. Not the best one, but it works well enough to browse and get a feel for the site, and download ebook previews. It may prove useful to Americans traveling overseas who forget to download their Google ebooks before leaving the US.
1. You need your IP address to appear to be in the US.
There are many hide/change IP solutions but, probably the best one is by connecting to a VPN service. VPNs provide a secure, encrypted pathway/tunnel between you and the company renting the VPN, thus hiding your real IP address.
You can find many VPN services including the ones listed here. If you plan to use it with your iPad make sure the service allows PPTP or L2TP connections.
2. Sign in with your Google account, browse and download previews.
3. The bad news: You can’t buy without a credit card, and it has to be a US credit card.
This solution will get you in, but it won’t allow you pay for ebooks unless you have a US credit card.
Google eBooks plans to expand to other countries during this year, but in the meanwhile, you can use a VPN to completely access (not to buy) the bookstore.
Do you like Google eBookstore? Have you been able to access it from outside the US? Share your thoughts in the comments below.