ZDNETAfter all the chaos we have seen in the Kindle world over the last week, I've noticed that there tend to be two types of reactions from users.The first reaction is that some people want to move off the Kindle platform as quickly as possible. Their whole interest is setting up a new reading environment where ebook ownership means having all their books' files on backup media somewhere. The second reaction, fueled by either old Kindle devices or unregistered Kindle devices, is the desire to get a new Kindle. As part of the bulk download process many of us went through before Amazon cut off that ability, my wife realized that although she has three devices, the newest Kindle she owns is a Paperwhite she bought back in 2012. Also: Want free ebooks? These 10 sites offer thousands of optionsHer favorite device, the large-format Kindle DX, can no longer load Kindle books because it lacks connectivity to Amazon. We tried registering an old Kindle Keyboard from 2010. Even though it has Wi-Fi connectivity, the security protocols in that machine are so out of date that it wouldn't authenticate with Amazon. This article is for those with active Kindle libraries or those who want to get started in the Kindle ecosystem. As it turns out, if you want to buy a new Kindle, there are a number of ways you can save big on the purchase. First, I'll show you the ways you can save. Then, I'll build a couple of configurations, and we'll do some math on the savings. 1. Save 20% with trade-in (plus bonus bucks) Amazon has an offer where you can trade in an old device and get a 20% discount -- plus a few bucks for your old device. Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNETAmazon has a full page of details and a fairly comprehensive set of terms and conditions. There are a few very interesting details that pertain to this deal: The trade-in doesn't have to be Kindle-for-Kindle. You can trade in Kindles, but you can also trade in old Echo devices and a variety of other devices that aren't even Amazon-branded.Your device must be unregistered and unlocked when you trade it in. That means that devices that won't sustain registering (like our old Kindles) are eligible, as long as they can take and hold a charge.You get the value of the trade-in returned as a gift card. This is entirely separate from the 20% discount.You can only get one 20% discount via a trade-in per calendar quarter. This is March. So if you buy now, presumably you can trade in something else next month in April. Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNETAs you can see, my account has a few Echos on it that are eligible for trade-in. They're only worth five bucks on their own, but five bucks is five bucks. Also: How to easily convert EPUB files to Kindle format in minutes Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNETYou can trade in a bunch of device types, including most Amazon devices, as well as mobile phones and gaming consoles. 2. Save 10% for using an Amazon credit card Some Kindle devices will also give you a 10% return when a purchase is charged to a Prime Visa card. Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNETNote that there's also a "Save $40" notation on this price block. That's not all that useful. It turns out that if you buy two Kindle Scribes at once, then you get an extra $40 back. I guess, if you're buying for your whole family, it might add some value, but it's not all that practical for most folks. Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET 3. Three months of Kindle Unlimited worth $36 This deal is also only on select Kindle devices and really only provides a dollar savings if (a) you're already a Kindle Unlimited user and (b) you time your purchase just right. Kindle Unlimited is $11.99 per month. On some devices, you can get three free months of Kindle Unlimited when you buy the device. If you cancel your current Kindle Unlimited subscription and then get the three free months, you'll net a savings of $36. Also: How to add EPUB, MOBI, and PDF files to your Kindle - no converting requiredThe timing factor is you'll need to cancel Kindle Unlimited the month before you buy the new Kindle so your billing period is completed on Kindle Unlimited before you get the three free months. For our scenarios below, we'll assume you got the timing right. Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNETBe careful here. It looks like if you choose the free three months of Kindle Unlimited, the 20% trade-in option goes away. So you're choosing one or the other. 4. Save $20 with lockscreen ads With some Kindles, Amazon gives you the option to accept ads on the Kindle lock screen. If you do so, you'll save $20. When I bought my base-model Kindle last month, I opted for the cheapest I could find, which cost $109. Without ads, it would have cost $129.The ads aren't particularly bothersome or egregious, so it was a pretty worthwhile deal for me. 5. Buy a bundle and save on accessories AmazonSome Kindle deals include bundles with a case and a power adapter. Bundle deals do increase your overall cost a bit, but if you want everything included in the bundle, you can save a few dollars over buying them all separately.Also: This clever Kindle trick lets you download 25 books at once - but it's riskyBundles do change all the time. Earlier this week, when I was planning this article, there was a Kindle Scribe bundle with a wireless charger. Now, there's only one with a USB adapter. Three savings scenarios In this section, we'll look at three Kindle purchases and see how much value we can get from the various deals we've discussed. Base-model KindleThis device starts out at $129.99 Save $20 with lock screen adsSave $35.97 with the Kindle Unlimited dealNet cost of base-model Kindle: $74.02Net savings: $55.97For a device that's a little more than a hundred bucks, saving $55 is not bad. Not bad at all. Kindle PaperwhiteThis device starts out at $179.99 Save $20 on lock screen adsSave 20% (on $159.99, ads version) with trade-in ($31.99)Get back $5 for trading in an old Echo DotNet cost of Paperwhite: $123.00Net savings: $56.99Note that I opted to do the trade-in instead of the Kindle Unlimited deal. I am pretty sure most of you would do the same. Kindle Scribe 64GB bundleThis maxed-out bundle starts at a whopping $479.97. The 64GB Scribe on its own, without the case, is $449.99. Save 20% with trade-in ($95.99)Get 10% back for using Prime Visa card ($47.99)Get back $5 for trading in an old Echo DotSave $69.99 on the included caseOut-of-pocket cost of Kindle Scribe and case: $330.99Net savings over 64GB Scribe (without case): $119You'll note that I didn't ascribe any savings to the USB adapter included in the bundle. Most of us have them, and USB adapters should be included in devices costing almost $500. So I didn't try to price out a USB adapter. But still, buying and maximizing all the options mean that you can get a top-model Kindle Scribe with a Plant-Based Leather Folio Cover for $330.99. Just to be clear, a plant-based leather folio cover is not leather. That's like saying my plate of carrots is a plant-based steak. No. No, it's not. I was curious what the net cost would be for a 16GB instead of the 64GB Scribe bundle. Here's how that plays out. The 16GB bundle starts at $434.97. The non-bundle 16GB Scribe is $399.99. You can buy last generation's 16GB Scribe for $339.99, but we're focused only on current models here. So, let's look at the numbers for the 16GB model: Save 20% with trade-in ($86.99)Get 10% back for using Prime Visa card ($43.49)Get back $5 for trading in an old Echo DotSave $69.99 on the included caseOut-of-pocket cost of Kindle Scribe and case: $299.49Net savings over 16GB Scribe (without case): $100.50The bottom line is there's only a $31 premium when buying the 64GB version over the 16GB version. For four times the storage, that's a good enough deal. Bang for your buck Note that these deals can and most likely will change over time. The key takeaway from this article, beyond saving bucks right now, is that you should really carefully read the offers because there might be interesting deals that can net you more device for your buck. One other quick note: Amazon does have a refurb store where you can buy old or returned devices at a discount. This article covers deals on new devices, but you might want to check it out if you want a deal and you're willing to accept open-box inventory. Are you considering upgrading to a new Kindle, or are you sticking with your current device? Have you taken advantage of Amazon's trade-in program or other savings tricks? Which Kindle model do you think offers the best value? Do you think the savings strategies mentioned here are worth the effort? Let us know in the comments below. You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly update newsletter, and follow me on Twitter/X at @DavidGewirtz, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, on Bluesky at @DavidGewirtz.com, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.ZDNET Recommends