I hope this type of post is okay. Apologies if it isn’t.
I ordered my first drone from DJI’s online store, but it got returned to the sender by customs. Now I can’t find it in stock at retail stores either. DJI said they’ll resend my order in a few days, but I’m not sure why it would get through this time if it didn’t before. They mentioned something about the DOD CMC list being the reason.
Has anyone else faced this? Any advice or insight would be appreciated. Thanks.
The problem might be that you ordered directly. Buying from a local store or a vendor within your country avoids the customs issue because the product is already imported.
Tallis said:
The problem might be that you ordered directly. Buying from a local store or a vendor within your country avoids the customs issue because the product is already imported.
It seems random. I’ve ordered three different drones directly from DJI in the past few months, and they all arrived from Hong Kong in just a few days. Others seem to run into customs trouble for no obvious reason.
Tallis said:
The problem might be that you ordered directly. Buying from a local store or a vendor within your country avoids the customs issue because the product is already imported.
Does this mean we can’t ship them back for repairs either?
I checked some local stores, including official DJI ones and other electronics retailers, and they seem to have stock available.
Bevin said:
I checked some local stores, including official DJI ones and other electronics retailers, and they seem to have stock available.
Which stores in the US would you suggest?
@Laurel
You can try Walmart, Costco, or Best Buy. If you have a Costco membership, that might be the best option.
True said:
@Laurel
You can try Walmart, Costco, or Best Buy. If you have a Costco membership, that might be the best option.
Sam’s Club doesn’t carry DJI drones anymore. Costco has the Mini 4 Pro, but only for delivery. It feels like some retailers are already preparing for potential bans.
@Laurel
I got mine from Best Buy. Amazon is also a good option.
@Laurel
I’m not in the US, so I’m not sure. Sorry!
No issues here. I ordered an Air 3S last Friday, and it arrived yesterday in Atlanta.
Graydon said:
No issues here. I ordered an Air 3S last Friday, and it arrived yesterday in Atlanta.
Did you order directly from DJI?
Graydon said:
No issues here. I ordered an Air 3S last Friday, and it arrived yesterday in Atlanta.
Did you order directly from DJI?
Yep, directly from their store. Shipped out of Hong Kong.
This kind of issue doesn’t usually happen with drones under 250g.
Ari said:
This kind of issue doesn’t usually happen with drones under 250g.
The one I ordered is a DJI Mini 4 Pro, so it’s under 250g.
Ari said:
This kind of issue doesn’t usually happen with drones under 250g.
What’s the difference, if you don’t mind me asking? With packaging and everything, wouldn’t it weigh more than 250g?
Edit: Sorry if I missed something obvious.
@Finlo
Drones under 250g don’t require FAA registration, but I don’t know if that affects customs. I’m not an expert though.
Laurel said:
@Finlo
Drones under 250g don’t require FAA registration, but I don’t know if that affects customs. I’m not an expert though.
Good point, I was wondering the same thing.
Where I am in India, buying from stores is straightforward. Ordering online, though, is a pain. Customs here make it worse with the high taxes on electronics, including DJI drones.