Hey everyone, just wondering why drones seem to get held up at so many stops when shipping through the US? It seems like every time they hit a new checkpoint, there’s a delay. Is this normal?
Probably has to do with the whole nuclear weapons and China situation. They’re being extra careful not to let anything sketchy through.
Jamie said:
Probably has to do with the whole nuclear weapons and China situation. They’re being extra careful not to let anything sketchy through.
Jamie said:
Probably has to do with the whole nuclear weapons and China situation. They’re being extra careful not to let anything sketchy through.
It’s happened before! By the way, did you get your refund yet?
@Jamie
Not yet. My drone shipped on the 5th and got here a few days ago. It already cleared customs in Alaska. It doesn’t need to be checked again, right?
Remy said:
@Jamie
Not yet. My drone shipped on the 5th and got here a few days ago. It already cleared customs in Alaska. It doesn’t need to be checked again, right?
If it cleared in Anchorage, you should be good to go!
@Jamie
Awesome! I’m pretty excited. I ordered the Mini 4 Pro Fly More combo.
@Jamie
Almost canceled my order to get the Air 3, but I’m glad I didn’t with all the reports of people having issues getting those in the US.
I started a thread about this too. My drone is stuck in the same location. DJI called me and offered a refund because it’s not clearing customs in Kentucky.
Miller said:
I started a thread about this too. My drone is stuck in the same location. DJI called me and offered a refund because it’s not clearing customs in Kentucky.
That’s strange because mine already cleared customs. It went from China to Alaska to Kentucky. Does it have to go through customs again?
@Remy
Alaska is just the port of entry. The actual customs clearance happens in Kentucky. Mine was cleared, then pulled back in again.
Miller said:
@Remy
Alaska is just the port of entry. The actual customs clearance happens in Kentucky. Mine was cleared, then pulled back in again.
Ahh, I see now. I thought Alaska was the customs clearance. Thanks for explaining! Hopefully we both get what we’re waiting for soon.
@Remy
From what I’ve seen, it’s mostly the Kentucky office causing these delays. I think what’s happening is US drone companies are lobbying hard against DJI. They’ve been pushing bills to block DJI products, especially for government use, citing things like slave labor. It’s hypocritical, though, because iPhones, which also have major labor issues, get through customs without a problem.
@Miller
Makes a lot of sense. Politicians really don’t have the moral high ground here. The iPhone example is so on point—it’s ridiculous (and not in a funny way).
Remy said:
@Miller
Makes a lot of sense. Politicians really don’t have the moral high ground here. The iPhone example is so on point—it’s ridiculous (and not in a funny way).
Exactly. Congress is working on a bill to ban DJI products for government use, even at the state level. If passed, DJI drones would be limited to recreational and some commercial use. Meanwhile, customs is holding products until DJI proves they weren’t made with forced labor. It’s chaos. Some customs offices let them through, others don’t. It’s just all over the place.
@Miller
That’s wild and kind of exciting at the same time .
Remy said:
@Miller
That’s wild and kind of exciting at the same time
I’m all for supporting US drone companies, but right now, none of them can compete with DJI. Either they’re way more expensive, only for commercial use, or always backordered. It’s frustrating.
Miller said:
I started a thread about this too. My drone is stuck in the same location. DJI called me and offered a refund because it’s not clearing customs in Kentucky.
I saw your post! I ended up getting the Mini 4 Pro Fly More kit.
It’s probably just moving through different shipping offices. The drone only goes through customs once when it first enters the US. After that, it’s just being processed and sent on its way.
Dell said:
It’s probably just moving through different shipping offices. The drone only goes through customs once when it first enters the US. After that, it’s just being processed and sent on its way.
Ahh, that makes sense. I thought it was being inspected at every stop, which seemed weird. This is my first time ordering something over $1,000 from overseas, so I wasn’t aware of how it works. The tax ID process was new to me too but easy enough to handle.