New unboxed or never flown unregistered dji drones....

[Mark M]

I've had my Spark for a year now, love it, but have the itch for something with greater 'bandwidth'. Started eyeing up the Mavic Pro.

Over the last few weeks I have been looking on facebook marketplace. There are several ads out there for the MP. Odd thing, there are several that list the drone as 'never flow new in box' or unregistered with full dji warranty'.

So what does that mean? Who buys a DJI drone new only to sell it reduced on facebook new and never used? and what's up with the unregistered claims?

At first glance it feels like a scam. Oddly there are 3 or 4 of these listings in a 100 mile radius of my location.

 

[Andre Levite]

Is the savings worth the risk?

Facebook is a crapshoot. You could get lucky with a good deal or you could get ripped off just as easily.

In my experience a scammer won't meet you face to face. Or they will completely change the nature of the deal when you contact them.

If you're gonna do this I'd confirm the original terms in writing (email or text) and insist on meeting at a neutral public location. Most scammers aren't very good at it at and it becomes obvious during the conversation.

I prefer the peace of mind and confidence with a verified seller or a face to face meeting -- even if it costs a bit more.

Keep us posted.

 

[JoeDimwit]

I purchased my Mavic 2 Pro new, unopened off Craigslist. When I was talking to the seller, I told him that I would need to open the box and attempt to activate the drone before I would give him the cash. Yes, I showed him the money, but I wasn’t about to pay for a box of bricks.

If I had it to do over again, I would have requested that we meet at a police station for improved security.

 

[Mark M]

Thanks for the info Joe. Where are these facebook and craigslist people getting new unopened DJI products? If they bought them legit why not return to the retailer for full refund?

 

[JoeDimwit]

Thanks for the info Joe. Where are these facebook and craigslist people getting new unopened DJI products? If they bought them legit why not return to the retailer for full refund?

The guy I purchased mine from had an unexpected expense come up, and he needed the money that day. Or at least that’s the story he gave me.

 

[Eljay]

Fell off the back of a truck.

 

[Andre Levite]

The guy I purchased mine from had an unexpected expense come up, and he needed the money that day. Or at least that’s the story he gave me.

I guess the OP has 4 people in his areas with "unexpected expenses" before they opened the box and couldn't return it to the store. Scammers always have a convoluted back story

Sounds highly suspicious

When you spend $800+ on a drone you don't put it in the closet unopened... You open it and fly it ASAP

 

[Eljay]

Yeah, the two options are either a) it's stolen or b) box of bricks.

 

[Akuen_527]

Yeah, the two options are either a) it's stolen or b) box of bricks.

Agreed, but until DJI adds a offline find my drone, or a way to report them stolen there really is no way to know for sure. I'm sure plenty of us take out our drones and leave them on a park bench for just a second while we look at the dog, kid or anything else that distracts your attention, someone nefarious happens to walk by boom drone gone, they can fly it 2 miles away and you the original owner would have no way of knowing.

A lot of the deals I came across also seemed very sketch, so I do think drones are a target for thieves, even more so than phones etc since at least an iphone can be remotely locked/erased if stolen. Not so for our stuff.