Amazon listing for Air 3S

[wco81]

I don't know how long they've listed it but it's there now.

HOWEVER, some of the SKUs, the FMC with the RC2, isn't available until February or you order it now, you have to wait 3-4 weeks for shipment.

So I guess they're ordering through DJI and may still run into customs issues?

But just the aircraft, they say it would be delivered within a week whereas the $1399 FMC would be 1-2 weeks.

 

[mavic3usa]

Pardon me but I believe you are looking at active listings from primarily 2 sellers who happen to post their goods on amazon.com: Adorama and WHSJMC.

The two Air 3S packages sold by Amazon appear to be "temporarily out of stock" and while you can order them, Amazon will let you know when they become available to ship. While I don't know for sure, I believe you still need to wait until Amazon receives their DJI shipment to land in the US and likely won't be simply passing your order thru to China for you to deal with customs. there are several good reasons for the amazon options.

Adorama is a popular drone seller and they seem to have just received their Air 3S shipments from DJI. All drones comes from China and while I don't direct experience with Adorama, it is likely they only have a few dozen in stock which they can dispatch to you right away without having to order it for you thru DJI or going thru customs. Usually the bigger resellers will only sell drones to which which they have in their own inventory and generally do not pass thru your order; you will see them listed as "backordered" or "coming soon." You can order directly thru them if you don't want to use amazon: https://www.adorama.com/l/Drones-and-Accessories/Drones

WHSJC is a Chinese seller, you can just consider them to be like aliexpress. You are ordering and shipping directly from China, there is very little amazon involved here except "customer service." No idea how or where they get their drones from.

 

[wco81]

Has all DJI drones been going through this kind of timeline, available only directly from DJI for several months before it's available immediately in Amazon?

Was the Air 3 or the Avata 2 like this?

Air 3S was released on October 15th so we're now approaching 3 months.

 

[mavic3usa]

Has all DJI drones been going through this kind of timeline, available only directly from DJI for several months before it's available immediately in Amazon?

Was the Air 3 or the Avata 2 like this?

Air 3S was released on October 15th so we're now approaching 3 months.

No sir, all of this is relatively new. For the most part, DJI.com will get the drone first but launch day is important for DJI to line up key retailers and in many cases, stock has been held in position waiting for launch day (ideally). In the past, we've even had pre-orders and you were given a date ahead of time in which your drone would be released.

Those days are gone.

 

[tedurquhart]

I don't know how long they've listed it but it's there now.

HOWEVER, some of the SKUs, the FMC with the RC2, isn't available until February or you order it now, you have to wait 3-4 weeks for shipment.

So I guess they're ordering through DJI and may still run into customs issues?

But just the aircraft, they say it would be delivered within a week whereas the $1399 FMC would be 1-2 weeks.

Ordered the 3S (Fly More w RC2) through DJI website 12/16/24 and it arrived in 4 days, shipped from overseas. Free shipping, not tax.

 

[JJR]

Ordered the 3S (Fly More w RC2) through DJI website 12/16/24 and it arrived in 4 days, shipped from overseas. Free shipping, not tax.

I ordered from DJI directly a few months ago and received my Air 3S Fly More in 4 days.

The DJI website showed a longer wait.

 

[bcfd29]

Pardon me but I believe you are looking at active listings from primarily 2 sellers who happen to post their goods on amazon.com: Adorama and WHSJMC.

The two Air 3S packages sold by Amazon appear to be "temporarily out of stock" and while you can order them, Amazon will let you know when they become available to ship. While I don't know for sure, I believe you still need to wait until Amazon receives their DJI shipment to land in the US and likely won't be simply passing your order thru to China for you to deal with customs. there are several good reasons for the amazon options.

Adorama is a popular drone seller and they seem to have just received their Air 3S shipments from DJI. All drones comes from China and while I don't direct experience with Adorama, it is likely they only have a few dozen in stock which they can dispatch to you right away without having to order it for you thru DJI or going thru customs. Usually the bigger resellers will only sell drones to which which they have in their own inventory and generally do not pass thru your order; you will see them listed as "backordered" or "coming soon." You can order directly thru them if you don't want to use amazon: https://www.adorama.com/l/Drones-and-Accessories/Drones

WHSJC is a Chinese seller, you can just consider them to be like aliexpress. You are ordering and shipping directly from China, there is very little amazon involved here except "customer service." No idea how or where they get their drones from.

 

[bcfd29]

Adorama is a top notch supplier of pro/pro-sumer photo gear and related equipment, I have used them extensively and are a safe vendor. They offer a wide selection of quality gear, good prices, and prompt delivery (and stand behind what they sell). If the choice was between an established vendor and an unknown, I prefer to err on the side of caution.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Just checked, Adorama has them in stock, 2-day shipping

 

[Bad Santa]

The thing about buying from Amazon is many sellers will use the exact same listing.
So, it looks like it's being sold BY Amazon when really it's being sold THROUGH Amazon.
The difference is Amazon is utilizing it's internal inventory system. If they don't have it, they don't list it from them.
However, retailers selling THROUGH Amazon are often acting as drop shippers. They don't necessarily have the item. They can just order it through their sources and they all share sources.
And then, of course, there are the scammers.

 

[wco81]

Well the one listing I saw said DJI Store.

So that made it sound like it's DJI's listing, not some third-party seller.

 

[Bad Santa]

Well the one listing I saw said DJI Store.

So that made it sound like it's DJI's listing, not some third-party seller.

Yup. So did the one I ordered from. But it was some drop shipper in China. I'm still looking at the shipping details that say it was shipped but it hasn't had an update since Christmas Eve.

 

[mavic3usa]

The thing about buying from Amazon is many sellers will use the exact same listing.
So, it looks like it's being sold BY Amazon when really it's being sold THROUGH Amazon.
The difference is Amazon is utilizing it's internal inventory system. If they don't have it, they don't list it from them.
However, retailers selling THROUGH Amazon are often acting as drop shippers. They don't necessarily have the item. They can just order it through their sources and they all share sources.
And then, of course, there are the scammers.

Each listing is clearly marked with "Sold by" and "Shipped from"labels. It is impossible for a seller to disguise their listing on amazon.com but I do agree it is confusing to some. While it is true that some sellers deliver their inventory to amazon where it may sit in an amazon warehouse (among other similar items) and when a buyer orders the product, the product is fulfilled (Shipped from) Amazon, the product will be noted as (Sold by) the actual seller such as "Southwest Desert Drones." Having your inventory fulfilled by Amazon (or as you call it "they don't necessarily have the item") has many advantages including faster delivery.

As you know there is only one source for DJI drones and that's DJI China. I'm not exactly sure how you are using the term THROUGH because although there are *some* products that aren't sold by a 3rd party but shipped from Amazon (thus possibly taking advantage of the co-mingled inventory you mentioned). Usually it is "Shipped from" and "Sold by" the same seller. Ultimately it doesn't matter because as we all know, *all* DJI drones come from DJI China. And fortunately it's not going to be possible for scammers to take advantage of this setup.

When you see DJI drones in these weird package configurations containing extras like landing pads, and filters, and cases those are not usually shipped from Amazon. There are advantages to buying off amazon.com as opposed to the seller's website which is why this is done but it's usually at the "inexpensive product" level.

Well the one listing I saw said DJI Store.

So that made it sound like it's DJI's listing, not some third-party seller.

Please note there is a link to DJI store that says "Visit the DJI Store." It's just a link and it shows up all over the DJI drone pages and since it's a virtual store, it has no direct relationship to DJI. I understand it can be confusing and I don't know why Amazon has it but ultimately no one should be confused in the end if they just look for the "Shipped from" and the "Sold by" indicators on the exact product they intend to purchase. Unlike on Ebay, DJI China does not have a presence on Amazon. They don't need it because their drones are shipped from *and* sold by Amazon.com and almost always at the same price so there's absolutely no need for DJI to manage or compete in the [amazon] channel. It is true that you won't always find all DJI package offerings (and accessories) on Amazon.com (I'm sure they pick and choose) so you may need to visit dji.com for those.

B&H Photo has a no-nonsense website that is easy to read and understand and they don't sell product they don't have. Plus, if you are a cardholder, you can have them pay your sales tax for you. I use them often, they ship quickly, and I suggest you give them a try.

 

[Cltmte]

I did see Adorama has them in stock. I am on my second try to get a 3s. First was with DJI. Got caught in ny customs and shipped back. Finally got my refund from DJI. Ordered a new one from DronePilot since they seemed to be able to get them thru customs. Mine has been in buffalo waiting customs processing since 12/18. Still waiting. Could get one in 2 days from adorama if I knew my disposition or had a refund. Oh well! Too bad this whole thing is so inconsistent on enforcement or non enforcement

 

[GadgetGuy]

Yup. So did the one I ordered from. But it was some drop shipper in China. I'm still looking at the shipping details that say it was shipped but it hasn't had an update since Christmas Eve.

Is the shipping detail a USPS tracking number from China that has never been received by the US post Office? That's what the Chinese scammer on Amazon did to me! Took 4 weeks and 10 phone calls and 5 hours on the phone with Amazon to finally get my refund, despite the fact that Amazon knew they were a scammer the day after I placed my order because they pulled the listing. Then, Amazon had the gall to state on the complaint I filed against the seller that "the fulfillment issues with the order were not the fault of the seller!" Six other complaints about the seller said the exact same thing I did, and Amazon did a strike through over their complaints, too, with the same identical "the fulfillment issues with the order were not the fault of the seller!" This appeared over my complaint within minutes of my review! Amazon is in cahoots with these scammers! Beware!

 

[Ayak]

I was lucky. I ordered the combo with RC2 directly from Adorama on Saturday (it was there briefly on Amazon for awhile too) and it’s said to be shipping out today, 2-day air (UPS).
And can’t say enough nice as well about B&H, they shipped out the wide angle lens the same day I ordered it.

 

[Calson]

The Mini 4 Pro kit has been on backorder everywhere. I ordered one from DJI directly on Dec 22 and it arrived at my home on Dec 24. Free shipping and no customs issues for fees.

With Amazon lots of used gear sold as new and no warranty coverage.

 

[djidronestele]

Pardon me but I believe you are looking at active listings from primarily 2 sellers who happen to post their goods on amazon.com: Adorama and WHSJMC.

The two Air 3S packages sold by Amazon appear to be "temporarily out of stock" and while you can order them, Amazon will let you know when they become available to ship. While I don't know for sure, I believe you still need to wait until Amazon receives their DJI shipment to land in the US and likely won't be simply passing your order thru to China for you to deal with customs. there are several good reasons for the amazon options.

Adorama is a popular drone seller and they seem to have just received their Air 3S shipments from DJI. All drones comes from China and while I don't direct experience with Adorama, it is likely they only have a few dozen in stock which they can dispatch to you right away without having to order it for you thru DJI or going thru customs. Usually the bigger resellers will only sell drones to which which they have in their own inventory and generally do not pass thru your order; you will see them listed as "backordered" or "coming soon." You can order directly thru them if you don't want to use amazon: https://www.adorama.com/l/Drones-and-Accessories/Drones

WHSJC is a Chinese seller, you can just consider them to be like aliexpress. You are ordering and shipping directly from China, there is very little amazon involved here except "customer service." No idea how or where they get their drones from.

Hello

I usually get my drones and accessories from

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So far they have never failed me.

 

[CraigVMN]

Meanwhile, has anyone in our government offered up any proof that DJI drones are spying on U.S.?

 

[cneedelman]

I ordered an Air 3s from DJI just after Christmas, I wanted to write it off in 2024 so I couldn't wait for it to be in stock at retailers. It shipped right away. UPS is handling the delivery and informed me via a phone call that they needed a tax ID or SSN to clear customs, as items that are made in China or Great Britain are subject to section 301 duties. I was reluctant to give that info to an unknown over the phone. The person said I could hang up and look up the phone number for UPS and call in. After being transferred a few times, I got to the international division and was told they weren't allowed to accept that personal info over the phone and would send me an email that I could reply to with my SSN.
I got the email which said that I should reply to all 4 addresses which concerned me once again, even tho they were all ups.com addresses. I then got another phone call from UPS, letting me know that I needed to respond to the email. At that point I just decided to give it to the person over the phone. We'll see... Just got an email that said it cleared customs and delivery is scheduled for Monday.