DJI Mini SE Found in California near a Lake...

[LoudThunder]

I was on eBay and found this listing, the seller found a DJI Mini SE while hiking around a lake in California in May. The seller lists the serial number as 4CQCJ970031J7V. If you lost your drone and this is it, the $50 selling price might be considered a "Cheap Finder's Fee."

eBay Listing: DJI Mini SE Drone 249s Quadcopter with Camera Battery SD Card FOR PARTS ONLY

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

..
Depending on which way the wind strength and direction it was blowing, it could have come from 100 miles away in any direction, ha ha.

Wonder if the seller will 'qualify' any buyer by asking for an approx found location though ??

Looks fairly ok from the pics, might have forced landed into the bushes.

To find out what really happened, upload the log and . . . uh, oh yeah, lol

 

[LoudThunder]

Wonder if the seller will 'qualify' any buyer by asking for an approx found location though ??

I just saw the ad, but my guess is that the seller is only looking to sell it, make some money... You know, "Finders Keepers, Looses Weepers... The real way to qualify the buyer would have been to only give part of the serial number and ask for the missing numbers...

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I just saw the ad, but my guess is that the seller is only looking to sell it, make some money... You know, "Finders Keepers, Looses Weepers... The real way to qualify the buyer would have been to only give part of the serial number and ask for the missing numbers...

Yeah, obvious they're not looking to find the owner.
Still $50 hardly worth any effort, but double that value in karma actually trying to find an owner first.
Ah well, 'tisn't a Cine at least.

 

[LoudThunder]

For those members who might someday be in this same situation, here is an update. I wrote to DJI and asked them if they had this Drone registered and if they could notify the owner it had been found and was available on eBay. The eBay sale price and the Care Refresh Replacement price is cheaper that a Fly Away Replacement Price.

Just to be clear, I am not the one who found the Drone nor am I the one selling it; I just saw it on line and if my drone had gotten lost, I would want to know that I might be able to recover it. My Mini 2 is registered with the FAA and that information and my home phone number is on a label on my Drone thanks to the Pilot Institute's Free Labels…

Pilot Institute's Free Drone Registration Stickers

Here is the Email that I quickly received back from DJI; they did check… I do not understand that the link to the eBay sale did not work for them, it worked again for me…

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

..
Link is still there for me too, possibly their govco may have it blocked (ebay) as a sort of reciprocal political thing ?
Lot of petty stuff going on since that ridiculous tiktok thing (of course tiktok is about as ridiculous as one can get too).

Anyway, pretty good that DJI will contact the owner if a stolen drone is sent in for service.
Not sure where it'd go from there though.

Very often a found item kept is considered a case of being stolen in many countries or state jurisdictions, if not handed into authorities, and / or steps first taken to find the rightful owner.

 

[LoudThunder]

Great News, DJI Found the Original Owner (OO) and it proves that it works to contact DJI directly…

I contacted DJI Support and wrote them that I saw this auction on eBay. I knew the Mini SE could not be that old as they have only been for sale for a short while. I also thought that the drone might have been covered by Care Refresh and the original owner might have collected under the Fly Away clause, or perhaps, the were still going out each week to try and find their missing bird before filing a claim.

After I contacted DJI, they searched their database and found the original owner and notified them about the sale.

Now, it's up to the OO to determine if they want to contact the seller and ask for it back or bid on the bird, hoping to win as the claim for a damaged bird is only a fraction of a Fly Away.

One final note, the seller said there were no markings on the drone and that is why they listed the serial number.

Moral: If you do not want anyone to attempt to contact you that they found your lost bird, then do not put your name and phone number on it… NOT!

My Mini 2 carries one of the Pilot Institute's Free Labels with my FAA Registration Number and home phone number… YES!

 

[LoudThunder]

As a final posting on this Lost Drone, I do not know if the Original Owner ever got ahold of the seller, nor if they bid on the auction to recover their drone, but it sold for $123.50…

 

[TheSnowyPilot]

I got here late but I really hope the poor person who lost that drone got it back. I have the drones I use CAA labelled and files on the SD card with my information and a plea that they contact me if ever one of them were to be found.
Must really suck losing a DJI drone, the only one I ever lost was £20 (from what I found about it after) piece of garbage, for which I am incredibly thankful.

 

[LoudThunder]

I have the drones I use CAA labelled and files on the SD card with my information and a plea that they contact me if ever one of them were to be found.

I've written about it before: I just do not understand why folks who spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on a Drone, not put their contact information on it. You know; at least Your Phone Number…

For members in the USA, I acquired really nice, high quality stickers for FREE with my information on the labels: FAA Registration Number and my Phone Number, from the "Pilot Institute", their YouTube Video is:

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and their Web Site to order is:

Free Drone Registration Stickers

So, to all who have yet to put their "mark" on their drone, why don't you take the time now to put a label on your Drone. At least then, if you are reviewing the "Lost & Found Mavics" section on the Forum, it's because you've found a Drone, not lost one…

Happy Droning and Fly Safe…