DJI, USA Big Box Stores and the Path forward?

[VenomXts]

With latest American Snafu of getting Air3s to big box stores still nill... I don't know what to believe anymore.

Lets, not make this about politics just the facts that we know, we know an Air3s has been blocked by some BS stuff, the lawsuits will take time and my or may not be fruitful...

With the Mavic 4 next year... I just hope DJI gets their ducks in a row to get it into big box stores correctly.... all i know is I'm not sure many of us are willing to take a gamble of ordering direct from DJI in the states for it come next year...

Anyone have any insight or hypothesis's to stir conversation on USA being able to get new drones going forward?

 

[FLDave]

Specifically, what is the BS that has blocked stocking in big box stores?
Why is it a gamble to buy direct from DJI, a well respected business?

 

[VenomXts]

Specifically, what is the BS that has blocked stocking in big box stores?

the charges of stopping imports through customs of child labor being used for the drones is false from everything i have read and political.

Why is it a gamble to buy direct from DJI, a well respected business?

Specifically for Air3s, many members here and others have had theirs caught up in customs and have had to go credit charge back route. DJI ships directly from China, they released passing this custom risk to the customer.... its a gamble getting one in at all let alone quickly.

some smaller shops got stock, and have been successful in being able to sell and deliver so kudos for them.

 

[Cafguy]

Going forward your DJI will cost More....... Drone regulation will get more strict going forward and I think You will see more Minis in the stores. The Mavics days are numbered as a free to use anywhere consumer Drone.
As a recreational flyer you can take you big bird to a regulated field I suppose. Few will want that.
Either we are going to see a huge jump in the number of pilots taking the 107 cert test or a lot less Mavics in the air.
Sales of Drones under 250G are going to take precedence in the Big Box stores in America.

 

[VenomXts]

Going forward your DJI will cost More....... Drone regulation will get more strict going forward and I think You will see more Minis in the stores. The Mavics days are numbered as a free to use anywhere consumer Drone.
As a recreational flyer you can take you big bird to a regulated field I suppose. Few will want that.
Either we are going to see a huge jump in the number of pilots taking the 107 cert test or a lot less Mavics in the air.
Sales of Drones under 250G are going to take precedence in the Big Box stores in America.

I honestly don't think this has anything to do with above or below 250 grams. DJI Mini 5 will most likely have same issue as Mavic 4 or Air 4.

 

[Cafguy]

If customs will stop playing politics and do their Job you may see New Mavics in the Stores. DJI leases all that Big Box Store space So its up to them to fill it with the Drones they feel will sell best here. DJI has given the U.S. Government tons of paperwork to prove that they did not buy components from any region tied to forced labor and have issued a press statement to their consumers:
"DJI does not manufacture anything – in whole or in part – in Xinjiang. DJI has no manufacturing facilities in Xinjiang, nor do we source materials from the region. All of our manufacturing is based in Shenzhen, where our company is headquartered, or Malaysia."
That should be enough.......We will see.

 

[mavic3usa]

Now would be a good time for our friends in the North to setup some type of process for DJI drones to easily cross over the border whether it's by regular supplies to a specific American resellers or if necessary, an "off the record" pipeline akin to a grey market but still quasi-legal. Obviously we don't want to break the law and get busted but since it won't be illegal to possess a DJI drone and it won't be illegal to bring a DJI drone across the border for personal reasons without paying a fee, if it means I have to drive to Canada....I mean, someone please open an export/import drone shop in Niagara Falls or Windsor or Vancouver already!

 

[Cafguy]

I would purchase a Drone from Red Greens Drone emporium!

 

[JimSteadman]

Sooner or later dji will move its manufacturing facility to Viet Nam or some other southeast Asian location and then ship into the US. The market is too lucrative to lose and the folks in charge will figure out a way to continue to tap the market. Perhaps a few hands will be greased in the process, but I doubt they will be undone by clueless bureaucrats.

 

[Capt KO]

A DJI facility in Mexico could fill all the Americas needs and hopefully speed up any customs concerns. Not much help short term but a potential long term one.

 

[mavic3usa]

A DJI facility in Mexico could fill all the Americas needs and hopefully speed up any customs concerns. Not much help short term but a potential long term one.

Been there done that Something tells me shortly that border is going to be closed for *all* traffic (freight and foot) for shorter/longer periods of time such that it would be deemed unreliable and unproductive. It would probably be better to hide a factory somewhere in Peru.

M

Post in thread 'U.S. Customs blocking DJI drone imports'

Oct 17, 2024

well well well, last night DJI truck was spotted trying to sneak drones in thru the border, doesn't surprise me they got caught:

• mavic3usa

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[Mrktn]

Never understand the US dollar pricing. I bought the Air3s fly more combo with RC2 for GBP £1439 and the US$ equivalent is USD 1815. Prices currently considerably lower in reality.

In the UK the price would include 20% VAT. Is taxation less in the US?

 

[Starz]

Is taxation less in the US?

Depends. If I purchase direct from DJI, no tax at all. If I waited until one of the big box stores had supply, tax is between 6 and 8 percent.

 

[Mrktn]

Supply issues aside, considerably less to buy in the United States.

Thanks for the info. Is the 6 to 8 per cent universally fixed for taxable products?

I guess it’s swings and roundabouts. NHS in the UK, medical insurance in the US. Gasoline taxation a lot less in the US v the UK

 

[Starz]

Tax rates vary from state to state. Also, some products can be tax free. One example would be milk. These taxes rates are not cast in stone. Changes occur at times.

 

[FLDave]

Never understand the US dollar pricing. I bought the Air3s fly more combo with RC2 for GBP £1439 and the US$ equivalent is USD 1815. Prices currently considerably lower in reality.

In the UK the price would include 20% VAT. Is taxation less in the US?

No VAT in the US. Sales tax is a state issue. Most states have a sales tax which may or may not include all types of products. For a seller in the U. S., sales tax is added to the retail price and remitted to the state where the buyer is located. For a seller located outside of U. S. jurisdictions sales tax is generally not collected by the seller. Even where a state collects sales tax the rate may vary county to county. There is no typical U. S. sales tax rate.

 

[Mrktn]

Thanks guys, really informative I understand how it works now

 

[mavic3usa]

No VAT in the US. Sales tax is a state issue. Most states have a sales tax which may or may not include all types of products. For a seller in the U. S., sales tax is added to the retail price and remitted to the state where the buyer is located. For a seller located outside of U. S. jurisdictions sales tax is generally not collected by the seller. Even where a state collects sales tax the rate may vary county to county. There is no typical U. S. sales tax rate.

That's the general rule and one exception would be eBay (or similar middleman websites) where it seems eBay is collecting the sales tax regardless where the actual seller is located meaning all that crap I buy from China I am paying sales tax. I hate it, makes no sense to me because I don't know what eBay does with that money.

 

[FLDave]

That's the general rule and one exception would be eBay (or similar middleman websites) where it seems eBay is collecting the sales tax regardless where the actual seller is located meaning all that crap I buy from China I am paying sales tax. I hate it, makes no sense to me because I don't know what eBay does with that money.

It really isn't about where the seller is located but about where the buyer is located, other than in the U. S.. Any sales tax collected by eBay will be remitted to the state where the buyer is located.

 

[JonesB17]

the charges of stopping imports through customs of child labor being used for the drones is false from everything i have read and political.


Specifically for Air3s, many members here and others have had theirs caught up in customs and have had to go credit charge back route. DJI ships directly from China, they released passing this custom risk to the customer.... its a gamble getting one in at all let alone quickly.

some smaller shops got stock, and have been successful in being able to sell and deliver so kudos for them.

The US Customs Department, without proof or even any sort of investigation, has decided that DJI uses forced labor. They have said that all DJI shipments will be stopped at the border. Well, they sometimes stop them, sometimes not. I ordered a Mini 4 Pro in September. The first shipment was returned to Hong Kong. The second is waiting on a customs hold at JFK Airport. It could still be released up to 60 days from now or they'll just keep it. The second re-ship from DJI (incomplete, but at least I got the drone and batteries) arrived two days ago. It wasn't even delayed at customs; it was just passed through. I also ordered an extra battery from DJI. That order arrived in two days, no customs issues.

So I have no doubt that local retailers are having trouble getting new drones in stock. When I decided to order a Mavic 3 Pro I did so through Amazon. Amazon sellers of DJI drones are starting to show "only # left" warnings.

Then there is the House bill to ban all DJI products. It probably won't pass, since the Senate doesn't care about drones, but still. We could be looking at a real supply chain issue...