Experience buying an Air 3S in Japan

[flyingcamera]

I just returned from vacation in Japan, during which time I hemmed and hawed several times about whether to buy an Air 3S. Finally, on the day before departure, I decided to take the plunge. The Yodobashi in Kyoto didn't have it in stock, so I took the train to Osaka, where they held one for me. The final price out the door for the RC 2 Fly More Combo was 190,000 yen, which according to the current exchange rate works out to $1203. With the $12 roundtrip train ticket, I'm still way ahead. Upon arrival in the U.S., no one at Customs performed any inspections or asked any questions. Perhaps Global Entry helped.

During activation, English and U.S. were the default first choices, so it's not like the configuration was specific to Japan. I knew I would be taking a risk, since DJI doesn't offer a Global warranty. However, when I activated my drone, DJI Care Refresh was offered, so I paid for it, and received confirmation that it was activated. ID has been registered with the FAA, and flew this morning. No hitches.

I hope I won't need it, but I'll let you know if I have any issues with Care Refresh.

 

[mavic3usa]

Correct me if I am wrong but when you go to make a claim with Care Refresh, you'll need to work with (and ship to) DJI JP, no?

 

[flyingcamera]

Correct me if I am wrong but when you go to make a claim with Care Refresh, you'll need to work with (and ship to) DJI JP, no?

I don't know. The Care Refresh was definitely a US offering (in $). Like I said, I hope I don't have to find out.

 

[Dpixtion]

Did you buy from Big camera. When I go to Japan every year that place is a must. I got a canon 24-105f4L 499 less then here in the us, plus’s canon had a 200 rebate.

The Air3s was not in stock (Nov. 17th)
The warranty thing alway bothers me. There not a magic shield as you cross a boarder that voids your warranty.. imagine buying your drone in the US going on vacation to Vancouver BC Canada and something happens you bring it back to the US and they say now it crashed in Canada so we’re not covering the warranty. It’s ridiculous..

Congratulations go have some fun with it..

 

[flyingcamera]

Did you buy from Big camera. When I go to Japan every year that place is a must. I got a canon 24-105f4L 499 less then here in the us, plus’s canon had a 200 rebate.

The Air3s was not in stock (Nov. 17th)
The warranty thing alway bothers me. There not a magic shield as you cross a boarder that voids your warranty.. imagine buying your drone in the US going on vacation to Vancouver BC Canada and something happens you bring it back to the US and they say now it crashed in Canada so we’re not covering the warranty. It’s ridiculous..

Congratulations go have some fun with it..

As mentioned in the thread, I bought from Yodobashi. BIC camera closed their store in Kyoto. And the Yodobashi in Osaka is connected to the JR Station by a skybridge. Plus we find the jingle at Yodobashi slightly less annoying than at BIC!

 

[mavic3usa]

There not a magic shield as you cross a boarder that voids your warranty..

But....there is. Warranties can and do need relevance based on which country you are in. Not always to the detriment but sometimes for the benefit.

imagine buying your drone in the US going on vacation to Vancouver BC Canada and something happens you bring it back to the US and they say now it crashed in Canada so we’re not covering the warranty. It’s ridiculous..

Who says that's how it works? I believe the DJI warranty says you need to make the kickoff the claim in the same country you bought the drone. As with all warranties, the terms are subject to mediation and you always have the right to challenge it by law (thus the connection to the country).

I don't believe DJI will deny a manufacturer's defect that happens to show up while you were out of the country. DJI would have a hard time disclaiming your warranty when they actually "allow" the drone to fly in different countries. But you may be right because DJI could deny a warranty claim for a crash that occurred in-country so it is very possible they could do the same for a crash that occurred out-country. But again, I don't believe they will cover the warranty defect, check the location, and then turn around and deny it. I could be wrong.

 

[Dpixtion]

Apologies I didn’t mean directly DJI but overall when you get a warranty or you buy a product out of the United States they try to say the warranty is not good as you bought a gray market item..

 

[Dpixtion]

As mentioned in the thread, I bought from Yodobashi. BIC camera closed their store in Kyoto. And the Yodobashi in Osaka is connected to the JR Station by a skybridge. Plus we find the jingle at Yodobashi slightly less annoying than at BIC!

I saw that I was not familiar with Yodobashi.
Next time I go, I will check for this store. I’m usually in the Nagoya area and Takayama…

 

[mavic3usa]

Apologies I didn’t mean directly DJI but overall when you get a warranty or you buy a product out of the United States they try to say the warranty is not good as you bought a gray market item..

Sure, understood; this isn't just a DJI thing. When you buy a product, that exact product has a specific warranty so it doesn't always go by where you buy it from. You can buy electronics in NYC that have no warranty in the US mostly because they were not properly imported into the US and therefore aren't covered. Most people think it's the same exact product as the one's that were shipped to "authorized resellers" for example, but that's not true. Items means for use in one country may not be suitable for a different country because it doesn't have the right bands or the right frequencies or it isn't tuned, whatever....which could lead to complaints and claims.

Unfortunately it has to be this way. The manufacturer cannot guarantee your warranty on a product that isn't sold thru authorized channels. Sellers get the product and they raid the boxes and swap out the high power charger for knock off cheaper ones or they take out the protective case that is included to increase their margins. They sell refurbs as new and they usually sell for much lower than MSRP so technically they are cutting into the sales from legitimate sellers who follow the minimum prices often called MAP. Customers who gets these parallel products are likely to have problems and they expect the manufacturer to take care of them when the problem could have been avoided had they "paid more" for a legitimate product that was properly inspected, has all the parts and accessories, has been factory reset properly to clear settings, has the latest software, made for their country, etc. It's a nightmare to support a product that isn't compatible due to region.

Ultimately it has come to the point where most manufacturers don't even bother and just say you don't have a warranty if you don't buy from an authorized seller and that seller can only be located inside the country because other sellers bring in product without paying duty or import fees, tariffs or taxes....without going through the proper inspections *and* they are often lied to by the seller about the warranty which means the transaction is likely dishonest in other areas so why would a manufacturer support these?

The good news is this isn't a black market item so it's not all absolute and it's not illegal; exceptions can be made for grey market items; buyers just need to take their risks appropriately. That's the beauty of the free market.

 

[PINEBARON]

I just returned from vacation in Japan, during which time I hemmed and hawed several times about whether to buy an Air 3S. Finally, on the day before departure, I decided to take the plunge. The Yodobashi in Kyoto didn't have it in stock, so I took the train to Osaka, where they held one for me. The final price out the door for the RC 2 Fly More Combo was 190,000 yen, which according to the current exchange rate works out to $1203. With the $12 roundtrip train ticket, I'm still way ahead. Upon arrival in the U.S., no one at Customs performed any inspections or asked any questions. Perhaps Global Entry helped.

During activation, English and U.S. were the default first choices, so it's not like the configuration was specific to Japan. I knew I would be taking a risk, since DJI doesn't offer a Global warranty. However, when I activated my drone, DJI Care Refresh was offered, so I paid for it, and received confirmation that it was activated. ID has been registered with the FAA, and flew this morning. No hitches.

I hope I won't need it, but I'll let you know if I have any issues with Care Refresh.

Did you declare value of goods you were bringing in?