Risks of buying a drone sold on Classified Ads?

[AroundTheWorld]

Hello,

I'm looking for a Mavic 3 Classic sold with the DJI RC and I came across various ads posted by individual persons who were selling it unopened at an incredible price.

I immediately discovered that some of them were probably stolen drones, Mavic 3's bought in China or ghost ads as the sellers were not able to provide me with an invoice and never accepted to meet me for an hand delivery.

I reported them all.

However, one of the sellers with perfect reviews caught my attention as he sent me an invoice that seemed legit but the low price still alerted me as he was offering a brand new unopened Mavic 3 with DJI RC for about 1350 euros instead of 1750 euros.

Knowing that he apparently bought it from a serious shop less than a week ago, I asked him why did he not exercise his right of withdrawal to be refunded instead of selling it at a low price on a classifieds website and he told me that he was buying drones in batches which was the reason why he was able to offer such a huge discount.

I checked his page and I saw multiple drones and high-tech equipment sold at a low price regarding their value on the market.

However, the invoice mentioned that he bought the drone for 1550 euros before selling it at 1350 euros which seems suspicious as I don't know where he would make any benefits.

How do you value the risk of buying the drone?

Is it possible that 1550 euros was not the price he paid knowing that he "apparently" bought drones in batches?

Is there a chance that the seller provided me with a fake invoice?

What if the drone's serial number visible in the invoice matches the serial number showed in the box?

Can DJI disable a drone from a distance if it appears to be stolen?

Thanks for your help

 

[old man mavic]

the only real way to know what you are getting, is to purchase it from a genuine DJI dealer or directly from DJI themselves,with something so expensive, trying to save some money could in the long run be a costly mistake

 

[msinger]

Is there a chance that the seller provided me with a fake invoice?

Certainly.

Like anything in life, only buy from people/companies you trust. And if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

I just received a picture of the box and the bar code matches the number on the invoice + the seller accepts to deliver the product in hands

 

[msinger]

Can DJI disable a drone from a distance if it appears to be stolen?

Yes. And this is something they will do if a stolen drone is reported to them.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

Yes. And this is something they will do if a stolen drone is reported to them.

I guess that the odds to be a stolen drone are low with the invoice and the matching number no?

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

If you have suspicions DO NOT buy it, simple as that.
I believe DJI can prevent reported-stolen NEW-drones from being activated .... which would stop them from being flown etc. etc.. A A while back a shop was burgled and many brand new unopened drones were stolen, one of the articles about the theft mentioned DJI being able to block their activation.

Which classified ads?

 

[msinger]

I guess that the ods to be a stolen drone are low with the invoice and the matching number no?

I guess you could move the odds toward your favor by asking the seller to send you a photo of them holding their license with a name that matches the name on the invoice. But even then, I guess one could easily fake an invoice too.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

If you have suspicions DO NOT buy it, simple as that.
I believe DJI can prevent reported-stolen NEW-drones from being activated .... which would stop them from being flown etc. etc.. A A while back a shop was burgled and many brand new unopened drones were stolen, one of the articles about the theft mentioned DJI being able to block their activation.

Which classified ads?

I was suspicious at first but less now that the seller gave me more informations and is keen to meet in order to make the transaction. The only problem is that the seller is located at the other side of the country. I will see if a friend can at least see the drone before taking any decision and I will probably call the shop where he bought it to ask them it was a genuine transaction or not.

I saw the offer on a European classified website.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

I guess you could move the odds toward your favor by asking the seller to send you a photo of them holding their license with a name that matches the name on the invoice. But even then, I guess one could easily fake an invoice too.

That would be a good idea yes. I will ask the seller to do it.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I was suspicious at first but less now that the seller gave me more informations and is keen to meet in order to make the transaction. The only problem is that the seller is located at the other side of the country. I will see if a friend can at least see the drone before taking any decision and I will probably call the shop where he bought it to ask them it was a genuine transaction or not.

I saw the offer on a European classified website.

Not sure how big your country is, but maybe not so far to save about 20%.
I would aim to collect and activate on the spot somewhere suitable to test fly it.

It's been that long since I activated any DJI drone that I'm not even sure that is practical, but it would give you the best chance to 1) ensure it activates ok, and b) that it flies fine.

With your number of forum messages, I think you are a likely to have existing experience to fly it on a test flight ?

Is about 20% enough savings to be such a risk in some way ?
Scammers can catch the most intelligent of people, sometimes street smarts or gut instinct is best to have to avoid this.

 

[FLDave]

There are so many unanswered questions and other meaningless answers.
It seems to me the most important is what options exist if the package/drone isn't what was expected? Is there an assured refund system in place? What happens if the sealed box doesn't contain a new drone?
Was the sealed box sealed by DJI? If it is a perfect "sealed package" new drone why isn't priced as a new DJI drone?
I bought my first DJI Spark from an "authorized" DJI reseller (whatever that means) on Amazon. It was perfectly sealed, however, it was a stolen drone deactivated by DJI as it was part of a stolen shipment. Since it was from Amazon it was a simple matter to get a refund with included return shipping--and give seller an appropriate review. I purchased from another seller and the product was good.
It gets complicated trying to verify and get assurances that a really good price is a really good product.

 

[msinger]

Is there an assured refund system in place?

And more importantly, is the assurer someone other than the seller (like PayPal or a bank)?

 

[moldorf]

generally speaking, what I've noticed in the majority of classified adds in this forum is people trying to sell used drones for a too-small a discount in my view

as an example, I've seen a Mavic 3 that will retail new for say for a little over $2000 advertised used for $1750. This when a refurbished Mavic 3 is around $1640. I've mentioned that to would-be sellers before on various used drones

If I can get a refurbished Mavic 3 from DJI or Drone Nerds for $1600-1700 there's no way I'm buying from anonymous person on the internet unless I get a substantial discount over the refurbished drone at a reputable seller. And by substantial I mean at least $200-300, at minimum. In other words, in order to tempt me there would be to be at least a 20% discount over refurbished

 

[mobilehomer]

The ONLY way is Face-to-Face!! Take your RC-N1, connect it to the drone and fly it. That will show any abnormalities. If it passes that little test, you are good to go!

 

[AroundTheWorld]

Not sure how big your country is, but maybe not so far to save about 20%.
I would aim to collect and activate on the spot somewhere suitable to test fly it.

It's been that long since I activated any DJI drone that I'm not even sure that is practical, but it would give you the best chance to 1) ensure it activates ok, and b) that it flies fine.

With your number of forum messages, I think you are a likely to have existing experience to fly it on a test flight ?

Is about 20% enough savings to be such a risk in some way ?
Scammers can catch the most intelligent of people, sometimes street smarts or gut instinct is best to have to avoid this.

It would be about 1000 kilometers round trip but even despite the cost of the trip, it will still worth it if the drone is new as described.

The problem is that I don't have time to travel because of my work. But I imagine that if the seller is ready to make an appointment, it probably means that he has nothing to hide and that the drone is in perfect working condition. So I'm wondering if it worth taking the risk of requesting a shipment that will be made via a secure platform. (The seller will only be paid upon receipt of the drone).

Yes I'm an experienced pilot.

 

[msinger]

The seller will only be paid upon receipt of the drone

What kind of payment arrangement is the seller requesting?

 

[AroundTheWorld]

There are so many unanswered questions and other meaningless answers.
It seems to me the most important is what options exist if the package/drone isn't what was expected? Is there an assured refund system in place? What happens if the sealed box doesn't contain a new drone?
Was the sealed box sealed by DJI? If it is a perfect "sealed package" new drone why isn't priced as a new DJI drone?
I bought my first DJI Spark from an "authorized" DJI reseller (whatever that means) on Amazon. It was perfectly sealed, however, it was a stolen drone deactivated by DJI as it was part of a stolen shipment. Since it was from Amazon it was a simple matter to get a refund with included return shipping--and give seller an appropriate review. I purchased from another seller and the product was good.
It gets complicated trying to verify and get assurances that a really good price is a really good product.

The platform normally secures transactions and the seller will be paid once the order has been received and only if I say that everything is in working condition and as described. So risks are higher for sellers than buyers.

I assume that the drone is working since the box is sealed. But I have no idea if DJI sealed it or the shop or the owner afterwards. The main risk would be to discover that the drone is stolen and that DJI might deactivate it but I doubt it since he sent me the invoice (unless it's a fake one and in that case I will probably loose the warranty too)

 

[AroundTheWorld]

And more importantly, is the assurer someone other than the seller (like PayPal or a bank)?

Purchased are secured since transactions are done through a well known platform. But I never had any problem buying stuff there so I don't know if there are particular cases that would void buyer protection

 

[msinger]

Purchased are secured since transactions are done through a well known platform

I guess there's nothing to worry about then if it's truly well known. It sounds like you're saying you can easily (and risk-free) return it to the seller if it does not arrive as expected.