Strange message selling on eBay, advice?

[Droning on and on...]

I'm selling my barely used (1.14h) A2S FMC with the RM330 from my Mini3P bundle. I got the following message from an interested party:

"For manufacturer verification through DJI, please send the aircraft serial number. Thanks"​

Should I send it to him? In fact, should I include the SN in the listing description?

The drone is registered and bound to me at DJI, so I'm struggling to imagine what risk there may be, and with all the stolen gear on eBay, I can understand someone wanting to verify legitimacy.

Does DJI even provide such a process? Where random person can provide an SN and determine if a drone is stolen or illegitimate in some way?

 

[Phantomrain.org]

All you need to state is that you have UNBOUND the drone from your account which you must do for them to use it, Take a picture of that process to post on your ebay account.

That alone will give you the edge to sell your drone on ebay.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the water.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Any idea how giving out the SN could be harmful?

I just messaged him back for a reference/link to this verification process so I can check it out first.

 

[mavic3usa]

I would not provide the serial number right away although ultimately it probably won't do any harm. Instead I would do as suggested earlier which is assure the potential buyer that you are aware of the binding situation and you either guarantee to address it or you will be there to help make it right should there be a problem. The word is getting out and buyers are almost at the point where there is zero tolerance for the issue since it is so final and so pervasive. Your ebay ad should always have that disclaimer but I don't think we are at the point where s/n should be included in the ad. If you want to limit giving out the serial number to serious buyers only or only if someone places a bid (and allowed to retract), I think that should help. We just don't know for sure the full impact of giving your s/n to a stranger on the internet but we do know DJI can help someone process these:

Serial Number: how to verify

Where can I verify the serial numbers associated with my account (of my drones)? thanks

forum.dji.com

DJI

DJI 大疆自助服务中心 为您提供自主的一体化的维修服务：自主送修，预约快修快换，维修退换货进度查询，配件价格查询等等；您可以随时登录个人中心在“我的案例“中追溯您的各项服务进度；还可以查询距离你最近的线下维修中心。

service.dji.com

Look, if I were selling a locked drone that I couldn't unlock and wanted to scam someone and I got asked for a valid serial number (which I don't have), I would scour the internet and find someone with a legit drone who is aware of the issue but willing to help and then social engineer *his* valid serial number and then pass it along to my mark.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

in its simplest terms the SN is like a Password to DJI as well as it can be used by others to fake a Transaction , so be cautious .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water

 

[Dr.Sparky]

I am sure there is always a risk I suppose, but when I was shopping EBay if I could see serial number I could check on DJI's website and see if any factory warranty remained and if it had DJI insurance.
Knowing warranty remained and low battery cycles (I would ask seller) helped me get a slightly used drone.
If you don't want to share the serial number, state "unbound", x months of warranty remaining and a total of x battery cycles.

 

[Torque]

Doing a quick google search followed up by a quick chat with DJI's chat service:

Yes, a potential buyer should check the serial number for two reasons, one to see if drone is reported stolen, and 2, to see if drone was ever activated. A drone that was never activated may be bricked and the seller might be trying to pass that bricked drone off to a buyer. DJI says all that serial number will tell you is the activation date, no other information would be given.

 

[Droning on and on...]

One thing someone could do with the SN is create a fake auction and rip people off. Say, copy my auction, but put it up for $400 instead of $800.

Not sure how they could get away with this, as eBay holds the funds until the buyer indicates the item was received, I believe.

 

[mavic3usa]

One thing someone could do with the SN is create a fake auction and rip people off. Say, copy my auction, but put it up for $400 instead of $800.

Not sure how they could get away with this, as eBay holds the funds until the buyer indicates the item was received, I believe.

That's the problem, we don't know all the different ways the crook can operate to steal your money. Is there a way to signal to the system that the buyer has received the item? I dunno. Or, after a certain timeframe, it automatically triggers? Many crooks post a bunch of auctions and let them wait and see how it all pans out.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Honestly. after all that has been posted and fact checked, I see no issue in giving them the SN now.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water .

 

[Donnie Frank]

Any idea how giving out the SN could be harmful?

I just messaged him back for a reference/link to this verification process so I can check it out first.

He could register it without owning it. He would have to voluntarily unregister it so that your new buyer could register it. He could demand a fee to release the drone registration. I don't think I would want to be in that position. Not sure if that's his motive, but everybody is scamming these days. So I would assume the worst on this one. Check his feedback and eBay history. If he has 100% feedback with over 400 transactions and a 10 year history, he's probably trustworthy. That said, I have heard of eBay accounts behind hijacked for the very purpose of building trust to scam people. I haven't experienced that personally, but have heard of it.

The only way to end scamming is to make it a hanging offense.

D

 

[Dr.Sparky]

Let's face it, buyers have a lot to lose. They send off money before receiving the product. (Unless it's a face to face transaction). Yes, they can appeal to eBay, their credit card , etc. but that's a hassle and not a 100% guarantee.

I'd be direct with the purchaser and ask specifically what information did they want that the serial number would provide. They should tell you and you most likely can provide it.
As a buyer myself, I was most concerned with 1) remaining warranty 2) total battery cycles 3) photographs indicating condition.
Typically photographs show everything included in the fly more combo package. I always looked to see if all the propellers originally provided were still there, as well as the extra controller sticks. Not that they were expensive to replace if they were not there, but it was more of an indication of the drone having replaced propellers from a minor crash or mishap of some sort.

I agree with a previous post, saying an eBay buyer with 10 years plus experience and 100% percent rating is likely to be trustworthy.

Also, if you are dealing with someone on this forum, most likely they are aserious drone enthusiast. You can read their previous posts and generally get a good sense of the individual. I personally engaged in a sale on the forum, and it was a very positive experience.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Well, I decided not to share the SN... too many uncertainties, and I've sold other drones on eBay without having to do that.

Just got a bid, fingers crossed.

 

[Torque]

Such a suspicious bunch. DJI has already verified this is a good way for a potential buyer of a used drone to check the drone's status, stolen, bricked, counterfit, etc. Talk to DJI Chat.

From a DJI Forum:
DJI user:

1581F4XFA233XML87UL0 serial number check I am meeting for this tomorrow wanted to see if it was genuine and if it’s blacklisted in anyway please help.

DJI Rep:
Hello there, Thank you for reaching out. Feel free to use this link to check the details of the serial number: DJI
Make sure to get the previous user to unbind his account from the aircraft so you can bind your own DJI account. To unbind go to Profile>Device Management>Account and Device>Remove device from account Have a great day ahead.

DJI Tony (rep):
Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. I have checked the serial number and I can confirm that it is not listed on our fraud reports. Thank you and have a great day ahead.

 

[mavic3usa]

Such a suspicious bunch. DJI has already verified this is a good way for a potential buyer of a used drone to check the drone's status, stolen, bricked, counterfit, etc. Talk to DJI Chat.

From a DJI Forum:
DJI user:

1581F4XFA233XML87UL0 serial number check I am meeting for this tomorrow wanted to see if it was genuine and if it’s blacklisted in anyway please help.

DJI Rep:
Hello there, Thank you for reaching out. Feel free to use this link to check the details of the serial number: DJI
Make sure to get the previous user to unbind his account from the aircraft so you can bind your own DJI account. To unbind go to Profile>Device Management>Account and Device>Remove device from account Have a great day ahead.

DJI Tony (rep):
Hi there. Thank you for reaching out. I have checked the serial number and I can confirm that it is not listed on our fraud reports. Thank you and have a great day ahead.

Personally I believe DJI is doing a "dis-service" to the drone community by offering this option. It is disingenuous and deceptive on so many levels.

 

[Torque]

Personally I believe DJI is doing a "dis-service" to the drone community by offering this option. It is disingenuous and deceptive on so many levels.

Can you explain why you feel DJI verifying the authenticity and/or current status of a previously owned drone is a disservice to the drone community?
Why do you find it disingenuous and deceptive?
This is a common method to check many used products from Rolexes to outboard motors.

 

[mavic3usa]

Can you explain why you feel DJI verifying the authenticity and/or current status of a previously owned drone is a disservice to the drone community?
Why do you find it disingenuous and deceptive?
This is a common method to check many used products from Rolexes to outboard motors.

I'm not even sure where to begin. I can name 50 things I don't like about this. But it's all my opinion because I don't know for sure how the DJI process works. Is there a problem with fake DJI drones on the market?

When I check the status of my drone's S/N, I get:

DJI Avata|S/N：1581F4QWD226QXXXXXXX
2023-03-26 (UTC+8) Activated

When I check the status of the above drone's S/N, I get:

DJI Mini 3 Pro|S/N：1581F4XFA233XML87UL0
2023-08-01 (UTC+8) Activated

What do I get out of this? Is there anything else expected? If not, I guess I have no problem.

 

[Torque]

I'm not even sure where to begin. I can name 50 things I don't like about this. But it's all my opinion because I don't know for sure how the DJI process works. Is there a problem with fake DJI drones on the market?

When I check the status of my drone's S/N, I get:

DJI Avata|S/N：1581F4QWD226QXXXXXXX
2023-03-26 (UTC+8) Activated

When I check the status of the above drone's S/N, I get:

DJI Mini 3 Pro|S/N：1581F4XFA233XML87UL0
2023-08-01 (UTC+8) Activated

What do I get out of this? Is there anything else expected? If not, I guess I have no problem.

Lots of bricked and stolen drones being sold on Ebay and Craigslist along with drones that the previous owner hasn't unregistered from DJI, making them useless. The posts regarding that in this forum are far less than what I see on FB drone groups.
I'm glad that DJI will verify a drone's status for a potential buyer. Your search above on your drone and the other drone show that both are currently activated and the date of their activation - just as I was told by the DJI rep in chat.
Had they been stolen, it would show that.
Had they been bricked, it would show that.
If the Serial number the seller gave you was fraudulant, it would show that.
If I were buying a used drone I would ask for the serial number and verify that it is active, then before finalizing the deal, I would ask the seller to unregister the drone and check it again just to validate the seller actually has a drone to sell.

I'm confused, did you just go from having "50 things you don't like about it" at the start of your reply, to "I guess I have no problem" in a matter of a few sentences?

 

[mavic3usa]

I'm confused, did you just go from having "50 things you don't like about it" at the start of your reply, to "I guess I have no problem" in a matter of a few sentences?

I'm trying something new which is to keep the reply nice and simple and short so the topic doesn't derail like so often happens in these forums. In reality, there were 5000 words between my first sentence and my last but I omit them for the sake of everyone. However, much of it will come out in the following posts which will connect my first sentence to my last sentence. If you would prefer to long, lengthy, and likely rambling post instead, happy to oblige but I don't we get anywhere.

Lots of bricked and stolen drones being sold on Ebay and Craigslist along with drones that the previous owner hasn't unregistered from DJI, making them useless. The posts regarding that in this forum are far less than what I see on FB drone groups.
I'm glad that DJI will verify a drone's status for a potential buyer. Your search above on your drone and the other drone show that both are currently activated and the date of their activation - just as I was told by the DJI rep in chat.
Had they been stolen, it would show that.
Had they been bricked, it would show that.
If the Serial number the seller gave you was fraudulant, it would show that.
If I were buying a used drone I would ask for the serial number and verify that it is active, then before finalizing the deal, I would ask the seller to unregister the drone and check it again just to validate the seller actually has a drone to sell.

So let me see if I understand. If I take this serial number (1581F4XFA233XML87UL0) from the post above and I go down to the Franklin, IL police department and tell them my drone was stolen from my car last week and this is the number, you believe it will show up in this DJI database as "stolen"; is that correct?

 

[Droning on and on...]

So I'm more than happy to share the SN with the buyer. I've done this before.

Any random person that expresses interest? Nope. I don't need the hassle of anything fraudulent being done with it – like creating a phony listing and trying to sell it on eBay or somewhere else.

After all, when their victim checks it out, it will look legit.