Strange message selling on eBay, advice?

[Torque]

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?

Of course not. I am assuming that you would have to report it to DJI yourself, and they mark it as stolen. They cannot block or trace its whereabouts however. I hate making guesses or assumptions, but if I remember that is what I was told by the DJI rep in chat, that they can mark it as stolen or missing so if the thief or finder tries to sell it, the potential buyer can check. DJI can't help you locate the owner if you find a drone (only the FAA can do that if the drone was displaying its registration number) from my understanding.

I guess I just find it interesting that there is sure a lot of imaginative assumptions about how dangerous it is to share your serial number with a potential buyer, yet nobody but myself has reached out to DJI for an answer. {Shrugs}

 

[mavic3usa]

I guess I just find it interesting that there is sure a lot of imaginative assumptions about how dangerous it is to share your serial number with a potential buyer, yet nobody but myself has reached out to DJI for an answer. {Shrugs}

Agreed, DJI will not tell you that is could be "dangerous" to share your serial number with someone else; they are more than happy to let you do whatever you would like to do and they remain silent on the issue. Remember my first comment?

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.

Here's what you said and I believe many others feel the same; but it's simply not true even though DJI will lead you believe it:

Had they been stolen, it would show that.

I would be ok if DJI would simply come out and say, this service will tell you the make/model of the authentic DJI drone and whether/when it was activated. If we (DJI) block the drone from activation it, this will show it. This database will not tell you if the drone is stolen, non-functional, or the account hasn't been logged out. However, if a drone has been reported to us as stolen, it will indicate.

But see, I don't know what it takes to report a drone as stolen because I don't know the DJI process. If it's anything like their other shoddy processes, it cannot be depended on. Which means it can work for you....or work against you. DJI won't tell you therefore they are not transparent and I don't like that. What exactly does that mean if it says [stolen], does that mean the drone won't fly; how do you get the drone off the "stolen list" if you meet with the buyer and you are convinced he is the rightful owner?

Of course not. I am assuming that you would have to report it to DJI yourself, and they mark it as stolen. ....but if I remember that is what I was told by the DJI rep in chat, that they can mark it as stolen or missing so if the thief or finder tries to sell it, the potential buyer can check.

If I take the s/n floating around in this thread and I report it to DJI as "stolen", will DJI accept it from me and change the status and therefore potentially hurt the sale? What kind of proof does DJI need, do any of us really know? Or is DJI being pretty disingenuous about the whole thing and will only accept notification from the police or only if a drone is stolen from THEM.

It's exactly the reason why 99% of personal consumer electronics (manufacturers) don't have such a system: it doesn't work.

 

[Torque]

If I take the s/n floating around in this thread and I report it to DJI as "stolen", will DJI accept it from me and change the status and therefore potentially hurt the sale? What kind of proof does DJI need, do any of us really know? Or is DJI being pretty disingenuous about the whole thing and will only accept notification from the police or only if a drone is stolen from THEM.

Wow, you really distrust DJI.

Thinking logically and rationally, I'm quite sure that DJI requires you to log into your personal account where said drone is registered to you, to report any changes or de-register said drone.

I can't argue your constant barrage of unending suppositions and assumptions, none of which you have an iota of evidence to support.
Be grateful that you'll never be forced to share your DJI SN against your will. I'm moving on.

 

[mavic3usa]

Wow, you really distrust DJI.

Thinking logically and rationally, I'm quite sure that DJI requires you to log into your personal account where said drone is registered to you, to report any changes or de-register said drone.

I can't argue your constant barrage of unending suppositions and assumptions, none of which you have an iota of evidence to support.
Be grateful that you'll never be forced to share your DJI SN against your will. I'm moving on.

It's not that I don't trust DJI but they are not forthcoming about the way they handle some things. I praise DJI alot for their excellence but not in this area, this is poorly executed. Just like with their geofencing which leads some people to believe their drone won't fly in places where it doesn't belong, it's just not true. I don't suppose and assume, I post the facts. For example, in this database, the owner of this drone 08RDE9J00103JM says his equipment has been stolen:

Stolen Drone Info

Report, search, and track stolen, missing, found, or observed drones with Stolen Drone Info. Supporting C-UAS vendors, police, and law enforcement to recover UAVs, prevent drone misuse, and enhance public safety through community reporting and real-time drone incident data.

stolendrone.info

But when I check DJI, it says:

Mavic Pro|S/N：08RDE9J00103JM
2019-03-16 (UTC+8) Activated

DJI, put a note here that says our database [does this] but do not [do this] so people won't think it can be used to provide them with information about whether they are buying a stolen drone or not. People are using it this way.....people think DJI can tell you if a drone is reported stolen....and in reality, they cannot. People think DJI can disable the drone so the thief cannot use it. Can they really?

If a truckload of DJI drones never make it to the retailer warehouse, DJI will blacklist those S/N and if one day, a kit comes your way and you check this database, you will quickly learn that drone cannot be activated. That's a good thing.

Otherwise, this database means nothing to most drone buys. Unlike Rolex, there aren't a bunch of counterfeit DJI drones on the market that you need to check a database to make sure you are getting an authentic DJI drone. And there are not drones cycling thru eBay that cannot be activated (blocked) as most have already been activated and cannot be grounded. Nobody is checking this database to see if they have a warranty or can activate care refresh, that makes no sense. The real problem with DJI drones is drones that are binded and guess what? DJI has no database to tell you *that* and have no way to unbind it for you....and have not method to fix this in the future other than to tell you "too bad so sad." See this irony of that?

Like I said in post #1 and it's my only complaint:

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.

 

[anotherlab]

...If a truckload of DJI drones never make it to the retailer warehouse, DJI will blacklist those S/N and if one day, a kit comes your way and you check this database, you will quickly learn that drone cannot be activated. That's a good thing.

Otherwise, this database means nothing to most drone buys. Unlike Rolex, there aren't a bunch of counterfeit DJI drones on the market that you need to check a database to make sure you are getting an authentic DJI drone. And there are not drones cycling thru eBay that cannot be activated (blocked) as most have already been activated and cannot be grounded. Nobody is checking this database to see if they have a warranty or can activate care refresh, that makes no sense. The real problem with DJI drones is drones that are binded and guess what? DJI has no database to tell you *that* and have no way to unbind it for you....and have not method to fix this in the future other than to tell you "too bad so sad."...

For DJI to block a device that has been sold to a consumer and then reported stolen, puts them into the situation of having to arbitrate selling disputes. They are no different than most consumer-facing companies. They don't want to incur legal liability and costs.

Apple doesn't lock down phones reported as stolen. Apple mitigates this issue by making the phones very secure and the value of a locked iPhone is close to zero. That's why you can't trade in an iPhone if it's still tracked by the "Find my iPhone" feature.

 

[Torque]

It's not that I don't trust DJI but they are not forthcoming about the way they handle some things. I praise DJI alot for their excellence but not in this area, this is poorly executed. Just like with their geofencing which leads some people to believe their drone won't fly in places where it doesn't belong, it's just not true. I don't suppose and assume, I post the facts. For example, in this database, the owner of this drone 08RDE9J00103JM says his equipment has been stolen:

Stolen Drone Info

Report, search, and track stolen, missing, found, or observed drones with Stolen Drone Info. Supporting C-UAS vendors, police, and law enforcement to recover UAVs, prevent drone misuse, and enhance public safety through community reporting and real-time drone incident data.

stolendrone.info

But when I check DJI, it says:

Mavic Pro|S/N：08RDE9J00103JM
2019-03-16 (UTC+8) Activated

DJI, put a note here that says our database [does this] but do not [do this] so people won't think it can be used to provide them with information about whether they are buying a stolen drone or not. People are using it this way.....people think DJI can tell you if a drone is reported stolen....and in reality, they cannot. People think DJI can disable the drone so the thief cannot use it. Can they really?

If a truckload of DJI drones never make it to the retailer warehouse, DJI will blacklist those S/N and if one day, a kit comes your way and you check this database, you will quickly learn that drone cannot be activated. That's a good thing.

Otherwise, this database means nothing to most drone buys. Unlike Rolex, there aren't a bunch of counterfeit DJI drones on the market that you need to check a database to make sure you are getting an authentic DJI drone. And there are not drones cycling thru eBay that cannot be activated (blocked) as most have already been activated and cannot be grounded. Nobody is checking this database to see if they have a warranty or can activate care refresh, that makes no sense. The real problem with DJI drones is drones that are binded and guess what? DJI has no database to tell you *that* and have no way to unbind it for you....and have not method to fix this in the future other than to tell you "too bad so sad." See this irony of that?

Like I said in post #1 and it's my only complaint:

You dealing in facts still has me belly laughing!
Fact: One week ago a drone was stolen.
Unknown: Did the owner report this to DJI in the past 7 days?
Conclusion: Unknown.

 

[mavic3usa]

You dealing in facts still has me belly laughing!
Fact: One week ago a drone was stolen.
Unknown: Did the owner report this to DJI in the past 7 days?
Conclusion: Unknown.

It doesn't matter the answer to the "conclusion." Not have an answer to the conclusion doesn't change my beef; I have issues whether the "owner" reports to DJI or not. Why report it to DJI? Is the purpose to report it so that if it comes back for repair then DJI can refuse to repair it? Or, if someone were to ask DJI if the drone is stolen, they can say yes or no (instead of we don't know since we cannot verify such)? DJI has not made this clear.

To me, a drone is like any other electronics, when your GoPro is stolen, you don't report it to the GoPro folks. Or, when you LG mobile phone is stolen, you don't report it to LG Electronics. Does anyone call Panasonic for a stolen laptop. Pretty sure GoPro/LG/Panasonic doesn't have a process. As mentioned in a previous post, this causes issues.

How would DJI be able to verify the reporting is authentic, if I report 08RDE9J00103JM to DJI, will they just take my word for it or do I need to support it with some sort of documentation? If the process is for DJI internal use only then fine, they do not have to publish or justify their process to anyone. But there are lots of people who believe reporting a stolen drone to DJI is a thing so my complaint is they need to clear this up before it gets abused. In the meantime, do not make your S/N widely available on the internet for a billion people to have access to since you don't know what it will be used for.

 

[clackey]

This is going off the rails... Thread closed.