Where To Buy??

[FlierX]

When I placed my order yesterday, it was discounted 10% so I paid $3,642.98 before tax. If you order one now from K-Wave the cost before taxes is $3,887.06 which is a difference of $244.08. Immediately after I ordered, I sent them a message to confirm that it would be delivered by August 6th as listed. They replied and said that they expect a delivery within about a week.

I did receive FedEx tracking information that says it will be updated soon. However, on the order details screen, it says delivered between August 6th & 13th. Of course they do not have the package yet so I am not sure how accurate that is.

For those of you that have ordered from them - Did you receive a tracking number very shortly after placing the order?

I just sent them a message asking where I am on the list when the next batch arrives and whether or not the delivery date reflected in the order details is accurate. Let's see how long it takes them to respond and what they say.

 

[mavic3usa]

It's simple. The seller informed me that they intended to violate US customs rules. Their intentions were clearly stated.

You may not be concerned with a seller's business practices or ethics, but I am, even if they're not directly related to the product or service I'm buying. For a more serious example, I won't buy a Chinese-printed from an adjudicated sex abuser.


And when the seller tells you they intend to violate customs rules and that you're responsible for all the added costs if their attempt to avoid those costs fail, you should believe them.

More condescension? My decision not to purchase the drone from the vendor you suggested is not based on any inability to understand the world. It was based on the lack of a warranty, the potential for having to pay high customs fees, and ethics.

I shared the information so that others can make their own informed decisions.

If you are not comfortable with it....as I said if you are not comfortable playing in the world (the world of international trade and commerce) that's fine because I'm not trying to convince you to deal with the Koreans. At the same time, I'm not here to blow the whistle under the guise of "bad things are going to happen to you if you deal with these foreigners and their [lower] standards; for me, looks too much like trying to push your thoughts onto someone else under the cover of "making sure buyers don't get taken advantage of." Sounds familiar?

Well, we don't have any victims. But I tried to warn everyone to the unfair locking and binding practices from DJI with their drones and I had legions of innocent victims in its wake and guess what I was told? Buyer beware, read the fine print, do your research, know your buyer, too bad so sad. Remember that?

Because half (or more) of everything that comes into this country came under conditions and standards not in line with or compatible with the expectations of this great country. Luckily most Americans know this and accept this because if they didn't, we wouldn't have a country. No jeans, no toasters, no tvs, no much of anything. The President just cut a massive trade deal with the Koreans; this is all part of it as far as I'm concerned. The deal comes with their business practces. You don't get to judge your trade partner IMO because if you do, then you end up running around the world complaining they're trying to rip your off and treat you badly and unfairly and you don't like the deal anymore....does that ring a bell?

 

[MS Coast]

If you are not comfortable with it....as I said if you are not comfortable playing in the world (the world of international trade and commerce) that's fine

More condescension.

But I tried to warn everyone to the unfair locking and binding practices from DJI with their drones and I had legions of innocent victims in its wake and guess what I was told? Buyer beware, read the fine print, do your research, know your buyer, too bad so sad. Remember that?

Again, we don't appreciate all you've done for us.

Because half (or more) of everything that comes into this country came under conditions and standards not in line with or compatible with the expectations of this great country. Luckily most Americans know this and accept this because if they didn't, we wouldn't have a country.

The existence of our nation depends on accepting that we can't get what we expect?

It's too hot to fly here today, but it's too absurd to continue with this. (Edit - For accuracy below, I clarified this summary,)

My point here is that if someone in contemplating buying a drone from that vendor you recommend, as I was, they should be aware that the vendor states they intend to falsely declare the contents of the shipment to avoid tariffs, duties, and other fees. There may be implications for the US buyer, such as bearing sole responsibility for avoided fees, duties, and tariffs, and DJI will provide no warranty or Care Refresh service in the US.)

 

[mavic3usa]

^Just for the record, I don't endorse or promote or "recommend" anyone buy a drone let alone from a particular country or seller or website. In the context of this topic, the M4P is in short supply and a bit difficult to obtain due to conditions and we were asked if anyone has any recommendations/suggestions/feedback based on their own personal experiences would be most helpful. So I shared almost everything I know and whoever visits this thread can take from it whatever they need. That would consist with any forum thread for most any product where there are questions about the best way to make a purchase.

While I may be passionate with some of my responses with probably a bit of certainty with some of my comments and opinions, I'm not "advocating" for anything or anyone in particular. And I don't feel like this is *my* recommendation as it is *our* recommendation. In this unique situation, we have a very limited selection of sellers and while I don't have direct experience with each one of them, I can only tell you how it has worked out for me.

My goal is to help (just like I received help with my purchase) anyone who wants an M4P to put together maybe some last minute pieces which would lead to their own personal purchase decision; not meant to layout the entire landscape for them to make a completely informed decision or state the obvious. We all have different reasons for wanting to get the M4P and the guidance I provide comes from a place of wanting to help anyone who finds the process somewhat confusing and is maybe frustrated with the lack of information and perhaps concerned with the unusual risks or unknowns; someone who misses the certainty normally associated with dealing in a otherwise safe and free market.

How times have changed, this is just the beginning. Wait until potential Mavic 5 Pro US buyers come out to play! Hopefully this is not the status quo or the norm going forward. Unfortunately I believe today (and yesterday) is about a good as it gets for now. I have no problem raising the red flag when the Korean drones start getting confiscated; we will definitely raise shields and put the word out.

 

[YorksPhotos]

there will be no warranty or Care Refresh service from the US.)

Did something change? Is Care refresh available in the US?

 

[MS Coast]

Did something change? Is Care refresh available in the US?

DJI told me that for a drone purchased from a seller in South Korea, Care Refresh could be purchased through South Korea, but any service or exchanges required would be provided only if the drone was sent to them from South Korea.

I think it's been their policy all along to require that the drone be sent to them from the same country in which it was purchased.

 

[YorksPhotos]

DJI told me that for a drone purchased from a seller in South Korea, Care Refresh could be purchased through South Korea, but any service or exchanges required would be provided only if the drone was sent to them from South Korea.

I think it's been their policy all along to require that the drone be sent to them from the same country in which it was purchased.

OK, knew that, but my question was about purchasing Care Refresh in US and being able to use it from the US. It seems Care Refresh is part of weighing out the pros and cons of purchasing from Korea vs US. Care refresh was not important for me but may be to some like yourself.

 

[GadgetGuy]

When I placed my order yesterday, it was discounted 10% so I paid $3,642.98 before tax. If you order one now from K-Wave the cost before taxes is $3,887.06 which is a difference of $244.08. Immediately after I ordered, I sent them a message to confirm that it would be delivered by August 6th as listed. They replied and said that they expect a delivery within about a week.

I did receive FedEx tracking information that says it will be updated soon. However, on the order details screen, it says delivered between August 6th & 13th. Of course they do not have the package yet so I am not sure how accurate that is.

For those of you that have ordered from them - Did you receive a tracking number very shortly after placing the order?

I just sent them a message asking where I am on the list when the next batch arrives and whether or not the delivery date reflected in the order details is accurate. Let's see how long it takes them to respond and what they say.

View attachment 184086

Which eBay seller did you purchase from?

 

[FlierX]

Which eBay seller did you purchase from?

K-Wave. I provided the order details along with their company name in my previous post. I did get the same email you did receive the same email you did about 4-6 weeks delivery. I believe that may be a standard template email that goes out to anyone who purchases from them. I messaged them directly and they told me something different. I also received a tracking number indicating a delivery by August 13th. Please refer to my earlier reply for more details.

 

[GadgetGuy]

K-Wave. I provided the order details along with their company name in my previous post. I did get the same email you did receive the same email you did about 4-6 weeks delivery. I believe that may be a standard template email that goes out to anyone who purchases from them. I messaged them directly and they told me something different. I also received a tracking number indicating a delivery by August 13th. Please refer to my earlier reply for more details.

That's odd. You must have placed your order before mine, as their follow up reply to my questioning the contradiction of delivery dates confirmed they had actually completely sold out, and now had no remaining stock to ship, and confirmed that I had only placed a pre-order for delivery in 6-8 weeks, so they were canceling my pre-order and refunding my money. Yet their website still states delivery by August 11 for a Pre-order! Hard to know what to believe! I now have another order from a Korean seller for $100 more who claimed to have one left, but still hasn't shipped anything in 24 hours after taking my money, and has promised express delivery to U.S. by Aug 11-18.

 

[FlierX]

I just did a quick scan of all eBay listings on the first couple of pages and found sellers from South Korea and Japan all have ship dates around August 12th through August 19th. This is affecting most sellers in both of those countries so they must have sold through existing stock and now are waiting for DJI to replenish inventory. I am not expert on international trade or supply chains so this is just a guess.

 

[FlierX]

Are there any reasons not buy from sellers in Japan? There is so much focus on how easy it is to receive them from South Korea but what about Japan? There are a few on eBay from Japan that have ship dates as early as August 6th.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Are there any reasons not buy from sellers in Japan? There is so much focus on how easy it is to receive them from South Korea but what about Japan? There are a few on eBay from Japan that have ship dates as early as August 6th.

"No returns accepted" was the reason I passed on the Japanese sellers.
Once it leaves Japan, it is yours, tariffs and all!
I want to be able to reject the shipment, if it arrives with a big 15% tariff bill!

 

[YorksPhotos]

"No returns accepted" was the reason I passed on the Japanese sellers.
Once it leaves Japan, it is yours, tariffs and all!
I want to be able to reject the shipment, if it arrives with a big 15% tariff bill!

I only looked at 2 from Japan. Both accepted returns and one of them was 60 days. You can always initiate a return through the eBay money back guarantee. Tariffs and fees may be unknown, I haven't heard of anyone here importing from Japan. My M4P CC #1 came from Japan but it wasn't shipped. It was and carried on a flight. It had a 30 day return but I have had it for about 40 days.

 

[MS Coast]

OK, knew that, but my question was about purchasing Care Refresh in US and being able to use it from the US. It seems Care Refresh is part of weighing out the pros and cons of purchasing from Korea vs US. Care refresh was not important for me but may be to some like yourself.

DJI said that a US buyer buys a drone in South Korea, they can purchase Care Refresh only for South Korea. Any shipment to DJI for Care Refresh services would have to originate in South Korea. Same for warranty services.

 

[MS Coast]

Are there any reasons not buy from sellers in Japan? There is so much focus on how easy it is to receive them from South Korea but what about Japan? There are a few on eBay from Japan that have ship dates as early as August 6th.

As with a purchase from anywhere other than the US, Care Refresh and warranty services would be available only through the country where you bought the drone. You could not ship a drone from the US to DJI for service, only from the country where the sale originated. And you run the risk of being liable for fees, duties, and tariffs if the seller has done something to dodge them.

 

[YorksPhotos]

K-Wave. I provided the order details along with their company name in my previous post. I did get the same email you did receive the same email you did about 4-6 weeks delivery. I believe that may be a standard template email that goes out to anyone who purchases from them. I messaged them directly and they told me something different. I also received a tracking number indicating a delivery by August 13th. Please refer to my earlier reply for more details.

Hi there. Just a heads up, K-Wave is no longer showing pre-order. It shows 7 in stock availble for purchase. It is 10:45 am there now so hopefully yours will go out in the afternoon.

 

[FlierX]

Hi there. Just a heads up, K-Wave is no longer showing pre-order. It shows 7 in stock availble for purchase. It is 10:45 am there now so hopefully yours will go out in the afternoon.

Wow! I have not checked since early this afternoon. This is great news! Thanks for letting me know. I will keep everyone posted when I get any updates or when the tracking changes. As I mentioned earlier, I did get a FedEx tracking number but it basically just says label created. I am not sure if it is K-Wave's standard practice to create a FedEx label every time they receive an order or not but I guess time will tell.

 

[FlierX]

As with a purchase from anywhere other than the US, Care Refresh and warranty services would be available only through the country where you bought the drone. You could not ship a drone from the US to DJI for service, only from the country where the sale originated. And you run the risk of being liable for fees, duties, and tariffs if the seller has done something to dodge them.

I understand. I am willing to take the risk based on the experiences of others with the South Korean seller I chose. Also, I am going to insure it so that if anything happens, I am covered. Hopefully the mess we, the US, find ourselves in with this tariff debacle will soon be resolved and DJI will offer DJI Care.

 

[FlierX]

That's odd. You must have placed your order before mine, as their follow up reply to my questioning the contradiction of delivery dates confirmed they had actually completely sold out, and now had no remaining stock to ship, and confirmed that I had only placed a pre-order for delivery in 6-8 weeks, so they were canceling my pre-order and refunding my money. Yet their website still states delivery by August 11 for a Pre-order! Hard to know what to believe! I now have another order from a Korean seller for $100 more who claimed to have one left, but still hasn't shipped anything in 24 hours after taking my money, and has promised express delivery to U.S. by Aug 11-18.

This is like playing whack-a-mole! LOL In a lot of forums and on Reddit, K-Wave seems to have a pretty good reputation. When I saw your earlier post about the back order and 4-6 week shipping times, I went on eBay and scoured the first 2 pages for all South Korean sellers and found that they all had about the same shipping date - Aug 11-18. That is why I did not cancel my order with K-Wave. It also helped that I got a FedEx tracking number and a response to a message that they would be back in stock within a week.

One never knows. It is a crazy time we are living in right now.