Cliff. Johnston
Active Member
...or buyer beware!
Having bought quadcopters and parts online, or to be more accurate, having attempted to buy quadcopters and parts online I am finding that this is an entirely different buying experience from what I have experienced in the past. I have found "crooks" on eBay here in the U.S.A, and I have found some great sellers. I have found some excellent suppliers in China, and some with poor service due to language issues - literal translations from Chinese to English can be quite comical. DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE YOU BUY FROM ANYONE. So far I have come across more scam artists in this hobby than elsewhere - may be a sign of the times and happening all over - dunno, but it's not good for us honest buyers.
Typical scams include, "a great buy on a quadcopter with 3 batteries" and failing to disclose that 2 of the batteries are at the end of their life expectancies. Ask first about battery conditions and how long each will run!
"Great buy! Flew it only 3 times!" Yeah, and his mother wears army boots too - probably sells cheap prophylactics with holes in them too ;-) Ask for the total number of hours flown. While you can't get this for the less expensive drones, the more expensive ones have software to keep count for you. Ask!
If you have your eye on a particular drone model do a google! Ask for the model and "reviews", i.e.: enter, "dji inspire 1 v.2 reviews". You will find plenty of reviews for the more popular drones.
If you contact a, "going out of business sale" (as in CA) + a sob story, beware! See if the seller will take PayPal so that you can protect yourself. If he replies, "Sure, but you have to send the money to a relative of mine as my account has reached its limit of transactions this month." RUN!!!
Scam sellers used to go for the big bucks, but I just got inconvenienced with a $20 propeller transaction. Fortunately it was an eBay/PayPal deal, and I got my money back - slight inconvenience, but it beats losing the $20.
I am sure that others here can add some of their more delightful experiences too.
DO BE CAREFUL.
Having bought quadcopters and parts online, or to be more accurate, having attempted to buy quadcopters and parts online I am finding that this is an entirely different buying experience from what I have experienced in the past. I have found "crooks" on eBay here in the U.S.A, and I have found some great sellers. I have found some excellent suppliers in China, and some with poor service due to language issues - literal translations from Chinese to English can be quite comical. DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE YOU BUY FROM ANYONE. So far I have come across more scam artists in this hobby than elsewhere - may be a sign of the times and happening all over - dunno, but it's not good for us honest buyers.
Typical scams include, "a great buy on a quadcopter with 3 batteries" and failing to disclose that 2 of the batteries are at the end of their life expectancies. Ask first about battery conditions and how long each will run!
"Great buy! Flew it only 3 times!" Yeah, and his mother wears army boots too - probably sells cheap prophylactics with holes in them too ;-) Ask for the total number of hours flown. While you can't get this for the less expensive drones, the more expensive ones have software to keep count for you. Ask!
If you have your eye on a particular drone model do a google! Ask for the model and "reviews", i.e.: enter, "dji inspire 1 v.2 reviews". You will find plenty of reviews for the more popular drones.
If you contact a, "going out of business sale" (as in CA) + a sob story, beware! See if the seller will take PayPal so that you can protect yourself. If he replies, "Sure, but you have to send the money to a relative of mine as my account has reached its limit of transactions this month." RUN!!!
Scam sellers used to go for the big bucks, but I just got inconvenienced with a $20 propeller transaction. Fortunately it was an eBay/PayPal deal, and I got my money back - slight inconvenience, but it beats losing the $20.
I am sure that others here can add some of their more delightful experiences too.
DO BE CAREFUL.
