Is it safe and worth to buy drones from companies like GearBest - https://www.gearbest.com/
Pros - Its super cheap, like $1000 cheaper than any local stores.
But how about warranty with DJI, or any chances of it getting damaged or lost in transit?
What else could go wrong!!
Gearbest are great - but yeah, they're an absolute ball-ache when it comes to warranty repairs as you have to ship the item their at your cost as far as I can remember.
So it'll take weeks to get there, potentially weeks to fix… all the while, you're without your item etc.
I don't think I'd spend big money with them again, after trying to get something done about a noisy fan in a Xiaomi Air laptop.
I've bought a DJI Mavic 2 Zoom from Gearbest using a coupon.
With shipping, the Mavic 2 Zoom came to less than 1500 AUD, which is amazing considering the retail price here is 1900+ AUD.
Shipping was via DHL Express, and took 5 business days to reach my doorstep.
However, the drawback is customs taxes and GST. Gearbest do not undervalue their shipments, unlike most Chinese companies/retailers. I ended up having to pay $320 AUD in taxes, which took the purchase to 1820+ AUD
This is still less than the local retail price, but not by much.
As mentioned already, warranty and RMA can be a pain in the ass with them (I've bought other electronics from them, and the RMA process wasnt exactly pleasant)
I'd recommend buying local through eBay or local sellers, where you dont have to worry about customs duties or import taxes.
PM me if you're looking for a drone. I am currently working on importing DJI Mavic 2 Pro's at much lower prices than the market rates.
Cheers
That's very concerning now as I think of it.
Other concern is laws around flying drone in Australia.
Don't buy a drone if you don't know where to fly legally. Otherwise just becomes a dusty ornament around the house
I use the Casa app 'can I fly there?' that plus common sense and being mindful of national parks hasn't led me astray yet
Can you fly indoor in a restricted zone? I have heard that DJI won't allow the drone to turn on in such areas.
I've purchased $1000's of products from GearBest without any problems.
Warranty claims can be the problem…