I’m a US drone pilot, but I can’t buy a DJI drone right now. As stock wanes, is a price increase coming?

(Image credit: Future)

I’m a drone pilot based in the US – but if I needed to replace my DJI Mini series drone, I wouldn’t be able to buy one. DJI’s US online website currently has red Out of Stock labels on every consumer drone, including the DJI Mini 4 Pro, the Air 3S, and the DJI Neo.

While DJI’s US webstore shelves appear to be empty of quadcopters, a few retailers appear to have some stock left. Stock appears to be limited though – as I wrote this, Adorma'as low stock notification on the Air 3S has now changed to backordered.

But, the limited availability has skewed prices to the point where I could buy the more advanced DJI Air 3S with its one-inch camera sensor for less than the DJI Mini 4 Pro. Third-party sellers on Amazon are listing the Mini 4 Pro for $1,599. That’s bundled with accessories, but I can’t find it without all the extras. The list price of the drone? $759 with the RC-N2.

While tariffs immediately come to mind when looking at the low stock of DJI drones in the US, the company attributes the issue to a "customs-related misunderstanding."

A DJI representative told Digital Camera World: "DJI remains committed to the US market. As we’ve previously shared, DJI has been working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to resolve a custom-related misunderstanding. Unfortunately, this has impacted our ability to stock and import drones. We understand the frustration among our customers, but remain hopeful that this will be resolved.”

The low stock comes as multiple camera companies have increased prices due to new US tariffs. To be clear, the prices listed on DJI’s website appear to remain the same as when the drones first launched. DJI hasn’t yet raised the list prices of the drones that I’m aware of. But some retailers seem to have started increasing prices as stock declines. The DJI Air 3S with the RC-N3 remote is selling for $1,199 at Adorama for example – $100 more than the price on DJI’s website.

The Air 3S would be my choice if I needed to buy a drone right now, at least while it’s cheaper than the Mini 4 Pro. It has a larger one-inch sensor on the main camera, plus a secondary camera with a longer telephoto lens. The Air 3S doesn’t fly under the 250g regulations, so it’s a drone that needs to be registered, but if I’m going to spend that much, I’m going to get the better drone.

I’m not at all surprised that the US availability for DJI – which is based in China – has suffered in the wake of the trade war. Many camera brands have adjusted prices over the last few weeks. Seeing third-party sellers inflate prices when stock is limited isn’t unexpected, but seeing major retailers like Adorama list prices beyond the list price seems more unusual.

DJI also needs to pass a security review before the end of 2025 to continue being sold in the US. DJI has welcomed the scrutiny, pointing out previous third-party studies, but expressed concern that the law didn't state which government agency would be handling the review.

Adorama lists the DJI Mini 4 Pro with RC N2 for $1,044, which typically retails for $759. The Mini Flip is at Adorama for $862, above the $639 list price. The US retailer lists the DJI Air 3S for $100 more than the list price, while the DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine Combo is listed for $5,499, above the $4,799 list price.

While I can’t buy a drone directly from DJI right now, I’ve spotted some stock of the DJI Air 3S at list price at Amazon. As of this writing, Adorama has some stock of the DJI Avata 2, the DJI Air 3S, the Mavic 3 Pro. Older models may also present a solution, with the DJI Mini 3 selling for $419 on Amazon right now.

While every drone that I checked on DJI’s US web store appeared to be out of stock, that’s not the case for the brand’s other products, with favorites like the DJI Action 5 Pro and the DJI Mic Mini still in stock.

Editor's note: Updated on July 7 with a statement from DJI.

You may also like