DJI Refurbished Store, Worth Buying?

[Sojourner60]

You lost me. Did who get what back?

Sorry, I'm trying to be funny. Did the people that sent their Quads in for repair get them back or did DJI just refurb and sell them?

 

[msinger]

It probably depends on what kind of repair needs to be done. Many people are getting a refurbished unit back. And other people are of course buying Phantoms from that same stock of refurbished units.

 

[anotherlab]

Did they get them back? Or did DJI just refurb them and sell them for a profit? Lol

That doesn't make any sense. There are basic ways that DJI has drones to sell as refurbished. If someone buys a drone from a retailer like Best Buy and then returns it, Best Buy returns it back to DJI (assuming that Best Buy didn't sell it as an open box sale). DJI can't sell returned drones that have been opened up as new, so they go into the refurb pile. If someone sends a drone in for repair and DJI may send the owner back a different drone. If they can repair the returned drone, they'll sell it as a refurb.

As for selling it for a profit, why would they sell it any other way? It's being sold for less than a brand new device, but still at a price where DJI can make money on the sale.

 

[Newbieguy]

I guess it’s the luck of the draw. I get this kind of range on my refurbished P3S with a set of 12$ windsurfers.

 

[mymgb]

I bought a refurb, seemed okay for a while but seemed to drift. The final straw was that it rose 2-3 feet then aimed directly at the controller which I was holding 6-8 ft away and it hit me in the leg. Could not stop motors for 1-2 minutes.( I was sitting on a stool) I called in,they emailed me a return label and a case number at that point,which is unusual. Sent it back,they were very quick and sent 2-3 emails but the camera and drone WERE different serial numbers. The gimble guard does not fit properly which was the give-away. ( doesn’t matter as I use the one piece lens cover and gimble guard) but I am happy with the outcome. I bought it for $314 from Drone Nerds. I fly the P3S and MAVIC

 

[Mark The Droner]

That's interesting. I bought a refurbished and my gimbal guard doesn't fit correctly either. I paid $539 for my P3P.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Beware! I bought a DJI certified refurbished P3P from DroneNerds, and had it modified, and discovered that the refurbishment was done in a shoddy manner, such that critical connections inside were not properly secured, as they are from the factory new. In a rough landing, the unsecured wires would easily have come loose. Shoddy DJI refurbishments are being sold, and also provided as refurb replacements under warranty!

 

[Tim Dawes]

I'm typically a big fan of Refurbs. I've never had a bad experience with buying refurbished electronics that were offered with a warranty. But, in this case of a P3 (or any aerial camera platform), I would stay away from them. There are simply TOO many sensitive electronics that may have been damaged by the original owner and were missed in the refurbishing process. With the number of people crashing the Phantom series, I'm sure they are overloaded with repairable wrecks. Sure, if I knew that it was a quality process of replacing everything that could possibly have been damaged, I might feel differently. But, there's simply no way of knowing what that bird went through to end-up back at the manufacturer (or possibly a shady dealer that doesn't really know what they're doing.) The price differential just isn't worth the potential headaches involved if something isn't working 100%.
Just my $0.02 on this one... Buy new and reduce your chances of problems.

I recently bought a refurbished P3P after crashing first one into salt water. Would have bought a new one but they are very difficult to find since no longer manufactured. So far so good. Fingers crossed.

 

[Mark The Droner]

The other argument is that, since the refurb AC has the same warranty as a new AC, and if you have to send either one in for warranty repairs, and since they're going to send you back a used AC anyway regardless of what your original was, you might as well buy a refurb to start with...

 

[GadgetGuy]

The other argument is that, since the refurb AC has the same warranty as a new AC, and if you have to send either one in for warranty repairs, and since they're going to send you back a used AC anyway regardless of what your original was, you might as well buy a refurb to start with...

Definitely some truth to that. It's not like the brand spanking new ones are all perfect either!

 

[Great Pumpkin]

How can you tell if you have an "old motor" P3P?

 

[Steve7777]

How can you tell if you have an "old motor" P3P?

By using the search facility here (magnifying glass, top right) to search for information about it.

See this search result:- Motors Phantom 3 Professional V1 2312

where a link is also given to:- New motors 2312A 800KV for New Unit

The motor ref 2312 is the older version.

 

[GadgetGuy]

How can you tell if you have an "old motor" P3P?

Independent of the motors, the original "old motor" P3P has a model number of W323A, and the RC is model number GL300A. That's the one with the best range, and best video power output from the aircraft. The later motor birds (W323B and W323C and RC versions GL300B and GL300C) had a reduced range and video power output, but have a 10% increased flight time.

 

[Great Pumpkin]

Thanks for the replies. Well lucky me, I guess. I have a P3P Model W323A ("old motors"), but a GL300C ("later version") RC. No matter. It flies like a charm, no cracks, no crashes, and it goes where and when I want.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Thanks for the replies. Well lucky me, I guess. I have a P3P Model W323A ("old motors"), but a GL300C ("later version") RC. No matter. It flies like a charm, no cracks, no crashes, and it goes where and when I want.

The W323A can be paired with any of the GL300 series remotes, and the Inspire 1 remote, so if you ever need more control range, pick up a GL300A or GL300B. Plenty available used. Remotes don't crash, so they should be fine used.

 

[Great Pumpkin]

The W323A can be paired with any of the GL300 series remotes, and the Inspire 1 remote, so if you ever need more control range, pick up a GL300A or GL300B. Plenty available used. Remotes don't crash, so they should be fine used.

After your last post, I got to wondering how I got the W323A motors but a GL300C transmitter, and then remembered my P3P and RC were with me in a high speed rollover crash two years ago. The P3P came through fine, but the RC had a broken antenna that I was told could not be repaired, so I bought a used RC from a guy on this forum, not knowing at the time there could be any kind of significant difference between a GL300A and a GL300C. In any case, the P3P works just fine with the GL300C.

 

[GadgetGuy]

After your last post, I got to wondering how I got the W323A motors but a GL300C transmitter, and then remembered my P3P and RC were with me in a high speed rollover crash two years ago. The P3P came through fine, but the RC had a broken antenna that I was told could not be repaired, so I bought a used RC from a guy on this forum, not knowing at the time there could be any kind of significant difference between a GL300A and a GL300C. In any case, the P3P works just fine with the GL300C.

Yes, it works just fine, as long as you stay within 1.6 miles. Beyond that, it is pretty much unusable. Certainly not useable to the rated control distance of over 3 miles.

 

[Great Pumpkin]

Yes, it works just fine, as long as you stay within 1.6 miles. Beyond that, it is pretty much unusable. Certainly not useable to the rated control distance of over 3 miles.

I'm not comfortable flying my P3P out of sight, so the 1.6 mile limitation will suit me just fine.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I'm not comfortable flying my P3P out of sight, so the 1.6 mile limitation will suit me just fine.

The P3A will do that as well, at a much lower cost. Why pay for what you won't use?

 

[Great Pumpkin]

The P3A will do that as well, at a much lower cost. Why pay for what you won't use?

Because I already have a perfectly good, two-year old P3P and don't need another UAS, although I admit I might be tempted by a P5, and I envy those who fly the Mavic Pro with its collision avoidance capabilities. The day I think it is necessary for me to fly beyond the GL300C's 1.6 mile limit, I'll take your suggestion and buy a used GL300A. I do appreciate that suggestion and thanks for revealing the shortcomings of the GL300C vs the GL300A.