I understand that after reading this many will say buyer beware or i was stupid, believe me i certainly feel that way, i am posting this so others may learn from my mistake and be on the look out.
My son has been really into quads for about a year and has owned a few inexpensive  (cheap) quads, his dream quad has been the dji phantom 3 advanced/pro so i made up my mind to make it happen for his birthday, Brian has Leukemia and cant do the physical things other kids his age are doing so this would be perfect, its expensive but i sold some personal items and came up with the money to purchase used of refurbished i searched online, ebay and other sites.
Aftet a couple weeks BINGO! I found what seemed to be perfect buy on Craigslist, like new Phantom 3 Adv for $500.00 i called the guy and arranged to meet, he suggested public spot walmart parking lot, i met him there the quad looked perfect, had box, Q-start manual charger battery it all looked perfect, he was in a hurry and commented it was to crowded to test there, so i stupidly handed over the money and took the quad and was so excited.
I told the guy why and who i was buying it for on the phone and explained my son was sick and he told me a story of a loved one with leukemia also, got the quad home, battery dead would not charge, felt a rattle inside quad, opened shell and discovered large m metal washers taped together and placed inside, motor wires were cut no electronics at al, same thing inside RC, i believe battery is just for display.
Strange thing was a bag inside contained many screws in separate packets. Must have been left inside by mistake, if anyone would be interested in screws or ? Send me a message i will send to you.

The code of the con is to know just enough about everything so you can lie about anything.

May he swallow his teeth and have to stick his fingers up his a*se to bite his nails.

That's fooking awful

Probably no use to you now, but you can buy p3 standard brand new for $500 from dji.

Someone with a Yuneec quad tried to pull a fast one like this on an associate of mine recently. My associate was ready, excited, with money in hand for this "great deal". I advised him to have the seller demo the quad's flight capabilities before exchanging money. Once my associate made that request, the seller immediately came up with an excuse about a bad battery (something that had never been mentioned during their correspondence via CL). Saved by the demonstration request. Always ask for a test drive BY the seller.

People can knock eBay all they want, but there you are protected. I have had a few items that I bought there that were not what they were described as. Full refund through eBay buyer protection plan. No hassles at all.
And if you must deal outside of eBay, at least use PayPal.
I bought a Z3 camera brand new from a guy through the Inspire pilots forum for $500. It did come and was a great deal. Having made that deal, I felt I could trust the guy, so I made another purchase of an X5 for $700.
Nothing ever showed up, he sent me a bogus tracking number and stopped answering emails. I filed a claim with PayPal and got 100% refund.
I only hope they press criminal charges on the a$$whole!

Maybe DJI could give you a discount on a P3S. Maybe one of the mod can help.

I believe you can get ripped off anywhere in the world and inexpensive (cheap) goods are probably too good to be true.

Aeromirage Posted at 2017-4-19 09:02
People can knock eBay all they want, but there you are protected. I have had a few items that I bought there that were not what they were described as. Full refund through eBay buyer protection plan.
And it you must deal outside of eBay, at least use PayPal.
I bought a Z3 camera brand new from a guy through the Inspire pilots forum for $500. It did come and was a great deal. Having made that deal, I felt I could trust the guy, so I made another purchase of an X5 for $700.

Agreed! Seller/Buyer protection is a must!

That really sucks. Yeah at minimum have someone fire up the motors even without props just to see everything moving.  

The screws/washers were probably to add weight.

The OPs' post  could be a scam looking for a sympathetic sucker.

m1shootr Posted at 2017-4-19 14:19
The OPs' post  could be a scam looking for a sympathetic sucker.

My intention was to warn others and to learn from my stupid error, check everything.
I have worked for everything i have.

fans7237cd81 Posted at 2017-4-19 15:30
My intention was to warn others and to learn from my stupid error, check everything.
I have worked for everything i have.

I am sorry this happened to you, obviously a real crook operating there. Buying a Phantom in used condition is a real gamble, so probably the most important lesson to learn from this story is not to buy a used aircraft.

m1shootr Posted at 2017-4-19 14:19
The OPs' post  could be a scam looking for a sympathetic sucker.

I think your post tells a lot more about you than anything else.

So did you turn it into the police? $500 in your state is a Felony and would be investigated. Since you were contacted threw phone or possibly email, it should not take the police long to track this criminal down.

this should be a legal issue and do not give it away.

The police will need it for evidence or your only chance of getting your money back.

Yes we did contact the police and have an open case, the officer made a report and took some photos and serial #'s, my son wanted fingerprints and DNA but no go   their are some very evil people in this world, I will continue to pray that this person has a change of heart and returns the money and allow us to purchase phantom

Labroides Posted at 2017-4-19 17:04
I think your post tells a lot more about you than anything else.

I totally agree!
That was a mean remark!

I just wanted to use the upvote function on your post but I cannot vote. Neither up or down.
In no thread. Would you knw why? I always get this pop-up:

Might be worth contacting a victims support organisation who any of your cancer charities to see if they could help with a replacement or cash for one. Even perhaps try crowd funding. Have you managed to get it reported in a local paper? Worth doing if only to highlight the risks. I am a disabled person and I know that some folk go out of their way to target people who are ill becasue they usually do not have the strength to fight back.
This is a really sad indicator of the way the human race is going. I really do hope that they catch this individual and trhow the book, or indeed anything at him. As an afterthought did the car park have any security cameras to get his image off?

Geebax Posted at 2017-4-19 16:59
I am sorry this happened to you, obviously a real crook operating there. Buying a Phantom in used condition is a real gamble, so probably the most important lesson to learn from this story is not to buy a used aircraft.

There is a whole legitimate market for used aircraft where people sell and exchange daily. No one should learn from this post to not buy a used aircraft. People can scam others with "new" aircrafts also.

Maxi3D Posted at 2017-4-19 10:15
Maybe DJI could give you a discount on a P3S. Maybe one of the mod can help.

Second that! I know it's definitely not the company's fault, but sometimes, gestures do matter.
Cmon, DJI, that's a good way to show some good faith.

It's really sad to see people scamming others, not to mention how sadder it gets when we are talking about (i) kids and (ii) with serious health problems. But yeah, for future reference, only buy used stuff only from people you know well, or from reputable sellers in secure websites.  

fans7237cd81 Posted at 2017-4-20 03:16
Yes we did contact the police and have an open case, the officer made a report and took some photos and serial #'s, my son wanted fingerprints and DNA but no go   their are some very evil people in this world, I will continue to pray that this person has a change of heart and returns the money and allow us to purchase phantom

I find it hard to believe that you didn't get a phone number, name, etc. Unless you did, and it was bogus too. I do feel sorry for you and your son, a lot of us have family members that may have some unfortunate problems. I don't however agree with that fact of broadcasting your situation here.  I am not trying to be hard on you here, but the fact your son has Leukemia really has nothing to do with what took place. And I don't believe for one minute the message here should be to NEVER by used phantoms. It doesn't matter what the product is that someone scammed you with. Most people would have at least taken the time to look it over a little closer than it sounds like you did. If the guy didn't have time for it, you should have withheld the money. I know it is easy for me to say that, but you have to be the one in charge since you are the buyer. I'm sure it is a lesson you will not soon forget. Again, sorry you got taken, but pretty sure you can maybe look around and find another one. Like someone mentioned, if you truly need financial support, check with some of your local support groups, many are willing to help if they can. Maybe instead of using your son's situation as a way to draw attention to this, you could have some type of fund-raiser and actually advertise parts of the funds will be used towards buying a phantom or two, and create some awareness for the disease that might also benefit somebody else in your situation. Best of luck to you.

RicardoGray Posted at 2017-4-20 07:50
I find it hard to believe that you didn't get a phone number, name, etc. Unless you did, and it was bogus too. I do feel sorry for you and your son, a lot of us have family members that may have some unfortunate problems. I don't however agree with that fact of broadcasting your situation here.  I am not trying to be hard on you here, but the fact your son has Leukemia really has nothing to do with what took place. And I don't believe for one minute the message here should be to NEVER by used phantoms. It doesn't matter what the product is that someone scammed you with. Most people would have at least taken the time to look it over a little closer than it sounds like you did. If the guy didn't have time for it, you should have withheld the money. I know it is easy for me to say that, but you have to be the one in charge since you are the buyer. I'm sure it is a lesson you will not soon forget. Again, sorry you got taken, but pretty sure you can maybe look around and find another one. Like someone mentioned, if you truly need financial support, check with some of your local support groups, many are willing to help if they can. Maybe instead of using your son's situation as a way to draw attention to this, you could have some type of fund-raiser and actually advertise parts of the funds will be used towards buying a phantom or two, and create some awareness for the disease that might also benefit somebody else in your situation. Best of luck to you.

I FULLY agree with the above...

I have multiple children with disabilities, a few even have multiple disabilities, yet I would never use them to explain why I did or did not do something for my children.

It sets up a sense of people wanting pitty and that somehow their situation is "more dire" than anyone else in the same situation because of what they are charged with in life to deal with.

That coupled with FAR FAR FAR too many taking advantage of others because of their children's conditions (I know personally of people that have had 3 "Make a Wish" type once in a lifetime vacations for the SAME CHILD) and then to find out that they have far more support and aide than just about anyone yet they still keep campaigning like they are in dire need (or they have good jobs/businesses and continue to be a charity when they live a lifestyle that makes everyone else look like paupers).  That kind of stuff is selfish on every level.

The fact of the matter is you got scammed.  That is all anyone needs to know.  Everything else is an attempt to evoke a response in your favor.  It unnecessary and unwarranted.

Unfortunately the whole "crowdfunding" thing is full of people trying to deceive others and because of that people with real needs are shamed into keeping their needs "secret" because others just tend to abuse an prey on them.  But, it is also a matter of pride and showing you are above the "handout" aspect to NOT mention the issues.

What is sad is there are those that look at people in need and are jealous that they are somehow "getting something more than me", without even beginning to understand what they go through and the choices they have to make because of the situation they are in.

There seems to be some confusion, I only brought up the fact of my sons illness as a way to show how cruel people can be, having said this I can understand why some people would feel I would use my sons illness in some pathetic way to gain favor.
I am not seeking a handout or would I accept one.

I do not know how to erase this entire post could someone please let me know how to do it.
Also if someone would be interested in the screws they are approximately 10 packages of them different sizes for the dji phantom, let me know what you are looking for and I will send them free of charge and pay shipping.

Their has been some confusion on my motivation for creating this post, I would never use my sons illness as a tool "get something ".
Could someone please tell me how I can delete a post that I started?
Also if anyone is interested I still have the packages of screws that were in the box their is about 15 packs with different size screws for all areas of the phantom.
Let me know and I will ship them free of charge.

fans7237cd81 Posted at 2017-4-20 22:18
Their has been some confusion on my motivation for creating this post, I would never use my sons illness as a tool "get something ".
Could someone please tell me how I can delete a post that I started?
Also if anyone is interested I still have the packages of screws that were in the box their is about 15 packs with different size screws for all areas of the phantom.

Let me start by saying I apologize if I insulted you, or caused you any additional grief. I truly feel for your family and your situation regarding your son. Nobody asks for that and it is totally out of your control. I just think your post was a little out of context, and maybe we all took it a bit wrong. I don't think you were trying to use your situation for sympathy, but sometimes those things are better left out of the story.
As far as those screws you are talking about, it is probably not even something to worry about. Your intentions seem sincere, but  unless somebody comes forward, I would just pitch them. When you get a replacement shell, you get all of those anyway.

Admin, please delete my post.