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Advice on buying a used P4Pro
2309 25 2017-11-14
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boykintom
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I've found a lightly used P4Pro that a private seller has at a reasonable price.  Other than seeing it in operation and making sure everything works, what can I do to make sure that this is a legitimate deal and that I'm dealing with the real owner?  I have no reason to think I'm not, just trying to be careful, and while the deal is good, it is not too good to be true.
2017-11-14
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ALABAMA
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I would ask to see him log into DJI.    Or maybe see if he has a receipt from wherever he bought it
2017-11-14
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M.C. Pilot
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Fly and check RC/AC it before the cash exchanges hands.  . besides the obvious checking of the AC/RC for any crashes.
2017-11-14
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boykintom
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M.C. Pilot Posted at 2017-11-14 15:04
Fly and check RC/AC it before the cash exchanges hands.  . besides the obvious checking of the AC/RC for any crashes.

Also thinking to ask him to fly it with my tablet so I can see all the parameters of the craft on AirData (Healthy Drones)
2017-11-14
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M.C. Pilot
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boykintom Posted at 2017-11-14 15:10
Also thinking to ask him to fly it with my tablet so I can see all the parameters of the craft on AirData (Healthy Drones)

Yeah sound good to me. Good move; of all checks out you'll be quite impressed with the P4P.
2017-11-14
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DJI Susan
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Er, I would think twice before making the decision.
2017-11-14
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CraigR
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DJI Susan Posted at 2017-11-14 20:17
Er, I would think twice before making the decision.

Umm, why do you say that?
2017-11-14
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Montfrooij
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Also check some footage in various settings (4K at least) on a large screen.
Check a picture also for optical defects.

Watch for the obvious errors (gimbal issues, optical issues, dust on sensor).
Set F stop high to be able to see dust more clearly.

2017-11-15
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boykintom
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DJI Susan Posted at 2017-11-14 20:17
Er, I would think twice before making the decision.

Why do you say that?  What reservations would you have and what would you look for?
2017-11-15
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boykintom
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Montfrooij Posted at 2017-11-15 00:22
Also check some footage in various settings (4K at least) on a large screen.
Check a picture also for optical defects.

Good advice I think.  I had thought about photos and video, but not about dust.  Thanks!
2017-11-15
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DJI Susan
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CraigR Posted at 2017-11-14 20:32
Umm, why do you say that?

No specific reason, it's just my opinion as many things are too good to be true.
2017-11-15
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Montfrooij
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boykintom Posted at 2017-11-15 02:11
Good advice I think.  I had thought about photos and video, but not about dust.  Thanks!

It should not be an issue, but you read about cases on this forum

Also think about the icon that won't show up on this forum with a second hand drone.
Until now you can't re link a drone to an account, so a second hand drone won't show up under your avatar.
Not the biggest issue, especially since flight distance is recorded, but it might be important to you.
2017-11-15
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CraigR
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DJI Susan Posted at 2017-11-15 02:43
No specific reason, it's just my opinion as many things are too good to be true.

LOL, ok. I personally don't think that someone selling a Phantom 4 Pro is too good to be true though (I'm sure it happens all the time)
2017-11-15
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boykintom
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Montfrooij Posted at 2017-11-15 02:49
It should not be an issue, but you read about cases on this forum

Also think about the icon that won't show up on this forum with a second hand drone.

No, that is not important to me.  I am much more interested in the quality of the photos and video, and the P4P has a much better camera than my P4, at least according to everything I've read.
2017-11-15
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kykphantom
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Make sure that you watched carefully at least 3-4 minutes of a 4k@60fps footage.
2017-11-15
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Montfrooij
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boykintom Posted at 2017-11-15 04:21
No, that is not important to me.  I am much more interested in the quality of the photos and video, and the P4P has a much better camera than my P4, at least according to everything I've read.

I can understand. That 'should' be the main deal indeed.
Yes, the P4P (or P4A) should deliver better image quality.
Bigger sensor, more pixels and most important: a higher bitrate for its video stream, so less compression is used)

https://fstoppers.com/aerial/bat ... hantom-3-pro-162427

But it is not like 'night and day' difference.
2017-11-15
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boykintom
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Montfrooij Posted at 2017-11-15 04:47
I can understand. That 'should' be the main deal indeed.
Yes, the P4P (or P4A) should deliver better image quality.
Bigger sensor, more pixels and most important: a higher bitrate for its video stream, so less compression is used)

One thing that does occur to me.  If I should ever have to send in a used craft for repairs, will the fact that it is used present a problem through DJI?  I'm not asking about warrenty, just repair or service in general on a craft that was not activated through my account.
2017-11-15
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Montfrooij
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boykintom Posted at 2017-11-15 04:57
One thing that does occur to me.  If I should ever have to send in a used craft for repairs, will the fact that it is used present a problem through DJI?  I'm not asking about warrenty, just repair or service in general on a craft that was not activated through my account.

I have asked this to sales support from DJI. That should not be a problem.
It is just the forum that does not link you to this drone.
At least, so I was told.
2017-11-15
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LarBear360
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I think there are people out there who find this hobby is not for them. And then there are people who have no problem sleeping at night after ripping off other people. If you don't know this person, maybe steer clear. Consider the market price for what you're buying. Ebay is a good source. If it's below market price, there's a reason. If it were me I would stick with E-Bay since the seller has ratings and they offer buyer protection.
2017-11-15
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boykintom
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LarBear360 Posted at 2017-11-15 05:46
I think there are people out there who find this hobby is not for them. And then there are people who have no problem sleeping at night after ripping off other people. If you don't know this person, maybe steer clear. Consider the market price for what you're buying. Ebay is a good source. If it's below market price, there's a reason. If it were me I would stick with E-Bay since the seller has ratings and they offer buyer protection.

I think that is good advice.  In this case, though, the price is good, but fair both ways, so I'm not too worried about it.  Plus, buying it in person, I will see it fly and will look at video and photos, as well as the aircraft itself.
2017-11-15
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LarBear360
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boykintom Posted at 2017-11-15 07:00
I think that is good advice.  In this case, though, the price is good, but fair both ways, so I'm not too worried about it.  Plus, buying it in person, I will see it fly and will look at video and photos, as well as the aircraft itself.

It's like buying a used car. You can only get so much (or so little) history on the car. The best you can do is a test drive and hope anything wrong with it surfaces within that very short time span.

In the end you will get what you pay for.
2017-11-15
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DJI Susan
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boykintom Posted at 2017-11-15 04:57
One thing that does occur to me.  If I should ever have to send in a used craft for repairs, will the fact that it is used present a problem through DJI?  I'm not asking about warrenty, just repair or service in general on a craft that was not activated through my account.

The second-hand devices enjoy the same repair progress as new units. If you got a second drone within or beyond the warranty period, we are glad to offer the repair service. No worries.
2017-11-17
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DroneItch
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I've got one I'll be posting, like new, never used it. I'm trying to find out where a good place to post would be, decent site, no games....
2017-11-18
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Flyboy54
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I bought my P4P from a private owner on Craigslist, and I was very pleased with my purchase.  Ask how many cycles on the battery, any damage history, maybe a video or photos they've taken with the camera, invoice from their purchase, ask them to give you a 5 minute flying demo and "why" are they selling?  For what it's worth, I had a "Gimbal Motor Overloaded" message on my drone after I'd had it for about 2 months.  I sent it to DJI for repair and it was covered by warranty, no charge, repaired and sent back to me and perfect working condition.  I believe they go by the serial number and not the owner because I never told them where I purchased it from.  I've also purchased a Mavic Pro from Craiglist, they're both great and I saved hundreds of dollars off of suggested retail and sales tax.  Good luck...
2017-11-18
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Paul Tomo
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I'm looking at buying a phantom 4 pro and the second hand prices in the uk are so close to buying a new drone iv'e decieded to buy new.
2017-11-18
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fans79a9d393
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LarBear360 Posted at 2017-11-15 05:46
I think there are people out there who find this hobby is not for them. And then there are people who have no problem sleeping at night after ripping off other people. If you don't know this person, maybe steer clear. Consider the market price for what you're buying. Ebay is a good source. If it's below market price, there's a reason. If it were me I would stick with E-Bay since the seller has ratings and they offer buyer protection.

The buyer on ebay has all the power. The buyer can return anything for any reason and their is nothing the seller can do about it. The seller is literally at the buyers mercy on ebay. You could buy a drone from someone on ebay and say they sent you a box of rocks and they would have zero recourse.
2017-11-18
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