a friend of mine is about to bring me back a fly more combo Mavic Pro from china to australia. About 1600AUD.  do you guys think is a good idea? i save about Roughly $400.

What are the differences other then the charger plug and the user Guide being in chinese?

Use $400 to buy a new power cord and download english version user manual. That's it.

Don't forget about the tax that you might have to pay in Australia.
I also bought mine in china and had to pay extra 22,5% when I arrived in Germany.
Of course you can go through the green channel but if you get caught it's considered tax fraud...
For me it was an easy decision because I travel a lot with my Mavic, so rather pay a bit extra (still cheaper then in Germany) and I don't have to live with that bad feeling every time I walk through customs

Hi guys, I bought my P4P and Mavic, plus all accessories and batteries thru AliExpress shipped from China. Except for charger plug there is no difference at all. Since I live in Russia, the difference is more than 30% if I buy it locally from authorized stores. Also, DJI doesn't sell to Russia via its internet store, so the decision was very easy. The only downside is that you have issues with warranty repairs, because the closest DJI service center is in Germany, so you have to turn it in there. But, for 30% price difference I think it's worth taking the risk.
As regarding import duty, I would unpack the drone, trash the box and put it in a carry-on as if you were taking it abroad and now are bringing back. No sense to pay to the customs unless you really have to ))

laceyboy Posted at 2017-4-16 23:19
Use $400 to buy a new power cord and download english version user manual. That's it.

Why not just cut off the plug and fix the proper one?

Dmitry495 Posted at 2017-4-17 00:55
Why not just cut off the plug and fix the proper one?

Unlike the US, to do that in Australia, you need a qualified electrician to do that legally and to still have insurance cover. Cheaper to buy a new cord, or use an existing cord (standard figure 8 plug, so many things use it, including iPhone chargers).

PHL Posted at 2017-4-17 02:05
Unlike the US, to do that in Australia, you need a qualified electrician to do that legally and to still have insurance cover. Cheaper to buy a new cord, or use an existing cord (standard figure 8 plug, so many things use it, including iPhone chargers).

PHL, Are you serious? What a complicated world you live in... I agree, replacement cord cost nothing or easy to get from another appliance, but I would hate not to be allowed to fix a simple electrical issue

I bought mine from dji store in china and used a shipping company to pack and ship it to me ( new zealand) with EMS courier. Cost NZD$50 for shipping. Arrived in 4 days without paying tax. The only problem is if it have any warranty problems, you'll have to ship it back to China.

Dmitry495 Posted at 2017-4-17 02:18
PHL, Are you serious? What a complicated world you live in... I agree, replacement cord cost nothing or easy to get from another appliance, but I would hate not to be allowed to fix a simple electrical issue

Very serious; we can't even legally do simple wiring in our own houses.

At work, every single power cord has to be certified and tagged as safe to use every 2 years. If an electrician changes the plug, it will also likely need a tag.

Dmitry495 Posted at 2017-4-17 00:55
Why not just cut off the plug and fix the proper one?

The plug for PSU is modular standard C7 cable = everyone has 10 of those flying around their house.

I bought a Mavic + 2nd Battery in Shenzhen DJI store for 950€ which would have cost me 1290€ here in Germany. Except for the C7 cable it is identical to German version.

Of course it doesnt have DE warranty, but i go to China about 4x/year, so...

Loving it so far.

Sebb Posted at 2017-4-18 07:24
The plug for PSU is modular standard C7 cable = everyone has 10 of those flying around their house.

I bought a Mavic + 2nd Battery in Shenzhen DJI store for 950€ which would have cost me 1290€ here in Germany. Except for the C7 cable it is identical to German version.

Sebb,

Of course, this cable is very common and one get it from a variety of home electronics (mostly charges). My point was that fixing a new plug to a cable (if it's legal in your country) is a cheaper option over buying a new one in case you don't have a spare one.

PHL Posted at 2017-4-17 02:05
Unlike the US, to do that in Australia, you need a qualified electrician to do that legally and to still have insurance cover. Cheaper to buy a new cord, or use an existing cord (standard figure 8 plug, so many things use it, including iPhone chargers).

No one in the US does that unless you dont have any other options, its just easier to spend a few $$ to buy the correct cord.

Dmitry495 Posted at 2017-4-17 00:55
Why not just cut off the plug and fix the proper one?

Why do that when its only a few dollars? http://store.dji.com/product/inspire-ac-cable-us-ca

You can find the same cord at any local electronics store or walmart....

Not worth splicing to risk a short or a fire...

PHL Posted at 2017-4-17 18:48
Very serious; we can't even legally do simple wiring in our own houses.

At work, every single power cord has to be certified and tagged as safe to use every 2 years. If an electrician changes the plug, it will also likely need a tag.

Wow... that's dramatic. I know this from ships actually - port state control would come on a vessel and measure the distance between the steps on a ladder - I don't remember exactly but it was supposed to be something like 34-38cm so if you had 38,1cm or 33,9cm you'd not be allowed to carry out cargo operations and would have to cut and weld all the steps anew :-) If the vessel is loaded with low flash point cargo then you can't get a hot work permit. The authorities were very anal about everything at every step of the way.

Buy the drone from China.  You have nothing to worry about, power cord wise.  The standard power DJI recharger will accept any voltage from 100-240 volts AC, either 50 Hz. or 60 Hz.  with no modifications.  The only difference is the plug on the end.  No need to cut the cord or hire an elecrician.  Simply use an adaptor you can buy anywhere for less than 7.00 NZD  or AUD.  No wiring changes are needed.  

seems like not support to glabal guarantee repair.......

Dmitry495 Posted at 2017-4-18 07:42
Sebb,

Of course, this cable is very common and one get it from a variety of home electronics (mostly charges). My point was that fixing a new plug to a cable (if it's legal in your country) is a cheaper option over buying a new one in case you don't have a spare one.

well .. its 4$ https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice ... p;keywords=c7+cable
and moreover, not everyone is comfortable modding power cables

As others have said - warranty is in the region where the drone was purchased. Personally I wouldn't risk it for the possible hassle if you have an issue. Shipping backward and forward will probably be at your cost not DJI's.

Chriscycling Posted at 2017-4-19 03:16
As others have said - warranty is in the region where the drone was purchased. Personally I wouldn't risk it for the possible hassle if you have an issue. Shipping backward and forward will probably be at your cost not DJI's.

Not quite so... It has a worldwide warranty, so as long as you have a proof of purchase (receipt, invoice) you can turn it in to the local authorized DJI service center

FrequentFlyer Posted at 2017-4-18 08:07
No one in the US does that unless you dont have any other options, its just easier to spend a few $$ to buy the correct cord.

If something needs to be done, you always have two options: either do it yourself (provided that you are capable of) or call someone who does it for you. Not necessarily a question of cost...

Dmitry495 Posted at 2017-4-19 05:57
If something needs to be done, you always have two options: either do it yourself (provided that you are capable of) or call someone who does it for you. Not necessarily a question of cost...

It is a question of cost tho... time is money and it will cost you 2 cords to make one plus materials.

Dmitry495 Posted at 2017-4-19 05:55
Not quite so... It has a worldwide warranty, so as long as you have a proof of purchase (receipt, invoice) you can turn it in to the local authorized DJI service center

DJI Mindy and now Natalia stated on previous threads that the warranty was only applicable in the region where the product was purchased
http://forum.dji.com/thread-86401-1-1.html

FrequentFlyer Posted at 2017-4-19 06:50
It is a question of cost tho... time is money and it will cost you 2 cords to make one plus materials.

Not sure... I'm not so busy and slow, mtls cost peanuts ))

Chriscycling Posted at 2017-4-19 07:08
DJI Mindy and now Natalia stated on previous threads that the warranty was only applicable in the region where the product was purchased
http://forum.dji.com/thread-86401-1-1.html

Could be, but I know live examples showing differently

Dmitry495 Posted at 2017-4-17 02:18
PHL, Are you serious? What a complicated world you live in... I agree, replacement cord cost nothing or easy to get from another appliance, but I would hate not to be allowed to fix a simple electrical issue

lol It's Australia. I drafted a permit and put my own solar with a new 200 amp breaker box and new 2" riser to the roof to a sub box in the garage. After a few permits to get it passed with the city, got it done by myself without any certs. I went on an Australian board (they have some of the biggest solar installs in the world) and I might as well been an alien.

You have to be certified to carry a knife there it seems. It's nuts. Certified electricians must make a killing. Solar guys seem to be happy homeowners can't touch their homes legally, but you look at the laws and it's like written by a 12 year old. They actually call the lawmakers clowns there because a lot of it allowed sketchy installs to go approved which ended in a lot of fires last few years. Nice country but the bureaucracy is like europe.

thehippoz Posted at 2017-4-19 09:34
lol It's Australia. I drafted a permit and put my own solar with a new 200 amp breaker box and new 2" riser to the roof to a sub box in the garage. After a few permits to get it passed with the city, got it done by myself without any certs. I went on an Australian board (they have some of the biggest solar installs in the world) and I might as well been an alien.

You have to be certified to carry a knife there it seems. It's nuts. Certified electricians must make a killing. Solar guys seem to be happy homeowners can't touch their homes legally, but you look at the laws and it's like written by a 12 year old. They actually call the lawmakers clowns there because a lot of it allowed sketchy installs to go approved which ended in a lot of fires last few years. Nice country but the bureaucracy is like europe.

I see... Must be hard to adjust if you are used to fix little/medium home issues by yourself

Dmitry495 Posted at 2017-4-19 09:43
I see... Must be hard to adjust if you are used to fix little/medium home issues by yourself

Well, it's the laws over there. It's not even good law, like here the fire department has laws that least make sense. They want a breaker on the roof and you can install up to 10kw of panels by yourself. Over there, they require the breaker but they allowed sub par parts. So installers just out for money, they don't care about your house, they ended up installing breakers that filled with water. Over here, we need bladed dc breakers that snapped back and forth to break the arc.

The aussie house owner would sometimes twist to break the arc. Then the damage was done and house fire would happen. They had more house fires than any other country that installs solar, and they won't let home owners install anything electric themselves. It's bureaucracy.

You should be ok. Just ask your friend to ask the person at the flagship store to open the drone and look for all the little defects that night have such as the infamous cracked Gimbal cable cover. Other than that, ask your friend to see if they have dji care at the store. If not, just tell him not to activate the drone and when you receive it activate it and apply for the care package if interested. I personally recomend it.