Image: DJIWere about a week out from the release of DJIs Mavic 4 Pro, and while it may seem like everyone got one on social media, the number of US owners is still extremely low due to DJIs decision not to sell the drone in the US.
However, that supposedly was not 100% true, as both DJIs own NYC store and Adorama were able to sell the drone and ship it to customers.
How is that possible? And how can you get one?Last week, the announcement day for the long-awaited and leaked Mavic 4 Pro was filled with confusion over DJIs announcement through US media that it would not be bringing the new flagship drone to the US.
This decision came from tariff uncertainty and increased scrutiny at ports of entry by US Customs.
Originally, it was explained to the media that the drone would be 100% not available in the US on launch day.
However, a company spokesperson stated they were hoping to bring the drone to the US in the future but had no timeline for when that would be.Come launch day, while embargoed stories were published stating the lack of Mavic 4 available for sale, DJIs own website not even showing a new product being announced and its Amazon store still selling the Mavic 3 Pro, third-party retailers began listing the drone for sale on their websites.
Then Instagrammers began posting photos of their newly purchased Mavic 4 Pro in DJIs New York City retail location.In response to questions about DJIs own store selling the supposedly unsellable drone, a DJI spokesperson said, At this time, the DJI Mavic 4 Pro is not available for sale in the U.S.
market through DJIs official e-commerce site.
DJIs store in New York is operated by an authorized partner, which is different from DJIs official e-commerce channel.Advertisement - scroll for more contentIf youre like me, you may have been shocked to learn that DJIs retail store in New York is not operated by them.DJI was unable to comment on Adoramas sale of the drone.So is it as simple as just going to DJIs New York store and grabbing a Mavic 4 off the shelf? Well, no, but authorized retailers may be the way to go if you are looking to buy one.While B&Hs listing of the Mavic 4 Pro was only a preorder, and no customers have come forward to show they ever received one, Adoramas listing was completely legit, and at least one person has claimed their order went through.An Adorama spokesperson was able to confirm the site did and is selling the drone; however, it has since moved from on sale to preorder and is now on backorder.So, should you place an order and just pray? Well, that would assume that Adorama will be able to get more in stock in the future.There are two scenarios that could have happened last week: either these retailers are getting limited stock of the drone and will receive more in the future, but very slowly, or DJIs decision to pull the drone from the US market was late in the release schedule, and Adorama and the DJI Store had already begun receiving stock weeks ahead of the launch.If the second scenario is correct, the chances of more stock coming are low, and I personally wont be placing an order for one.
But if the first scenario is correct, getting your spot in line now could be your best bet for getting a Mavic 4 Pro even this year, depending on how much inventory DJI trickles into the US.This is all speculation as DJI would not be able to comment or confirm if any more products reach us here in the states.
But for now, if you want to buy a DJI Mavic 4 Pro, your best bet, for right now, is to place an order from Adorama or B&H and just hope more come in the future.FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.