DJI Mini 5 Pro Ships Fast From Amazon While UPS Destroys Packages in Tariff Chaos

The DJI Mini 5 Pro officially isn’t for sale in the United States—except it absolutely is, and it’s shipping faster than packages of chocolate from Canada that are being destroyed in customs. While UPS admits to “disposing of” thousands of international packages stuck in Trump’s tariff chaos, the brand-new drone that DJI won’t sell Americans is readily available on Amazon from Chinese resellers delivering via Prime in 1-2 days.

This paradox exposes a troubling enforcement gap. Legitimate businesses watch their shipments destroyed in Louisville customs while third-party sellers successfully move products DJI itself considers too risky to ship directly.

How Amazon Sellers Bypass the Customs Nightmare

One of our readers and DroneXL independently ordered the DJI Mini 5 Pro from different Amazon resellers this week. We both received our drones within 48 hours via Prime shipping—the same timeframe when a Canadian chocolate company lost 27 packages to customs destruction, according to NBC News reporting on the UPS crisis.

The DJI Mini 5 Pro appears on Amazon at $759 for the basic model and $1,099 for the Fly More Combo. Multiple sellers list the drone, including “Air Foto,” a Chinese business with 100% positive ratings, and “MUQQ,” which claims to be an “officially authorized dealer of professional drone brands.” One listing shows “100+ bought in past month,” indicating substantial sales volume despite DJI’s official U.S. absence.

Notably, one Mini 5 Pro arrived with shipping documentation labeling it as a “DJI Mini 4 Pro”—despite the box clearly showing Mini 5 Pro branding. The paperwork discrepancy is curious given the chaos at customs, though it could simply reflect the challenges of managing international shipments during this transition period.

DJI’s Official Position: Not Available in America

When DJI launched the Mini 5 Pro on September 17, 2025, the press release included telling fine print: “Not available officially in the U.S. market on official websites.” The drone went on sale in Canada starting at $749 USD equivalent and throughout Europe at €799, but DJI.com showed nothing for American customers.

This marks the second major DJI release to skip official U.S. availability. The DJI Mavic 4 Pro launched in May 2025 with similar restrictions, citing “conditions of high uncertainty” around tariffs and customs enforcement. A DJI spokesperson told PetaPixel the drone maker was “actively exploring every possible solution” but provided no timeline for U.S. availability.

The DJI Mavic 4 Pro situation proved the gray market could succeed where official channels failed. Brief stock appeared at B&H and Adorama before selling out, and third-party sellers soon dominated availability on Walmart and Amazon at significant markups. The Mini 5 Pro appears to be following the same playbook—but with faster delivery times.

Trump’s Tariff Changes Created Customs Chaos

The backdrop makes Amazon’s success more puzzling. On August 29, 2025, President Trump eliminated the de minimis exemption that had allowed packages valued under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free since the 1930s. Every country now faces different tariff rates, creating what customs brokers call an “absolute nightmare” for shipping companies.

UPS told Gizmodo that more than 90% of packages clear customs on the first day, but those that don’t face an uncertain fate

“In cases where we cannot obtain the necessary information to clear the package, there are two options,” the UPS statement explained. “First, the package can be returned to the original shipper at their expense. Second, if the customer does not respond and the package cannot be cleared for delivery, disposing of the shipment is in compliance with U.S. customs regulations.”

Matthew Wasserbach, brokerage manager at Express Customs Clearance, told NBC News: “I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s totally unprecedented.” Louisville, Kentucky—UPS’s largest air hub—has become the bottleneck where thousands of packages sit in limbo or face destruction.

DJI’s Year-Long Customs Battle

DJI products have faced mounting customs scrutiny since October 2024, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection began detaining shipments under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. DJI strongly denied the allegations, stating “no forced labor is involved at any stage of our manufacturing process” and noting all production occurs in Shenzhen or Malaysia, not Xinjiang.

The customs holds created widespread DJI stock shortages by June 2025. Major retailers including B&H Photo, Adorama, and Amazon reported near-total depletion across DJI’s lineup. Even the DJI Air 3S, launched in October 2024, experienced significant customs delays that disrupted the typical retail supply chain.

A June 2025 case documented by DroneXL involved a Mavic 4 Pro replacement stuck in Kentucky customs for over 10 days, with DJI unable to provide refund or replacement while the drone remained in limbo.

The customer noted: “This is a growing problem, I think, with DJI. And I think this is why they’re hesitant to ship anything to the United States right now.”

The December 23, 2025 deadline looms larger. Under the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act, DJI faces automatic addition to the FCC’s Covered List unless a federal agency completes a security review. No agency has begun the mandated assessment despite DJI sending requests in March 2025, effectively creating a default ban scenario.

The Gray Market Thrives Where Official Channels Fail

Amazon’s third-party marketplace appears immune to the customs enforcement paralyzing legitimate shipments. The Chinese sellers listing Mini 5 Pro units show business addresses in Shandong Province and claim fulfillment through Amazon’s network. Some units ship from U.S. warehouses, suggesting inventory reached the country before or despite current restrictions.

Drone pilot and Youtuber Jake Sloan noted: “All of the drones, including the Mini 5 Pro and the DJI Mavic 4, are approved for use in the United States. It’s just a matter of them not being able to get through customs and be imported.” Yet clearly, some are getting through—just not through channels DJI controls.

The catch? Zero warranty coverage. DJI’s warranties are region-locked, and “our limited warranty for DJI drones is only valid in the country or region where you purchased your drone,” according to statements provided to multiple outlets. No DJI Care Refresh. No authorized repair service. If the drone breaks, you own an expensive paperweight.

For many pilots, that trade-off beats not having access at all. The DJI Mini 5 Pro brings significant upgrades: a 1-inch 50MP sensor, front-facing LiDAR for night obstacle detection, and up to 52 minutes of flight time with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus. It’s the most capable sub-250g drone ever made, putting it below FAA registration requirements while matching the imaging quality of much larger platforms.

DroneXL’s Take

The enforcement paradox here is stunning. UPS destroys Canadian chocolate while Chinese resellers successfully deliver drones that the manufacturer itself won’t risk shipping. Either customs enforcement is wildly inconsistent, or the sheer volume of Amazon’s fulfillment network makes individual shipments harder to flag than traditional carrier routes.

The mislabeling on shipping documentation—a Mini 5 Pro labeled as Mini 4 Pro—illustrates how chaotic international logistics have become under the new tariff regime. Managing product SKUs across borders during this transition creates inevitable paperwork mismatches.

DJI finds itself in an impossible position. The company won’t sell directly to Americans, citing uncertainty and risk. Yet American pilots clearly have access through channels DJI can’t control or support. This gray market success undermines any argument that these products are genuinely unavailable or too dangerous to import—they’re just unavailable through honest means.

The December 23 deadline makes this more urgent. If no security review occurs and DJI hits the FCC Covered List, these Amazon listings may be the only way Americans can access new DJI technology. That’s not a sustainable model for the 76% of U.S. drone pilots who rely on DJI platforms, and it’s certainly not a win for consumer protection or national security oversight.

What do you think? Are you willing to buy gray market drones without warranty, or are you waiting for official channels to reopen? Share your thoughts in the comments below.