DJI Avata 360 Preorders Are Live, But Buyers Should Read the Fine Print

The DJI Avata 360 has not been officially announced, yet a San Diego based retailer is already taking preorders, listing multiple bundles, estimated shipping windows, and even offering a $99 reservation option.

On paper, it looks like early access. In practice, it raises a long list of uncomfortable questions about what “new” actually means in the current U.S. DJI market.

Which Flavor of Avata 360 Would You Like?

This is not about one store alone. It is about how DJI drones are quietly being sold in America right now, who controls the supply, and what buyers are actually getting when the box arrives at their door.

A New Drone That Is Already Opened

What “Activated Once” Really Means

Every DJI drone must be activated the first time it is powered on using a DJI account. This process registers the drone’s serial number on DJI’s servers and permanently marks it as activated. A drone can never return to an unactivated state. Even if it has never flown, activation creates a digital history tied to that unit. For buyers, this means the drone is no longer factory fresh in the strict sense, and eligibility for services like DJI Care Refresh may be affected.

US Drone Supply lists the DJI Avata 360 as “New – Unsealed / Activated / Not Flown.” That combination of words is doing a lot of work.

DJI drones can only be activated once. Activation permanently writes data to DJI’s servers. Once that happens, the drone has a history, even if it has never lifted off the ground. From a consumer standpoint, that places the product in a gray zone between new and used.

The company explains that DJI now requires inspections before inventory is released, which involves opening the box, powering on the aircraft, verifying functionality, and repacking it. That explanation may sound reasonable to enterprise buyers, but it clashes with the traditional consumer expectation of a factory sealed product.

Several Reddit users report receiving drones that were opened but not bound to another account, with DJI showing a remaining one year warranty in some cases, although DJI Care Refresh was unavailable. And If you are getting an Avata 360, trust me, the chances are that you are going to need it.

Others report language settings defaulting to Chinese, which strongly suggests these units were originally intended for non U.S. markets.

That brings us to the next issue.

The Avata 360 “International Version” Problem

US Drone Supply states clearly that these drones are international versions and that DJI’s U.S. warranty does not apply. They also state that they themselves provide no warranty coverage.

DJI does not publicly market consumer drones as international versions in the way smartphones are sold. DJI warranties are regional, but the hardware itself is typically identical.

When a seller emphasizes that this Avata 360 is an “international version,” it usually means gray market inventory imported from another region.

In practical terms, this means buyers may be relying entirely on DJI’s goodwill if something goes wrong, and DJI has no obligation to honor repairs or replacements in the U.S. Even worse, firmware restrictions or future policy changes could impact these drones in unpredictable ways… What about a great upgrade for your Avata 360 but you cannot download it?

Calling the product “new” while disclaiming all warranty responsibility is legally careful, but consumer hostile.

Legitimate Company, Uncomfortable Model

Much of what we know about US Drone Supply comes not from polished marketing, but from user reports on Reddit, particularly in the r/dji community. These firsthand accounts add important texture to the picture.

Several users report successfully receiving drones within days, often via FedEx with ID required at delivery. One buyer described the process as stressful but ultimately successful, with delivery taking about eight days from order to doorstep. Another said overnight shipping worked exactly as promised.

Others confirmed that drones arrived opened but unbound to any DJI account. One buyer noted that the default language was set to Chinese, which had to be manually changed to English during setup.

DJI reportedly showed a remaining one year warranty on that unit, but DJI Care Refresh was unavailable, reinforcing the idea that these drones sit in a gray area between new retail and used inventory.

Not all feedback was positive. Critics on Reddit accused the company of extreme markups, in some cases comparing prices to overseas sellers offering the same DJI models for hundreds less.

One commenter described the pricing as predatory, arguing that the company is exploiting U.S. supply restrictions rather than adding real value for consumers.

Taken together, the Reddit feedback suggests a company that does deliver real DJI drones, but under conditions that many hobbyists would have rejected outright just a few years ago.

US Drone Supply appears to be a real business. I even search for them on google maps… the building appeared but it didn’t say that “US Drone Supply” was actually there.

It has a physical address, ships via FedEx with ID verification, and multiple buyers report successful deliveries within days. This does not resemble a fly by night scam.

However, the pricing tells another story. Critics point out markups that far exceed historical DJI retail pricing, sometimes double or more. The first price that we found leaked for the Avata 360 was closer to $999, not $1,800. This is not subtle. It is supply scarcity economics at full throttle.

The company appears primarily geared toward public sector and enterprise customers, where sealed boxes and consumer warranties matter less than immediate availability. Hobbyists and creators are collateral damage in that model.

The absence of independent reviews outside the company website, combined with vague explanations and heavy reliance on preorders, makes this a trust based purchase in a market that used to run on transparency.

A Short Timeline of the Gray Market Shift

The current situation did not appear overnight. The rise of activated, unsealed, and gray market DJI drones in the U.S. has been building steadily over the past few years.

• 2022–2023 – DJI consumer drones remain widely available through major U.S. retailers. Regional warranty differences exist, but sealed, factory fresh units are the norm. Gray market imports exist, but remain niche.
• Early 2024 – Regulatory pressure increases. DJI’s inclusion on various U.S. government watchlists and growing political scrutiny begin to disrupt official distribution channels. Availability becomes inconsistent at major retailers.
• Mid to Late 2024 – Large retailers quietly reduce or halt DJI inventory. Prices begin to rise on secondary markets. Enterprise and public sector resellers gain disproportionate access to remaining stock.
• Early 2025 – Activated and unsealed DJI drones become more common in the U.S. market. Sellers increasingly describe products as “new but opened” or “international version.” Warranty eligibility becomes unclear.
• Late 2025 to Early 2026 – Preorders appear for unreleased DJI models through non traditional retailers. Full payment is requested to secure allocation. Markups increase sharply. The DJI Avata 360 listings reflect this new reality.

Is This the New Normal for DJI in America?

Major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H are no longer reliable sources for new DJI drones. Regulatory pressure, FCC listings, and political lobbying have reshaped the market.

What replaces it is a patchwork of gray market imports, activated units, no warranty policies, and inflated pricing, all wrapped in careful legal language. The Avata 360 preorder situation is not an exception. It is a preview.

Consumers now face a stark choice. Pay a premium for early access with limited protection, import from overseas sellers and navigate customs yourself, or wait indefinitely for official channels to reopen.

None of those options resemble the DJI buying experience of even two years ago.

DroneXL’s Take

The DJI Avata 360 preorder listings are less about one drone and more about a broken system.

US Drone Supply may be operating legally, but legality is not the same as consumer friendly. Selling activated, unsealed drones as new, without warranty support, at inflated prices, reflects a market under stress, not innovation.

If this is the future of DJI sales in the U.S., then the real disruption is not 360 degree FPV capture. It is the quiet normalization of gray market drones as the default option. Buyers should go in with eyes wide open, credit cards protected, and expectations firmly grounded in reality.

And what do you think? Would you pay almost $2,000 for an Avata 360?

Photo credit: US Drone Supply