Sell your drone in Albany for cash

What we take

DJI is most of what we see, and we look at the whole range: the Mavic line including the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Classic, the Air line including the Air 3 and Air 2S, the Mini line from the Mini 2 through the Mini 4 Pro, the Avata and the FPV for first-person flying, the Inspire, and the older Phantom and Spark. Beyond DJI we look at Autel, Skydio, Parrot and the better models from Holy Stone and Potensic. What comes with a drone matters almost as much as the drone: the remote controller, and whether it is the kind with its own screen or the kind that holds your phone, the number of batteries, the charging hub, spare propellers, filters, and the case or bag. A Fly More kit, which bundles extra batteries and a hub, is worth mentioning by name. Even if you do not see your drone named here, tell us what you have and we will look. Small toy drones with no camera and no GPS are generally not something we can use, and we would rather say so now than waste your trip.

Condition, in plain language

The honest question with any drone is whether it has been crashed, and the honest answer is usually yes, a little. Tell us. Scuffed arms and chipped propellers are ordinary and propellers are cheap. What matters more is the camera and the gimbal, which is the small motorised cradle that keeps the camera level: if it twitches, hangs at an angle, or throws an error when the drone starts up, that is worth describing, as is a cracked camera lens. Batteries are the other half of it. A drone battery that has swollen, so that it no longer sits flat or fits snugly in its slot, should not be flown or charged and is not something we can buy, though the drone itself may still be worth asking about. A drone that has been in water is a harder case, and we would rather hear that up front. A drone that has simply not flown in a long time usually needs nothing more than a charge and a firmware update. Condition changes what we can say, not whether it is worth a message.

Before you meet us

A DJI drone is tied to the DJI account it was activated with, and that link has to be removed by you, because nobody else can do it. In the DJI Fly app, open the profile or device management section, find the aircraft and the remote controller, and unbind both from your account. A drone that is still bound cannot be properly registered by the next owner, which is the drone equivalent of a locked phone. Take out the memory card, since it holds every video you ever shot, and check the drone itself too, because many models have some storage built in. Charge at least one battery so that we can power it on together. Then gather everything: batteries, controller, hub, cables, propellers, case. If you registered the drone with the FAA, that registration is attached to you and not to the aircraft, so you can cancel it from your own FAA account once the drone is sold.

How the meetup works

Every meetup is by appointment, so nothing happens until we have agreed a time with you. Tell us the model, how many batteries you have and what else comes with it through the form, or text us a photo of the whole kit laid out. We set a time to meet in the Albany area, or we come to you when that is easier. At the meetup we unfold the drone, check the arms, motors and propellers, power it on with the controller, watch the gimbal run through its start-up check, and look at the camera and each battery, all while you stand right there. We do not need to fly it, and in most places we meet it would not be appropriate to. Then we tell you plainly what we can buy that day. Anything we take is paid for in cash on the spot, and anything we cannot use stays with you, with an honest reason.

Tell us what you have

Questions we get

Do you buy drones that have been crashed?

Often, yes. Most drones have had at least one rough landing, and scuffs and chipped propellers are ordinary; what matters is whether the camera, the gimbal and the motors still work, so describe what happened and what it does now.

Do I need to remove the drone from my DJI account?

Yes, and only you can do it. Unbind both the aircraft and the remote controller in the DJI Fly app before we meet, because a drone still tied to your account cannot be set up properly by its next owner.

Do you buy a drone without its controller?

Sometimes. Most drones cannot be flown without their controller, so a drone alone is a different thing to describe than a complete kit, but it is worth a message saying exactly what you have.

Can you buy a swollen drone battery?

No, a swollen battery is a fire risk and not something we can take. Do not charge or fly it; most towns accept them at a household hazardous waste collection, and the drone itself may still be worth asking about.

New to selling with us? Read how it works and what to do before you sell, or contact us with any questions.