Chinese Tariffs Are Here—Should You Buy a Drone Now?

Tariffs on all imports from China went into effect on February 4. These tariffs add 10% to the cost of anything imported from China—including drones.

But right now you can still buy a DJI drone at the pre-tariff price. That’s because DJI and Autel haven’t raised the prices on their drones. For now, it looks like the two companies are just eating that 10% cost increase.

The DJI Flip

But this window of time won’t last long. Soon, we can expect to see the cost of the tariffs passed along to consumers.

Which means the price for the DJI Flip, for example, could go from $439 to $483, or even more.

As a reminder, we’ve been here before. In 2019, drones were subjected to a 25% tariff during the trade war with China. And these extra costs led to higher prices, first with DJI, and then eventually with resellers like Amazon and B&H.

So Should You Buy a DJI Drone Right Now?

Short answer—yes!

If you’ve been thinking about buying a drone made by DJI, Autel, or another Chinese company, right now is the best time to pull the trigger. Although prices haven’t shot up just yet, it seems very likely they will any day now.

And once prices go up, they’ll probably stay that way for quite some time.

The DJI Matrice 4

What Impact Will the Tariffs Have on Drone Sales in the U.S.?

Here is what we might see in the coming weeks as a result of the new tariffs:

1. Price Increases

Drone prices are expected to rise by 10% or more, reflecting the tariff costs. And some drone companies and retailers may hike prices by 15-20% to account for supply chain disruptions and market uncertainties.

Accessories and replacement parts, like batteries and propellers, are also likely to see significant price increases.

2. Buying Direct Will Probably Be More Expensive—At Least at First

Price increases will probably start with purchases made directly from manufacturers (buying directly from the DJI website, for example).

We saw this in 2019, during the trade war with China. At that time, the price for the same DJI drone was considerably lower on reseller sites like Amazon than it was on the DJI site. For example, the price for the Mavic 2 Pro jumped from $1,499 to $1,729 (a 15% increase) after the implementation of tariffs, while Amazon continued selling the Mavic 2 Pro for $1,499 for quite a while.

3. Supply Chain Disruptions

China makes the majority of drones and—very importantly—drone components in the world. So any disruption to the flow of drone parts from China will have an impact on drones all over the world, even if they’re not Chinese drones.

4. Slowdowns for U.S.-Based Drone Companies

Even American drone companies may face higher costs since many rely on Chinese components for their products. This could result in price increases for “American-made” drones as well.

The Skydio X10 in the Skydio Dock

Take Skydio. The company has faced a significant slowdown in drone productions ever since China imposed sanctions on it in October of last year. The sanctions limited Skydio’s access to several drone components, including batteries.

These slowdowns could take place for all the companies that rely on Chinese drone components. And that is almost all the drone companies in the world, regardless of their location.

5. People May Buy Up All the Drones

Consumers may rush to purchase drones before prices rise further. This could temporarily boost sales but may lead to a slowdown once higher prices take effect.

So What’s Next?

For now, drone prices haven’t been impacted yet by the new tariffs on Chinese imports.

But we expect they will soon. As prices change due to the tariffs—both on Chinese and American drones—we’ll be sure to report on it, sharing any developments related to the new tariffs as they happen.