12 Best Deals on Drones for 2019

Drones have become more and more common in the last couple of years, and there are undoubtedly a lot of people who want to get into the hobby who have not yet bought their first drones. A major hurdle in starting a drone hobby is the cost of the drone itself. Depending on the model you want, a high-quality drone can cost several hundred dollars to more than a thousand dollars.

Fortunately, there are a couple of way that you can get a drone at lower than normal prices. In this article, we have compiled a list of the best deals on discounted and refurbished drones that you can get right now. We can’t guarantee how long these deals will remain live, so you’d better decide quickly. 

1. Refurbished drones

DJI is the number one drone manufacturer right now, and they have some of the best and most innovative drones available right now. If you want a DJI drone but are not willing to spend the full price for a brand new model, then the best way to get hundreds of dollars of savings is to get a refurbished one. Fortunately, DJI sells official refurbished drones that have passed their stringent quality standards. Although these drones are pre-owned, they undergo a rigorous process of testing and inspection before they are sold.

The refurbished drones undergo full quality testing as soon as they are received so you can feel confident you won’t have problems. All defective modules are replaced before the drones are subjected to a thorough cleaning and inspection process. Through all these tests, the performance of the refurbished drones is measured against the same standards as new drones. After the quality of the drones have been vouched by DJI’s team of experts, the drones are repackaged with the standard parts and manuals into new boxes. A refurbished drone comes with the same accessories as a new one, including cables, propellers, batteries, and a remote controller (if applicable).

The best thing about buying a refurbished drone directly from DJI is that you get the same standard of after-sales service as you would if you purchased a new drone. They are still covered by standard DJI warranty which entitles you to repair or replacement of the drone should it fail due to manufacturing defects. Take note that you can only receive a replacement refurbished drone for another refurbished drone.

You can also get DJI Care Refresh insurance for a newly purchased refurbished drone. For a nominal fee, a DJI Care Refresh insurance policy will assure you that DJI will repair your drone if it gets damaged during normal use. This is a highly recommended policy as it keeps you from outright losing your drone if it crashes. Another great feature of the DJI Care Refresh policy is that it gives you the option of getting a newly refurbished replacement drone for a fraction of the drone’s original price.

You can get refurbished versions of some of the most popular DJI drones through their official page. The selection varies from time to time, but there are usually good deals for the Spark, Mavic Air, and Mavic Pro. Even professional-grade drones such as the Phantom 3 and Phantom 4 Pro have refurbished offers. You can also get refurbished accessories, such as drone bags or DJI Goggles.

2. Drone bundle kits

If you’re looking for a brand new DJI drone, a good way to save money while getting the full DJI drone experience is to get a DJI drone bundle kit. These bundles combine the drone with all the essential accessories. The inclusions may vary depending on which model you get, but they commonly include extra batteries, extra propellers, a carrying bag, remote controller, extra SD cards, propeller guards, a battery charger, and a landing pad.

The great thing about getting a DJI drone bundle kit is that you can get the drone and its accessories at a much lower price than if you bought them separately. The accessories go a long way towards making your drone flight experience more enjoyable. If you plan to fly your drone regularly, you will be needing to buy these accessories sooner than later, so it’s always a good idea to buy them now at a discounted price.

There are a lot of DJI drone bundle kits available in Amazon. If you are buying through Amazon, make sure that you are buying from DJI-authorized dealers so that you can get your drone with the standard DJI warranty.

3. DJI Deals Page

If you are looking for deals and discounts on DJI drones, then the official DJI Deals page is always worth checking out. The deals on this page change every now and then, but you can expect deals on their more popular drones, such as the Spark and the Mavic line. Granted, there are not a lot of deals and the discounts are not that big, but you have the confidence of buying directly from DJI.

Aside from drones and drone bundle kits, there are also available deals on accessories such as bags, carrying cases, extra batteries, and Zenmuse cameras. If you’re looking for discounts on official DJI accessories, then it is worthwhile to check this page every now and then.

4. DJI Select program

The DJI Select program is DJI’s premium membership for loyal DJI customers. You can sign up to DJI Select after you purchase a supported DJI product. The membership only costs $29 per year and is a great way to save money if you intend to buy more DJI products in the future.

Right after signing up for DJI Select, you get 5 coupons for 20% discount on accessories for consumer-grade DJI drones. Being a DJI Select member also makes you eligible to a 50% discount on the DJI Care and DJI Care Refresh insurance policies. You also get a birthday discount, exclusive offers from the DJI Store, priority shipping, and priority repair services.

5. Educational, developer, and non-profit

DJI offers exclusive deals to students and academic staff through their Education Discount program, which provides a 10% discount to selected drone models. To apply for the discount, you only need to fill out an online form indicating an email address hosted by a recognized academic institution. An individual can only apply for an education discount once every six months, and each successful applicant will receive two discount coupons. Right now, the education discount is applicable to the Tello, Spark, Mavic Pro Platinum, Phantom 4 Advances, Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, and Inspire 2. You can also buy refurbished units through the education discount, driving the price even lower.

Members of non-profit organizations who wish to use a DJI drone for a noble purpose can also apply for a 10% discount through the Better with Drones program. The process is similar to the one discussed above: you only need to fill out the application form citing the non-profit organization you work for. The Better with Drones discount is available for most of the DJI products, with newer models being added to the program approximately two months after their release.

The biggest discount that DJI offers is the DJI Research Discount. The program was made for educational developers who wish to use the DJI SDK platform to customize and create new and innovative aerial applications. To sign up, you need to register as a DJI developer and provide a valid Educational Developer email address. A successful application gives you a 40% discount to DJI developer platform products, which includes professional-grade products such as the Matrice 100 drone and the Zenmuse X3 integrated camera and gimbal.

6. Amazon deals

Amazon is currently the largest online retailer of a wide range of products, including drones and drone accessories. Deals and discounts on drones are continuously being offered on Amazon, although you’ll need to check regularly if you’re looking for a particular model.

If you’re looking for deals and discounts on DJI drones, then Amazon is always a good place to start looking. To illustrate just how good the deals in Amazon are, we have compiled a short list below of the deals on DJI drones that are live right now.

Of course, you don’t need to restrict your choices to DJI drones. Drones from other high-quality brands such as Parrot, Holy Stone, and Altair are also available with great discounts on Amazon. To help you narrow down your choices, we have also compiled some of the best deals on the most popular drones below.

7. Banggood deals

Banggood is a China-based online retailer that sells a lot of electronic items, including drones and drone accessories. They have a wide selection of drones including professional-grade models, racing drone kits, mini-drones, and camera drones. If you’re big into DIY drone customization, Banggood is an excellent marketplace for spare parts such as receivers, transmitters, cameras, antennas, and motors.

Right now, you can get up to 40% off on FPV gear and up to 60% off on quadcopters from Banggood. They are currently offering a coupon for 10% discount on Hubsan drones, which are already discounted up to 50% off even before the application of the coupon. There are a lot of good deals on popular drone models, and we have compiled some of them below:

8. GEARBEST deals

GEARBEST is another China-based online retailer that offers several deals on a limited selection of drone brands. Their offerings are mostly from Chinese drone manufacturers such as DJI, Xiaomi, Hubsan, and Syma.  You can get up to 35% off on popular drone models. For DIY drone pilots, GEARBEST is another excellent place to shop for drone spare parts.

9. Drones without sales tax

A huge advantage of buying your drone directly from the DJI website is that you don’t need to pay sales taxes. This is because DJI’s headquarters is located in China, from which your order will be shipped out.

This is a quick and easy way to get 10% savings. The fact that your drone will be shipped internationally is not an issue since DJI does not charge for shipping. Theirs sales and after-sales services are also usually excellent, so there’s really no reason not to buy directly from them.

10. Used drones

One of the easiest ways to get huge savings on a drone is to buy used or pre-owned ones. There are several listings or used drones on Amazon or eBay, and these listings can range from cheap toy drones to professional-grade camera drones. You can also look at your local Craigslist for sellers of pre-owned drones.

Naturally, there is a lot more risk in buying used drones, especially since some of them are more than a year old. If possible, it is best to test a used drone before you buy it. It is also recommended to buy from a seller with good ratings, or to buy a used drone with an active DJI Care Refresh policy.

11. Drone financing

Drone financing essentially means taking out a loan to pay for the purchase of your drone. This is a particularly useful option for people who want to buy a high-end drone to start a business and can’t afford the financial burden of a one-time outright payment. There are several companies that offer this service such as VeryDrone and FuturePay.

If you are buying a DJI drone, the most convenient way to avail of drone financing is through the DJI official store. Upon checkout, just choose the option to pay via Affirm financing. You will then be directed to the Affirm website, from which you will settle the terms of your loan.

12. Drone sales events

If none of the deals we have listed so far appeal to you, then your best bet is to wait for special events where drones are offered at huge discounts.

DJI traditionally has a Spring sale at around April every year. For 2018, their annual Spring sale started at April 13^th and lasted for 2 days. Huge discounts were available in this year’s Spring sale on the Mavic Pro, Mavic Air, Spark, Phantom 4 Pro and Advanced and on the Osmo action camera.

If you are an Amazon Prime member, you may also get huge discounts on drones during the annual Amazon Prime Day. These deals typically go live for about a day and a half. The 2018 Amazon Prime Day happened on July 16, and no announcements have been made on when the 2019 iteration will commence.

Practically all major drone brands release huge discounts and great deals during the annual Black Friday and Cyber Monday events. This is one of the best times to buy a discounted drone due to the huge selection available. Depending on the retailer, deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday can remain live for more than a week.

Finally, DJI usually puts a few drone models on sale at around Christmas time. You can expect discounts on drone models that are popular gift items, such as the Spark and the Mavic Air. These deals typically remain live for most of December.

Final thoughts

Drones can be an expensive hobby to get into considering not just the purchase price of the drone itself, but also the accessories that you will inevitably be needing. With a little diligence and patience, you can figure out ways to lessen the financial burden of getting into drones. With the deals we have listed here, you can potentially save hundreds of dollars on the next drone you buy.