Drop in price?

V7Sport73 · Feb 16, 2017

GadgetGuy said:
DJI certified Refurbished P4's with a full 1 year warranty from DJI have been $799 for some time. $949 is no bargain.

These are brand new! Check it out! DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter - 4K Camera, 28 Minute Battery Life | eBay

GadgetGuy · Feb 16, 2017

smiller said:
Pure speculation, other than to the extent that any product is continuously improved (firmware updates, etc.) You have absolutely no idea what DJI is or isn't doing on their production line. And pricing can always change, or not, for all the usual supply/demand reasons.

It is, indeed, speculation, but based upon solid, historical precedent, as you allude to yourself. I cannot predict the future.

Typically, after release, within 3-6 months, the original purchase price will start to include an extra battery. Then, the price starts dropping by $100. The P4 was $1400 at release. The P3P was $1300 at release. All prices come down over time. Early adopters, buying at release, pay a premium, and become the initial Beta testers. Those who wait get a mature product, at a somewhat better price. Amazon is now discounting the P4P by 11%. $165 off is $14 less than the price of an extra P4P battery. Close enough.

GadgetGuy · Feb 16, 2017

V7Sport73 said:
These are brand new! Check it out! DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter - 4K Camera, 28 Minute Battery Life | eBay

My point was that there is little difference between a new unit and a factory refurbished unit. Under warranty, DJI always sends out a refurbished unit, and never a new one. Might as well start with a $799 P4 Refurb, and save the extra $150. It has the exact same 1 year warranty.

GadgetGuy · Feb 16, 2017

PhantomEvan said:
I don't know if I can handle a month. I have been waiting so long it feels. Ever since I sold my P3S, I have been dying for a new drone

Then pull the trigger on the $1335.63 price now. It is still available today. It won't get lower than that for quite a while. Most of the early unit production issues have been resolved, and the firmware is easily updated for any unsolved issues, and your 1 year warranty covers any defects.

Amazon.com : DJI Phantom 4 PRO Professional Drone, Hobby RC Quadcopter & Multirotor, White, CP.PT.000488 : Camera & Photo

smiller · Feb 16, 2017

I don't know how long the current Amazon pricing will last but it sure must be tough on some of the smaller vendors who still list the P4P at $1,499 and can't match Amazon's 30-day return policy. I know 'vendor x are really nice guys', but...

RPP · Feb 16, 2017

The price on Amazon has been stable at $1335 for almost 24 hours now.

PhantomEvan · Feb 16, 2017

GadgetGuy said:
Then pull the trigger on the $1335.63 price now. It is still available today. It won't get lower than that for quite a while. Most of the early unit production issues have been resolved, and the firmware is easily updated for any unsolved issues, and your 1 year warranty covers any defects.
Amazon.com : DJI Phantom 4 PRO Professional Drone, Hobby RC Quadcopter & Multirotor, White, CP.PT.000488 : Camera & Photo

So it comes with a crash DJI care warranty and a return warranty if I get a lemon?

IFlyHi · Feb 16, 2017

I scored a P4P at Bestbuy today. $1560 with 3 batteries.

Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

smiller · Feb 16, 2017

PhantomEvan said:
So it comes with a crash DJI care warranty and a return warranty if I get a lemon?

You can buy DJI Care online if desired with 48 hours of product activation. And just about any item sold and shipped by Amazon carries a 30-day return policy (along with the standard DJI warranty.) This is far better than DJI or most vendors will provide.

RPP · Feb 16, 2017

IFlyHi said:
I scored a P4P at Bestbuy today. $1560 with 3 batteries.

Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

3 extra batteries or 1 with the original package + 2 extra? In any case, superb deal.

RPP · Feb 16, 2017

GadgetGuy said:
Most of the early unit production issues have been resolved, and the firmware is easily updated for any unsolved issues, and your 1 year warranty covers any defects.
Amazon.com : DJI Phantom 4 PRO Professional Drone, Hobby RC Quadcopter & Multirotor, White, CP.PT.000488 : Camera & Photo

This is an important point. Even if a P5 comes out in, say May, it won't be 3/4 months later until the initial birthing issues are ironed out.

RPP · Feb 16, 2017

The question still remains - why is Amazon offering such a steep discount while every other major retailer is still stuck at $1499?

GadgetGuy · Feb 16, 2017

IFlyHi said:
I scored a P4P at Bestbuy today. $1560 with 3 batteries.

Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

Best Buy doesn't carry the P4P batteries yet, so those extra batteries must have been P4 batteries. At least you got one P4P battery inside the bird! I would return the $169 P4 batteries and buy the $179 P4P batteries for the extra $10 each somewhere else.

smiller · Feb 16, 2017

RPP said:
This is an important point. Even if a P5 comes out in, say May, it won't be 3/4 months later until the initial birthing issues are ironed out.

You can bet that when the P5 comes out the forum will be abuzz with how it is buggy, crippled, has range issues, video encoding problems, and oh yes, the horizon isn't level. There will be much frustration and advice to wait until the P6.

smiller · Feb 16, 2017

GadgetGuy said:
Best Buy doesn't carry the P4P batteries yet, so those extra batteries must have been P4 batteries. At least you got one P4P battery inside the bird! I would return the $169 P4 batteries and buy the $179 P4P batteries for the extra $10 each somewhere else.

Yes. Actually the P4P high capacity battery is $169 at most vendors (the same price as BB is charging for the P4 batteries), so if it is possible to return them and buy the hi-cap units I would.

RPP · Feb 16, 2017

smiller said:
You can bet that when the P5 comes out the forum will be abuzz with how it is buggy, crippled, has range issues, video encoding problems, and oh yes, the horizon isn't level. There will be much frustration and advice to wait until the P6.

To me, as a photographer, the P4P is a turning point with its 20MP Sony Exmor sensor. We are in DSLR territory now (almost).

GadgetGuy · Feb 16, 2017

RPP said:
The question still remains - why is Amazon offering such a steep discount while every other major retailer is still stuck at $1499?

Because you have to be a Prime Member to get that price from Amazon. They are willing to bribe you with $65 to join. If you first have to pay $99 to become Prime, then they are only $65 cheaper. Best Buy didn't make that distinction yet. They only cared about "sold and fulfilled by Amazon." Amazon wants everyone to become a Prime Member.

GadgetGuy · Feb 16, 2017

smiller said:
Yes. Actually the P4P high capacity battery is $169 at most vendors (the same price as BB is charging for the P4 batteries), so if it is possible to return them and buy the hi-cap units I would.

True dat!

RPP · Feb 16, 2017

GadgetGuy said:
Because you have to be a Prime Member to get that price from Amazon. They are willing to bribe you with $65 to join. If you first have to pay $99 to become Prime, then they are only $65 cheaper. Best Buy didn't make that distinction yet. They only cared about "sold and fulfilled by Amazon." Amazon wants everyone to become a Prime Member.

I see. The Prime membership is a great value regardless and the savings in shipping have more than offset the $99 annual fee, to say nothing of the streaming content included with the membership.