“Help Me Sell My Drone!”-Top 10 Sites to List Your Used Drones for Sale

“Where can I sell my drone?” It is a question many of you looking to upgrade to the latest technology might be asking…

Over the past years the UAV market has gone from niche to mainstream, with many titans of industry now integrating drones into their everyday operations. With cutting edge technology comes a frequent upgrade cycle, and there has been a flood of used drones hitting the market over the past years.

As discussed in another post, it is important to list your used drone to as big of an audience as possible in order to get the most exposure for the UAV you are trying to sell.

Here is a list of 10 websites where you can list your used drones for sale:

eBay

eBay has tremendous brand recognition and of course a huge audience. If you have an eBay account and are prepared to pack and ship your drone, an eBay listing can be a good idea. Be prepared to take a bit of hit if it does sell, however. eBay takes around a 10%-12% cut of your profits.

DroneTrader.com

With one of the easiest to use ad posting services available and a very targeted audience, DroneTrader.com gives you a much higher likelihood of selling your second hand drone than a general classifieds site such as Craigslist or Kijiji. Best of all, it is free to post ads and DroneTrader does not take a commission! (DroneTrader has both a USA and Canadian site available).

DroneTrader also provides and easy to use iOS app (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dronetrader/id1480003995) that allows you to quickly post used equipment right from your mobile device, easily message other buyers and sellers, save your favorite ads for future reference and more.

DroneTrader moderates all of the ads posted to the site and much of the spam that seems to plague other classifieds sites does not appear to be much of an issue on DroneTrader.

Facebook

There are several drone Facebook groups around that allow you to post used equipment. A great free listing option, but remember most Facebook groups are private and therefore not indexed by Google (so your ad won’t pop up in Google search results). DroneTrader (mentioned above) also offers a private Facebook group where members can post their used equipment for maximum visibility to potential buyers.

DJI Trade-Up

The DJI Trade-Up program allows you to trade in your used equipment towards new DJI gear. Although you do not receive cash payouts, you do receive credits towards brand new equipment. Some users state that payouts are quite low, however it does save you the hassle of having to sell your drone privately.

Not only does DJI accept used drones, they also accept other electronics such as cellphones and tablets. They also cover the shipping fees.

Craigslist

Again, big website with lots of traffic. With no way to sort or list via specific drones (eg. DJI Phantom 4) you won’t be able to target a specific audience, but you will have the power of a massive classifieds site behind your listing.

Dronesflip

**Update November 2018: Dronesflip was recently acquired by https://DroneTrader.com and has been merged with their classifieds system** Although Dronesflip claims to be a used drone marketplace it does not appear to be very active any longer. It is however free to use and may be worth a shot for some increased exposure.

DroneFax

A newcomer to the used drone market, DroneFax offers a unique service in that you pack up and ship them your drone, they inspect it, and then sell it for you. There is however a $59.95 upfront fee and they do take a hefty 20% commission cut on the final sale.

PayMore Store

If you are located near a PayMore electronics recyclers store this may also be an option for you. They claim to offer top dollar for used drones but you will need to drop it off at one of their locations.

Expert Drones

Claims to have one of the best trade-in and buyback programs for drones. They even have a handy price list on their site to give you an idea of what they can offer for your used equipment.

BlueSkies Drone Rental

Ship them your used or damaged drone for a $49 fee and they will go over it and make you an offer based on the condition. They also offer drone rentals.

Fowado

This company offers a drone buyback program that appears to be a great option to get your cash quickly. They do pay significantly less than if you were to sell the drone yourself and pocket all the proceeds of a sale, but it may be an option for some sellers.

In Conclusion:

Looking for maximum exposure in a global marketplace? eBay is probably your best bet (remember you are charged a commission on the final sale amount).

Looking for a fast sale for the most money on a marketplace specifically for the North American market? Give DroneTrader a try!

Some of the sites listed above (such as eBay) offer a moneyback guarantee to buyers which may also help you to close a sale.

Many used drone customers however would prefer to inspect a used drone prior to purchase to make sure they know what they are getting which makes local classifieds sites like DroneTrader a great option.

With any of the above UAV listing services be sure to put a little extra time into writing a solid product description and taking a few good photos to make your listing stand out. Also make sure to have everything clean and in good condition, and be sure to disclose any issues your drone may have to keep buyers informed.