Something very strange is happening to DJI, and I’m wondering if Bambu Lab may follow.
DJI is the well-known Chinese manufacturer of drones and related equipment. They provide both professional and consumer equipment, and are very well regarded. Their products are usually inexpensive, easy to use, and high quality. Basically, they own the drone market.
But as of now, it seems that you cannot purchase DJI drones from their US store. All consumer drones are marked as “Out of stock”. The non-drone products seem to be still available, but the company’s primary products are drones.
What’s going on? Is this some effect related to tariffs?
While there have been no formal announcements from the company about this change, drone industry insiders cite operational problems when working in the US:
- Tariff rates are changing faster than products can be shipped, meaning it is challenging to set pricing for items that won’t arrive for months.
- Drone shipments are apparently being seized or held up in customs for longer periods.
- There are reports of individuals paying four-digit bills when their drones return from repair.
These practices are perhaps due to fears of data being exposed to Chinese companies, and then being scooped up by the Chinese government. Some have called for DJI drones to be banned, but that’s hard to do when there are few, if any, real alternatives.
It could be that DJI is pausing operations until things settle down, but apparently, they have also launched a marketing blitz in Europe. That might be their way to recover sales levels if they aren’t selling in the US.
This is quite extraordinary, and it puts drone operators in the US in an incredibly difficult position. It could quickly become very difficult to obtain DJI equipment in the US.
If a drone operator needs a replacement or additional drone, where do they buy them? The domestic alternatives are nowhere near as functional as DJI’s slick systems. In spite of those difficulties, the US government is still proceeding, causing DJI to at least pause, if not stop, sales in the US.
Back to Bambu Lab.
Bambu Lab has similarly taken over most of the 3D print business with their slick, inexpensive systems. Many long-time 3D printer manufacturers have been sidelined by Bambu Lab’s massive growth.
Bambu Lab was actually founded by several techs from DJI, where they learned how to build a successful consumer technology company. They have been applying the same strategies to the 3D printer business that were used with drones at DJI.
Like DJI’s systems, Bambu Lab’s systems also rely on cloud-based infrastructure that can potentially send data to China. Some have called out Bambu Lab in a manner that is reminiscent of calls against DJI.
I’m wondering if in the future Bambu Lab might face the same treatment that DJI is currently receiving for their products. What would they do if products were held up in customs, subjected to unpredictable tariffs, and required huge payments for repaired equipment? Might they also pause sales in the US?
I’m pretty sure that Bambu Lab management has been observing what’s been happening with DJI, so they may be developing strategies to deploy if and when the time comes.
What those strategies may be, we cannot know.
