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I bought DJI’s banned camera — it was cheap and easy

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Why This Matters

The availability of banned DJI cameras through online marketplaces highlights the challenges in enforcing import restrictions and the potential for consumers to access prohibited technology easily. This situation underscores the tension between regulatory efforts and global supply chains, impacting both industry compliance and consumer choice.

Key Takeaways

is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.

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DJI ban: how the world’s biggest dronemaker is getting shoved out of the US

As a kid, I always imagined the “black market” would be like the movies: Shady vendors hawking illicit goods along dusty streets. But if you want a banned DJI Osmo Pocket 4 or Pocket 4 Pro camera in the US, you can just reach for your phone.

They’re on Temu, AliExpress, eBay, Mercari — even Amazon and Newegg — with fast, free shipping and no risk of tariffs or seizures. That’s because these cameras are already inside the United States, despite rules that ban them from entering the country.

This past month, I ordered a DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro from Temu. It arrived just four days later, shipped directly from a fulfillment center in Oregon, where a cross-border logistics company called Blue Ocean stuffed it into a FedEx baggie for me.

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