If you’re thinking about buying a drone in 2025, you might want to act fast. The U.S. government has been in talks of imposing tariffs on multiple countries. That includes China tariffs that’ll add a 10% tax on producers of Chinese products — which includes many types of drones and their components. With China being the epicenter of global drone manufacturing, this move could send prices skyrocketing for popular consumer and professional drones alike.

So, what does this mean for your wallet? Should you pull the trigger on a new DJI Neo or DJI Flip? Here’s everything consumers need to know amidst the new China tariffs — and when to best time your next drone purchase.

The state of tariffs now (and a brief history of tariffs on drones)

A quick primer if you haven’t been following the news:

What is a tariff? A tariff is a tax imposed by one government on imported goods. Though the foreign producer pays the tax, they typically just pass it off to shoppers by way of more expensive products.

What’s the latest tariff news? The Trump Administration had planned to impose new tariffs on products imported from America’s three largest trading partners: Canada, Mexico and China. While tariffs on Mexico and Canada (which would be 25 percent on most products) have been put on pause for 30 days, new tariffs on Chinese products have gone into effect.

As of Feb. 4 2025, there is now a new 10 percent tariff on all Chinese imports.

What is the history of tariffs on drones? Tariffs themselves are not new. In fact, until the federal income tax was implemented (that was in 1913), tariffs made up more than 90% of U.S. federal revenue.

But, these new tariffs come on top of existing tariffs — which just means even higher. In fact, in July 2018, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) instituted Section 301 tariffs on all sorts of Chinese goods, including drones, according to drone advocacy group AUVSI (The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International).

Even during the Biden presidency, tariffs were imposed on certain Chinese products. Indeed, 25% tariffs were reinforced in July of 2022, which was the middle of Biden’s term. During that period, specific categorizations were even added for different categories of drones.

But, these new tariffs as of February 2025 are sweeping — and they could result in higher prices for all sorts of things, including, yes, drones.

How the new China tariffs could impact drone prices

The White House announced the 10% China tariff on Feb. 1, 2025, covering everything imported from China. All sorts of stuff Americans consumer is made in China: clothes, furniture, toys, etc. And yes, that includes electronics including many drones and drone parts.

Here’s what those tariffs will likely do to drone prices:

Drone prices will increase — but maybe not yet

We’ll start with the good news: drone prices haven’t actually gone up yet. After all, they still want your business, which requires them to keep prices as low as possible.

But it’s only a matter of time before you start seeing higher price tags, and that time could come soon.

Prices will rise faster on drones purchased directly from the manufacturer

So when will prices on Chinese-made drones rise? They haven’t increased yet, but that could change within days.

Just look to the history of tariffs on drones for guidance. After the Trump administration imposed new tariffs of 15% on certain Chinese imports back in September 2019, DJI quickly increased prices on its drones.

As far as the actually amount, most of the price hikes were also 15%— in line with the tariff amount.

Buying from American resellers could help stave off higher prices (for now)

Some shoppers preferably to buy drones directly from the maker, like the actual Autel website or DJI website. But, prices will likely go up there first before they increase on the sites of American-based retailers like Amazon or B&H Photo.

That’s exactly what we saw in 2019, when Amazon prices were lower than prices on the DJI store for a significant amount of time. For example, DJI hiked the DJI Mavic Air from $799 to $919 in September 2019, but Amazon actually had it for just $739.

Tariffs are imposed when the foreign product crosses into U.S. borders. If you’re buying from a Chinese company that ships from China, the product is subject to tariffs today. If you’re buying a Chinese product from a company that has a U.S. warehouse already stocked with the product, then that particular unit is not subject to the tariff.

Amazon has warehouses stocked with drones. They likely won’t raise prices until they have to. After all, you’re more incentivized to buy a cheaper product. In turn, Amazon is incentivized to keep prices as low as it can afford to in order to get your business.

But, once American retailers run out of supply, they too will likely raise prices as they pass on the tariff impact on the shopper.

Older models likely won’t be subject to tariffs

Additionally, it’s unlikely you’ll see higher prices on older inventory. For example, I don’t expect DJI Air 3 prices to go up at all, only because that’s an outdated version of the new and improved DJI Air 3S. Big sales on the DJI Air 3 as of late indicate that retailers are trying to offload that drone anyway.

But for new, popular drones that are just coming to market, like the DJI Flip that only came out last month, its low price tag might not last long.

Prices will rise, but supply may also fall

It’s also not so much a matter of when prices will rise, but whether you can find items in stock. With a 10% tariff already in place — and the potential for even further tariffs on China — there’s even more uncertainty. In fact, during his campaign, Trump proposed upwards of 60% tariffs on Chinese goods.

Then again, there’s also the possibility that tariffs might go away as quickly as they arrived (using the pause on Mexico and Canada tariffs as evidence).

Given that, retailers may limit stock or delay shipments to avoid absorbing the new costs. The bad news for shoppers? That could lead to supply shortages.

Prices could rise by 10% or more

While 10% might sound like a small number, it doesn’t necessarily mean a flat 10% increase in drone prices. In fact, the impact could be much worse for shoppers looking for a cheap drone.

Here’s why:

• Manufacturers and retailers could hike prices beyond 10%: Sometimes, brands pass on more than just the tariff cost to customers. Some companies could increase prices by closer to 15-20% to cover supply chain disruptions, increased shipping costs and market uncertainty.
• Accessories and replacement parts will also get pricier: Even if you already own a drone, replacement batteries, propellers and other accessories — most of which come from China — could see significant price jumps.

Even drones from American drone companies could get more expensive

Some people believe that tariffs can help encourage domestic manufacturing as people pivot from buying more expensive imported products to locally-made goods. There is some truth to that in many cases. The tariffs could be good for American drone companies, which have struggled to compete with the incredibly low prices offered by Chinese drone makers, namely DJI. An automatic 10% price increase on DJI drones would instantly make their low prices less competitive.

But even still, these tariffs could increase costs for American drone companies, too. Many drones that are considered “made in the U.S.” were either designed in the U.S. or assembled in the U.S. Additionally, many U.S.-based drone companies still heavily rely on countries like China for parts used in their drones.

According to AUVSI’s reporting on a DJI filing with USTR, DJI said the majority of drones assembled in the U.S. do still use Chinese components.

In the drone industry, the focus on American-made drone companies has largely stemmed from data security needs. Given that, the computers that power the drones are typically made in America. But, often smaller parts like batteries, wires and sometimes the actual drone body come from foreign countries that have factories. After all, they can usually churn hardware out for less money than the U.S.

American drone companies like Ascent Aerosystems, Freefly and Inspired Flight (among many, many others) could see the China tariffs increase the prices of other things they buy to do business, too. That could be drone parts, but it could also be something as simple as the office chairs they buy for their employees. All those extra costs have to go somewhere — resulting in higher drone prices.

How much more will drones cost?

Just look to the tariffs that Trump imposed in 2018 to get an idea of what’s to come in 2025. During the 2018 tariffs, Trump imposed a 15% tariff on consumer goods. DJI responded with 15% price increases almost immediately on its then-current lineup of drones (though some drones got smaller increases of about 10 or 11%).

Assuming a straight 10% price increase levied on consumers, here’s a look at how much drone prices could increase given these new China tariffs:

Keep in mind, these are just estimates based on a 10% increase from current prices. Actual price hikes will depend on how brands handle the added costs.

The players who support tariffs

Tariffs are generally bad for price conscious consumers, but not everyone dislikes them. Other Republican lawmakers have called for tariffs, albeit on a smaller scale.

For example, in May 2024, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik introduced the Drones for First Responders (DFR) Act. That act would impose a new, 30% tariff specifically on drones made in China in its first year, and then an annual 5% hike every year after than until 2030. Come 2030, the DFR Act would fully ban the importation of drones that contain what it deems certain, critical components that are made in China.

AUVSI, which is a drone lobbying group that primarily promotes American drone companies, has also called for tariffs.

For example, AUVSI’s latest policy proposal (issued prior to the February 2025 China tariffs) supported maintaining the 25% tariffs, which were reinforced under Biden in July 2022. And in fact, AUVSI even suggested increasing them (which has since happened).

“United States Trade Representative (USTR), however, should consider increasing the tariff amount to better blunt the dumping of subsidized Chinese drones into the U.S. market,” according to AUVSI’s policy proposal.

Should you buy a drone right now?

With new tariffs, now might be your best chance to buy a drone at the lowest possible price. After all, the tariffs are already in effect, but most retailers haven’t adjusted their pricing yet. But, expect that to change soon.

You’ll likely still be able to capitalize on upcoming 2025 President’s Day sales, but even waiting that long could be risky. With a 10% tariff already in place and the potential for further price hikes, waiting to buy a drone could end up costing you more.

What do you think? Will you grab a drone before prices go up, or will you wait and see? Let me know in the comments!

The post China tariffs likely to cause soaring drone prices. So should you buy a drone now? appeared first on The Drone Girl.