Drones
Buy and sell drones in Costa Rica.
A folded DJI Mini fits in a daypack beside a rain poncho, which is why it is the drone that tends to come along on a trip to the Osa or up to Monteverde. Folding camera drones like that one sit here with palm-launched selfie drones, FPV quads flown through goggles, and the spare batteries, controllers and propellers that keep them flying, new and pre-owned. Owners trade up with each new Mini generation, so a well-kept used kit with healthy batteries is often the sensible way in, and the person selling it can show you it flying before any money changes hands.
Folding camera drones, palm drones and FPV quads:
the first are the DJI Mini and Air lines, what most people picture: GPS holds them steady, a three-axis gimbal keeps the horizon level, and they fly themselves home if the signal drops. The Mini stays under 249 g; the Air trades that for a bigger sensor and a second, telephoto camera. Palm drones such as the DJI Neo and Flip take off from your hand, follow you along a trail and land back on your palm. They are built for clips of yourself, not landscapes. FPV drones are flown through goggles from the drone’s point of view: the DJI Avata 2 keeps guards and stabilisation for smooth passes, while home-built racing quads give all that up for speed. If flying appeals more than filming, fixed-wing RC airplanes are the other path, and a child’s first toy is safer among RC cars or RC boats than as a GPS-less drone bound for the neighbour’s roof.
Wind rating, sensor and controller on a DJI drone:
wind matters more here than spec sheets suggest. The papagayo winds that make Bahía Salinas a kitesurf spot will shove a light drone around. DJI rates the original Neo a full wind level below the Neo 2 and the current Minis, so anyone filming in Guanacaste should start a step up. The 1-inch sensors in the Mini 5 Pro and Air 3S, which decide how footage looks at dusk or under cloud, are most of what you pay for over a palm drone. The controller is next: the RC-N3 uses your phone as the screen, while the RC 2 has its own. Real flights come in well short of the flight time printed on the box, so a Fly More kit with three batteries is the version worth owning.
What a DJI kit costs, and why used Minis drop fast:
DJI’s palm drones start around ₡130,000, while a Mini Pro kit with three batteries and the screen controller runs ₡600,000 or a little more. Used prices fall faster than the hardware wears: the previous Mini often stays on the shelf new after its successor arrives, so a used one has to undercut a boxed version of itself, and every tired battery is a replacement the buyer prices in. A last-generation kit with three healthy packs is a good buy; one with a swollen pack is worth far less than its owner thinks.
Battery cycles, gimbal and beach sand on a used drone:
start with the batteries. The DJI Fly app shows the cycle count of each pack, and any pack that bulges or will not sit flush belongs in recycling, not in your bag. Then ask the seller to remove the drone from their DJI account in the app while you watch, because that binding lives on DJI’s servers and a new owner cannot clear it alone. Power it up: the gimbal should level itself without grinding or drift. Spin each motor by hand. Take-offs from the sand at Tamarindo or Santa Teresa leave grit that you can feel, and salt spray leaves white crust on screws and contacts. Ask to see the flight records for crashes. A no-name drone sold as “4K GPS” at toy prices is a different product: without real satellite positioning it cannot hold a hover or find its way back.
Listing a DJI kit or an FPV build:
give the exact model and controller, how many batteries come with it and the cycle count of each, and whether it has crashed or had an arm, gimbal or motor replaced. Photograph the gimbal and arm hinges up close, and add a screenshot of the battery screen. For an FPV quad, name the frame, motors and video system, and say whether goggles and a radio are included. Unbind it from your DJI account once the deal is agreed, with the buyer present. Someone driving in from Liberia or Pérez Zeledón will want to see it hover and return home before paying, so charge every pack the night before.