Best Buy sale of 3DR Solo is back on - $299.99 - two different bundle options

[BrentD]

If they have any stock or get any more stock back in the $299 price will be back.

They aren't out of stock, they just raised the price. It's $499.99 today, though, for the non-backpack version.

 

[richnat]

Believe me, if they get more stock in they will drop the price again. Best Buy's processes are pretty easy to detect. When stock runs low they raise the price to slow the sales so they don't accidentally sell something they don't have in stock because orders came in too fast for what they have on hand. When stock is back in in greater numbers, prices go back down. They do this regularly with all kinds of products.

For "pick up in store" when a product in a store's inventory falls below 3 the store is listed on line as not having any in stock. Same reasoning. Learned this directly from a store manager. When I was trying to buy a 3DR backpack along with other things, I bought everything else as "pickup in store" and got them. They had one backpack left which I also bought at the time I picked it up but that one backpack was not listed online as available for purchase. That one backpack sat on the shelf for months and was very dusty, probably because they could never sell it by "pick up in store". Regardless, that all worked out for me, got it for the bargain sale price of $35.

We COULD be at the end of the available stock of 3DR products. If so, they will likely never be on sale again unless at the very end they do a blowout clearance to just clear out all remaining stock so they can just be done with it all. But, if there is any more stock to be had and they can get it, you can expect the price to drop again. The company that owns all the stock (not 3DR at this point) probably just wants it all gone and Best Buy is the best conduit to make that happen but BB probably has to have their approval to sell at the prices they do.

 

[jcar]

They aren't out of stock, they just raised the price. It's $499.99 today, though.

Yes, you snooze you lose

 

[jcar]

Believe me, if they get more stock in they will drop the price again. Best Buy's processes are pretty easy to detect. When stock runs low they raise the price to slow the sales so they don't accidentally sell something they don't have in stock because orders came in too fast for what they have on hand. When stock is back in in greater numbers, prices go back down. They do this regularly with all kinds of products.

For "pick up in store" when a product in a store's inventory falls below 3 the store is listed on line as not having any in stock. Same reasoning. Learned this directly from a store manager. When I was trying to buy a 3DR backpack along with other things, I bought everything else as "pickup in store" and got them. They had one backpack left which I also bought at the time I picked it up but that one backpack was not listed online as available for purchase. That one backpack sat on the shelf for months and was very dusty, probably because they could never sell it by "pick up in store". Regardless, that all worked out for me, got it for the bargain sale price of $35.

We COULD be at the end of the available stock of 3DR products. If so, they will likely never be on sale again unless at the very end they do a blowout clearance to just clear out all remaining stock so they can just be done with it all. But, if there is any more stock to be had and they can get it, you can expect the price to drop again. The company that owns all the stock (not 3DR at this point) probably just wants it all gone and Best Buy is the best conduit to make that happen but BB probably has to have their approval to sell at the prices they do.

You got a backpack solo for $35.00???

 

[BrentD]

For "pick up in store" when a product in a store's inventory falls below 3 the store is listed on line as not having any in stock. Same reasoning. Learned this directly from a store manager. When I was trying to buy a 3DR backpack along with other things, I bought everything else as "pickup in store" and got them. They had one backpack left which I also bought at the time I picked it up but that one backpack was not listed online as available for purchase. That one backpack sat on the shelf for months and was very dusty, probably because they could never sell it by "pick up in store". Regardless, that all worked out for me, got it for the bargain sale price of $35.

I'd consider that anecdotal evidence, even if you "learned this directly from a store manager", as over the past week I've noticed several times both the gimbal and the Lowepro bag for the 3DR have said "In Stock, Fewer than 3 Available" for my local store, meaning that they do not set it to "Out of Stock" when stock gets below 3.

 

[richnat]

You got a backpack solo for $35.00???

I got the BACKPACK for $35. Not the backpack bundle.

I'd consider that anecdotal evidence, even if you "learned this directly from a store manager", as over the past week I've noticed several times both the gimbal and the Lowepro bag for the 3DR have said "In Stock, Fewer than 3 Available" for my local store, meaning that they do not set it to "Out of Stock" when stock gets below 3.

What they say online and what is the reality at the store don't have to be the same thing. Why is it so hard to believe that "fewer than 3 in stock" is referring to what they have available via online and not necessarily what they physically have on hand at the store? Being a store manager you certainly wouldn't want to have to deal with a customer who bought something to pick up at your store only to get there and find out it isn't available. What you see online is not an actual real-time expression of inventory and it would be darned hard to make it so with retail in person sales also going on.

 

[BrentD]

What they say online and what is the reality at the store don't have to be the same thing. Why is it so hard to believe that "fewer than 3 in stock" is referring to what they have available via online and not necessarily what they physically have on hand at the store? Being a store manager you certainly wouldn't want to have to deal with a customer who bought something to pick up at your store only to get there and find out it isn't available. What you see online is not an actual real-time expression of inventory and it would be darned hard to make it so with retail in person sales also going on.

I was referring to the number available for local pickup, which is reflected online, and not what's available for shipping (which was actually made quite clear when I said "for my local store"). The same thing you were talking about, as best I could tell. It's not that big of a deal, dude...

In my personal experience, I've found the local inventory that is reflected online as available for pickup to be quite accurate, even when it says "Fewer than 3 available". If it's for placing an online order for shipping, they don't indicate their stock level to such a degree.

 

[richnat]

And now everything is back on sale at $299. My local store is now showing items available for pickup. Probably because they got some product in stock.....

 

[TonySloth]

They aren't out of stock, they just raised the price. It's $499.99 today, though, for the non-backpack version.

They are back for 299.99 I wish they'd get done batteries back in stock our drop the price on the led light or prop guard.

 

[BrentD]

They are back for 299.99 I wish they'd get done batteries back in stock our drop the price on the led light or prop guard.

I don't see them lowering prices on the lights or prop guards until a while after all the Solos are sold. After all, with all the recent sales of the Solo, there's a strong market for those accessories I would say. That and they aren't made by 3DR, so they aren't part of the clearing of inventory 3DR's vendor is doing.

 

[richnat]

I don't see them lowering prices on the lights or prop guards until a while after all the Solos are sold. After all, with all the recent sales of the Solo, there's a strong market for those accessories I would say. That and they aren't made by 3DR, so they aren't part of the clearing of inventory 3DR's vendor is doing.

You can get both much cheaper directly from PolarPro. At least the last time I checked (and when I bought the LEDs). I was surprised to see the Lowepro cases drop so dramatically since they also fit DJI and other drones. They make quality cases, I have one for my GoPro stuff.

 

[BrentD]

You can get both much cheaper directly from PolarPro. At least the last time I checked (and when I bought the LEDs). I was surprised to see the Lowepro cases drop so dramatically since they also fit DJI and other drones. They make quality cases, I have one for my GoPro stuff.

It's a nice, solid case. Feels like it will hold up pretty well. I bought one because of photos I saw others post showing it holding all their Solo gear as well as a DSLR and a couple lenses. I'm a "regular" photographer just getting into drone photography, so being able to carry both at once was a selling point to me. As such, the Lowepro brand has always been good to me in that arena as well.

 

[TexasDJ]

Are the 3dr solo backpack bundles still coming with the 3dr backpack with the pre installed gimbal? A few people I talked to said they got the aftermarket backpack when theirs shipped along with the detached gimbal to install themselves. Leads me to believe they are sold out of the backpack pre installed gimbal bundles, and that is why they are including a free gimbal with that bundle, which makes it appear to include 2 gimbals.

 

[TonySloth]

Are the 3dr solo backpack bundles still coming with the 3dr backpack with the pre installed gimbal? A few people I talked to said they got the aftermarket backpack when theirs shipped along with the detached gimbal to install themselves. Leads me to believe they are sold out of the backpack pre installed gimbal bundles, and that is why they are including a free gimbal with that bundle, which makes it appear to include 2 gimbals.

I'm going to best buy right now to pick up an order I'll let you know. It shows the model as the one with the gimbal pre-installed though.

 

[TexasDJ]

I'm going to best buy right now to pick up an order I'll let you know. It shows the model as the one with the gimbal pre-installed though.

Awesome, leme know - If they did in fact get more stock of the backpack bundles, I'm gonna grab a few more, for spare parts.

 

[Frank Foster]

It's addictive ain't it?

 

[TexasDJ]

It's addictive ain't it?

Surely is, already have 8 bundles, 30 batteries, 8 gimbals, 20 sets of props, and 5 additional battery chargers . Wife not so happy but buy now, ask later

 

[TonySloth]

It's addictive ain't it?

Yes it is. Buying a bundle now is cheaper than the motors and esc's in the future. I plan on modding one as much as possible and with all the spare parts 3d printing an inspire clone in black and green with solo insides.

 

[TexasDJ]

Did you pick up your bundle yet? Just got back from a very nice flight!

 

[mikeo]

With the volume of Solo units out in consumer hands now, I would hope that it will prompt someone to start working on/making a 3rd party battery pack. At least 3DR made a .step file of the battery available so it's easier to 3D print a case; I can always harvest the electronics out of the battery and put new similar or identical LiPo cells in. It's just getting the case made correctly so it can be opened or at least closed with the electronics installed.

I'll start a new thread (later) with this question: how many cycles do you anticipate getting from a battery pack before it's no longer useful? I thought I saw something that said the Molex connectors were only rated for a few hundred cycles and that could lead to bigger problems...