Buying a droneMachinery, drones and services
Before you buy a drone — 12 questions to ask the seller
An agricultural drone is an investment of tens to hundreds of thousands of baht. This list of questions helps you compare sellers using the same information.
About 3 min read
In this article
Comparing drones on price alone makes it easy to decide wrongly, because most of what determines whether the machine will really earn you money is not on the quotation.
Questions about the aircraft
- 1 How many minutes can this model fly with a full tank, not when flying empty?
- 2 What is the nozzle flow rate, and over what range can it be adjusted?
- 3 How much does the empty aircraft weigh? Can one person lift it onto a truck?
- 4 What comes in the set? How many batteries, how many chargers? Is there a carry bag or transport case?
Questions about real use
- 5 Is training provided? How many hours, where, and for how many people?
- 6 Is there a manual in Thai?
- 7 If you have a problem in the field, who can you contact, at what times, and how quickly do they respond?
Questions about after-sales service
- 8 What does the warranty cover, separately for the aircraft, batteries and parts, and for how long for each?
- 9 Where is the service centre? Do you have to send the drone in, or does a technician come to you?
- 10 Are frequently broken parts in stock, such as propellers, nozzles, filters and motors, and how much do they cost?
- 11 If the drone breaks down mid-season, is a spare drone available to use during the repair?
Questions about paperwork
- 12 Do they help with registration? What does that cover, and is there an extra cost?
How to use this list
- Ask every seller the same set of questions and write the answers in a table. Seeing them side by side makes comparison much easier, and it becomes clear which sellers answer straightforwardly and which avoid the question.
Warning signs
- They cannot give figures and change the subject.
- They promise everything with no conditions.
- They push you to decide today with a discount that is about to expire.
- They will not let you see the drone working before you buy.
Always ask to see the drone working
- Whoever you buy from, you should see the drone fly and spray for real before deciding, and if possible talk to someone who already uses that model without the seller being the one who introduced you.
Ready to look at real models?
