Drone owners in Beijing flocked to designated buy-back sites this week, looking to sell their devices for as much as possible ahead of an impending citywide ban.
New rules in the Chinese capital ban not just the flying of unmanned aerial vehicles but the possession or storage of them, meaning owners have until November 15 to get rid of their drones.
At several authorised buyer sites across the city, AFP witnessed queues of people waiting for staff to appraise their drones and negotiate prices.
All sites had a visible police presence, indicating the sensitivity of the new laws, and most people there did not want to talk to AFP.
At the flagship store for the world’s largest drone maker DJI in Beijing’s business district, around a dozen people queued on Thursday (September 17, 2026) morning hoping to sell their drones back for a reasonable price.
Users can sell devices at approved buy-back points and receive a government subsidy of 30% of the resale value — up to a maximum of 3,000 yuan (nearly $450) — before October 31, and of 15% until November 14.
Alternatively, they can recycle them for a subsidy of 200 yuan, or ship them out of Beijing free of charge.
“I think the ban is reasonable. I can understand why the government wants to ensure safety and manage the airspace,” a 48-year-old drone owner surnamed Wu told AFP as he sat in a queue in a DJI store waiting to sell his device.
“After all, Beijing is the capital,” said Mr. Wu, who bought his drone six years ago for around 6,000 yuan.
He was hoping to get at least 1,000 yuan for the sale, which was what he had been given as a preliminary estimate on the official re-selling app.
Some were not satisfied.
Mr. Zhu, 60, who called himself a drone hobbyist, said the buy-back scheme was “robbery”.
“It’s made me lose a lot of money. This is my private property,” he said, adding that he had sold five drones back, losing thousands on the original prices.
“Of course I’m not happy… I’m helpless and furious”.
Mr. Zhu added that the large number of drones being bought back had sent prices plummeting as much as 40%.
Security fears
Airspace safety fears were raised in June when a light aircraft smashed into Beijing’s tallest building, killing the pilot and injuring 13 others — as well as briefly disrupting the flight path into one of the capital’s international airports.
The incident, which was heavily censored, seems to have unsettled Beijing authorities, happening just a few kilometres (miles) from the seat of the Chinese government.
Beijing cited a need to “safeguard the security of the capital” when it announced the complete ban on drone possession inside the city.
Meanwhile, a “low-altitude” expo scheduled to open Thursday (September 17, 2026) in Beijing was abruptly cancelled, with organisers citing control measures from the city government.
Drone owner Mr. Wu said he was pleased that the buy-back plan meant he could easily sell his drone — which he said he no longer used much anyway — for a reasonable amount.
“I checked some online selling platforms and found that without the subsidy it would sell for maybe half the price”, he said.
It is difficult to know how many drones will be affected by the move.
There were 3.285 million drones registered nationwide at the end of 2025, according to the Civil Aviation Administration, but it is not necessary to register drone ownership in most of the country.
Online, many Beijingers posted farewells to their drone collections.
“There’s nothing I can do, thanks for your company,” wrote one user on social media platform Xiaohongshu, known as RedNote abroad.
“I hope you can keep roaming the skies in the future.”
Published – September 19, 2026 12:30 pm IST
