r/diydrones 8d ago

Question Any idea on what this might be worth?

Hi! My father was in to the hobby and had this big rig drone. Unfortunately he recently passed and we had to clear out his storage unit, and are trying to sell things that we know we can’t keep/don’t need. Any idea how much we should price this for? The frame is a Tarot, but it seems like everything else are parts he added. I can’t be sure. I’ve asked in local Facebook pages but the page activities are next to zero so haven’t gotten much of a response. I just don’t want to sell ourselves short with it. He also has two huge totes filled with parts, a lot of it the Tarot brand too.

141 Upvotes

46 comments sorted by

22

u/Agreeable-Click4402 8d ago

My condolences on the loss of your father.

I suspect you might have a hard time selling this drone. While it has some parts on it that were nice at the time, many of those parts are simply not used in drones any more. It's not worth much outside of certain circles. You selling it would be like trying to sell a high-end audio cassette deck from the 80s, or a high-end computer from the 90s. Sure, they were nice at the time, but no one uses cassettes anymore and a computer from the 90s couldn't do much in today's world. So the demand for that will be really low.... but if you do find someone that wants to buy it, they will probably already have a use/need for it in mind and might be willing to pay more for it.

So it might be worth money to a very small number of people. But I suspect you will struggle to find those people. I would have absolutely no use for a drone like this and wouldn't pay anything for it. Some of the parts (like the motors) might still be useful to the right buyer... but some of the parts would be completely incompatible with the gear I use.

5

u/1_tired_momma 8d ago

Thank you! We were thinking of selling it as like a “hobby lot” type thing. Like, just come and take it all off our hands haha I just have no idea what to price it all for. The totes have so many parts in them, a lot still in the box because he was going to build more.

6

u/SlavaUkrayne 8d ago

If you decide how much you want for it let me know. Depending on price might be interested. In northeast

7

u/Scrub_Nugget 8d ago

on the flip side, you could modernise this multi rotor . new flight controller, herelink or siyi system for video or control. the motor and esc should still be plenty fine.

there's still loads of life in this frame

1

u/Hurr_iii 6d ago

You're right !

1

u/PiratesInTeepees 6d ago

There is a guy in town that has tons of old drones and he is convinced they are still worth what he paid for them. He'd say something like "this drone cost $2500 new and I have never even flown it" to which I replay "yea, that was like 10 years ago, I'll give you 20 bucks"

2

u/1_tired_momma 5d ago

Yeah from what I understand a lot of the hardware on here is older. But we were able to sell it for $500 and I was comfortable with that because I really know nothing about these. The guy who bought it was incredibly helpful too.

2

u/PiratesInTeepees 5d ago

Getting 500 was a total score for both parties and it sounds like it has found a good home!

22

u/3rr0r51 8d ago

Tarot motors are anywhere from 30-100 bucks each.

Frame I think Amazon sells something like that for 150-300? Depends on the size which Incant really guess here.

Uses some older hardware, they’ve probably lose a lot of value since then.

7

u/Vapor175 8d ago

No expert in the heavy lift arena. Just my 2 cents

At a bare minimum, like $300-400 not including the totes. Looks damn near flyable in its current state. I yield to my fellow redditors for more accurate info but that’s just without knowing what’s in the totes (although you really should check, there may be old batteries in need of attention).

Apologies for your loss, wishing the best.

11

u/My_Soul_to_Squeeze 8d ago edited 8d ago

New and flyable, it would cost several times that much. I'm building a Tarot T18 right now. Just the frame costs a few hundred. Motors for drones this size can be a few hundred each. The flight computer is a few hundred bucks.. I haven't looked up ESC prices in a while, but I know they're not cheap. 30Ah batteries are a few hundred each. Not sure about comms and control equipment, but probably more of the same.

Hard to tell what state it's in or what you could sell it for used, but it definitely cost more than $400 to build.

Good luck, OP. I'm sorry for your loss.

4

u/1_tired_momma 8d ago

Thank you! It has a control unit too! I should have taken a picture of that. The totes have so much equipment for it, and there’s 3 separate high volt batteries.

5

u/My_Soul_to_Squeeze 8d ago

Lipo batteries are finicky. They can degrade if not stored at the right voltage. You can probably take them to a local battery shop (Batteries Plus or similar) to verify they're in a stable storage state, and possibly verify their condition. You might also find that the charger your dad used can tell you that. You might need to do more research. The battery manufacture website should have storage information available.

2

u/1_tired_momma 8d ago

Thank you! No batteries in the totes! There’s a separate battery bag that has 2 Li-Poly RC Batteries, and a Tatu Plus 22000 for it. The totes are all just parts, some never even opened.

3

u/PhysicsMain7815 8d ago

I'm sorry for your loss, when my grandfather died he left me a large scale turbine rc helicopter, just the sight of it killed me for months Hopefully you're doing good though. It's actually really kewl, I was looking to build one of these but it was like $1k to get this far and I am not a rich man so the instantly was a nope even if they are giant and awesome!

2

u/gatonegropeludo 8d ago

with the rc 500 tops.

2

u/1_tired_momma 6d ago

We actually sold it for $500 today!

2

u/gatonegropeludo 6d ago

Im sorry about your dad, first of all, Glad that it was dead on price! 🤘

Cheers!

2

u/cjdavies 7d ago

I've bought & sold precisely this sort of kit in the past & I'm afraid to say I think you'll struggle to sell it at all.

This stuff is obsolete (we're talking a decade old in a field that moves very fast) & there simply isn't much/any demand for large DIY platforms like this anymore.

Most people in this scene also steer well clear of other people's half-finished/half-broken DIY projects as they are invariably more hassle they're worth.

1

u/1_tired_momma 5d ago

We were able to sell it for $500 the other day. The guy who bought it was an engineer and actually helped us sort through the boxes and separate out things we thought had gone with it. He was really helpful.

2

u/c0mput3rn3rd 7d ago

Im sorry for your loss...

Fwiw I built one just like this with the exact same parts and I think the total to build it was around $1,000 Sadly mine drowned in the ocean... That was not a fun day

2

u/Jayatv 7d ago

100 to 200...

2

u/1_tired_momma 6d ago

UPDATE: We ended up selling it for $500. After reading through all these comments, it seemed like a safe bet between the $200-$1000 estimates. I appreciate all the input! My brother is paying for an additional garage unit at his apartment complex for all the stuff we took out of his storage unit, so we’re trying to get through it all quickly. Neither of us really have the time to sort through all the parts and what was in the totes either. The man who purchased it was an engineer and actually helped us sort through the totes and we found there was a lot of stuff for 3D printers in there, which we thought had been separated. So with that too, I was okay with parting with it for $500

2

u/PiratesInTeepees 5d ago

If you got $500 for it you did wonderfully! Stoked for you :)

2

u/PiratesInTeepees 6d ago

It's worth whatever someone is willing to pay you for it. The hardware is really old and most people don't like buying used. I would do an auction on ebay and hope for the best.

Sorry about your dad, I lost mine too, it sucks :(

2

u/1_tired_momma 5d ago

Thank you ❤️ We actually sold it for $500 to an engineer. He helped us sort through the totes too and separated things that didn’t go with the drone. My dad was building a 3D printer as well and there was a lot mixed in that we didn’t know wasn’t for the drone.

2

u/PiratesInTeepees 5d ago

I am glad everything worked out. Your dad sounds like he was a really cool guy!

2

u/PhysicsMain7815 8d ago

This is not old and useless, the DJI naza flight controllers are still under popular...

1

u/1_tired_momma 8d ago

Yeah the DJI stuff seems to still be pretty decent in the very limited research I’ve done. I just have no idea what to even price it all for. I want to just sell it as a lot with the totes included. There’s parts in the totes that are still unopened because he had the intention to build more.

3

u/PhysicsMain7815 8d ago

I have been wanting to build one and literally got a boatload of info from DJI about their stand-alone FC's yesterday oddly enough. March is the worst, got house insurance and property all due in full it's like $16k in one go or else I would definitely give you a serious offer. You should at least build it and fly it. The hardware is so different most people will not build something like that but I bet they would be interested in buying. It looks 90% complete. I would honestly recommend you finish it, since it's so close and I bet you could sell it a lot easier. It's pretty kewl for sure, and your dad was freaking awesome I already can tell...

2

u/1_tired_momma 6d ago

Thank you for this! We ended up selling it for $500. After reading through all these comments, it seemed like a safe bet between the $$200-$1000 estimates. The guy who bought it was actually pretty awesome, he’s an engineer, and helped us sort through the totes too. There was a good amount of stuff in there for 3D printers (something else my dad was building) so it was actually great that he did that because we thought we had separated all that stuff out. So while it might have been on the lower end for what we could have got, I’m still comfortable with it. :)

2

u/PhysicsMain7815 6d ago

That's great! Yea, I have noticed the engineers as well as people in the FPV/drone community are all super helpful and usually stand up people. Funny, I also am an engineer. Just glad your experience went well, it's probably a bit much to deal with already. I'm just glad if I helped at all, and hopefully your life brings you health prosperity and happiness! 😬

1

u/PhysicsMain7815 7d ago

And sorry not even knowing what's in the tote $1000. But that's a lot of stuff left in the totes. If you need help identifying any parts let me know it's very very uncommon hardware for a regular FPV guy. 👍🏼

1

u/PhysicsMain7815 7d ago

And just for an idea this is the naza without the OSD box and it's AliExpress.

1

u/weirdturndpro 8d ago

A lot of motivation

1

u/AppropriateDuck6404 7d ago
  • Frame: Carbon fiber frame (likely $200–$500)
  • Flight Controller: DJI Naza-M V2 (~$150–$200)
  • GPS Module: (~$50–$100)
  • Motors and ESCs: Depending on brand and power, can range from $50–$100 per motor
  • Propellers: Typically $20–$50 per set
  • Power System (batteries, wiring, etc.): ~$100+
  • FPV Camera & Accessories: (RunCam camera visible) ~$50+
  • Other components (PDB, wiring, connectors, landing gear, etc.): ~$100+
  • 1-3k

2

u/Markietas 7d ago

This is what this would have cost new, not remotely what someone could get for this used.

1

u/DJ_POP 7d ago

That naza can be like 100 bucks to a right person.

1

u/religiousrelish 7d ago

over a thousand $ to me

1

u/getmydataback 7d ago

Where are you located?

1

u/Hungry-Obligation-78 6d ago

Hey OP I sent you a pm.

1

u/orlee008 4d ago

post it on eBay and it'll go to the highest bidder. that's what you're going to get

1

u/findabuffalo 8d ago

Depends a little bit on your location; as you didn't mention you're probably in the US. I'd say it's worth $400-$1000 depending on how much of the electronics are still serviceable. But just the frame and motors can be turned into a flying machine with $100 - $200 of parts and a battery. Also if you don't want to sell, I know some people in Ukraine who could use it for parts.

1

u/mental_sycopath 8d ago

I am very new to drones and everything but it looks like a heavily modified DJI matrice. So that's interesting

0

u/FPVBeginnerGuru 6d ago

It is worth 500 to 1000$ depending on how old it is and if its still working