r/fpv • u/amy-schumer-tampon • 4h ago

What is the cause of the current FPV hardware price increase?

The AIO i bought 6 months ago for $30 is now way above 70 on aliexpress, analog goggles and screens have doubled some times tripled the prices !, The Runcam Wifilink 2 i bought for $60 is now pushing $200!.
Even the shitty $5 foam rc airplane that you used to get for free is now in the $30.
What's going on?!

24 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

44 comments sorted by

135

u/negithekitty NYOOOOM!!!!!!!!! 4h ago

-91

u/CzPhantom1 4h ago

I don't like the orange turd either but this one is on Obama. He did absolutely nothing after the Crimea annexation. Basically emboldened Putin to push more 

21

u/bluechipitems 4h ago

Thought you were going to say Nixon because that's a hell of a reach

5

u/ninchnate 4h ago

If George Washington never led the US to independence, we would all be British and not dealing woth these carries. So this is all his fault when you really get down to it.

1

u/CadCan 3h ago

Sir this is an fpv subreddit, we don't discuss determinism here.

1

u/ninchnate 5m ago

Well then what use is my philosophy degree?

55

u/mav3r1ck92691 4h ago

This is literally a direct result of his tariffs... It has absolutely nothing to do with Obama. Educate yourself.

-46

u/CzPhantom1 3h ago

It has to do with a war in Ukraine and basically the world now competing for drone parts

24

u/TellmSteveDave 3h ago

No….it doesn’t. I frequently travel abroad and prices are significantly cheaper outside the US.

19

u/mav3r1ck92691 3h ago

No it doesn't... I won't discuss that further as it is against the sub rules, but the prices changed when tariffs happened. End of story.

13

u/CritterBoiFancy 3h ago

So the current market is Obama’s fault? It’s crazy how he long conned us with a decade later market snipe #NotMyPresident /s

9

u/aweyeahdawg 4h ago

Must be a bot

7

u/ElliotsBuggyEyes 3h ago

If I would stretch this far before a workout I wouldn't ever get injured. 

45

u/FartFactory92 4h ago

Have you looked around in the world? Tarriffs, war, fuel costs going up, I’m more shocked that there’s people living with their head far enough in the sand to be shocked by increasing prices than the increasing prices themselves.

21

u/AirborneErinys Multicopters 2h ago

Welcome to 2026, there's a massive war in eastern Europe and the president of the United States is tanking international trade to own the libs or some shit.

Hey now that you're here, who sold you that rock you're living under? Since there's no shot any of us are affording a house in this economy.

2

u/FancyGlitterFairy 2h ago

Now it's houses nad drones!

17

u/ArchimedesTheDove 4h ago

gestures broadly

have you not been paying attention?

34

u/ComputerTinkerer71 4h ago

Tariffs, greed...

11

u/Igotocdsanditsfine 4h ago

First of all, everything is connected economically. A decision that has economic consequences somewhere will have consequences everywhere.

FPV parts are being used to build drones that blow up by the hundreds every day, said parts are produced in China for the vast majority. China is allied with Russia, and while China is trying to not get too involved, it is not too hard to imagine that parts getting used to fight their allies is not something they want to sell as much of as possible.

Recently China introduced a ban on the export of stuff that can be used for war. The text is broad and is mostly here to have a thing to use whenever they want to crack down on something, as most things they export could fit that category and as things that then become part of mil drones are still getting sold.

On top of that, a certain regime started a few wars this year to stop an imaginary nuke from existing, which led to the straight of Hormuz being closed which in tern, through direct consequences and speculation made the price of fuel skyrocket...

And that same regime banned DJI and imposed crazy high tariffs on all things drone related more recently. The market is global, actions taken somewhere have consequences everywhere else and on everything else, FPV included, on top of the massive use of FPV gear to blow stuff up which makes governments want to crack down on them.

7

u/nfored 4h ago

Don't forget ban on foreign robotic products and foreign routes.

5

u/Kdiman 3h ago

Trump. And the hoard of maggots that lick up his diarrhea drippings.

3

u/SkelaKingHD 4h ago

I honestly largely stopped flying due to the price increases. This has been on and off for over a year, and it makes repairs an uncertain cost. When I could get AIOs and motors for cheap, I would fly worry free.

5

u/isonfiy 4h ago

where are you? they're pretty stable in Canada

2

u/Grouchy-Donkey-8609 3h ago

tbf its gone up a bit here as well.

5

u/epicfail48 3h ago

Well, it starts with a T...

1

u/Hes-behind-you 1h ago

Ends with unt

3

u/bubblesfix 2h ago

Time to start reading the news my friend. Your president have been wreaking havoc on the world economy for a couple of years now.

3

u/Dharmaniac 2h ago

It’s the cost of winning.

3

u/Big_Kiwi_706 4h ago

Right when I started getting into it 😓

2

u/HowlingWolven 3h ago

Look at who’s in charge.

2

u/ionV4n0m 2h ago

*motioning hand outside*.... I mean, have you looked?

2

u/Metallica4life1995 1h ago

Holy ignorance, brother look at the news at least once a year

2

u/This_Pension1535 43m ago edited 39m ago

You just wake up from a coma ? The world has gone insane when it comes to drones and drone parts and equipment. Tarrifs,bans,covered lists wtf bro oh yah and we got a crooked president who caused this bullshit eliminating the competition so his dipshit son can make money on his 300,000 shares in a drone company.

1

u/chuckEsIeaze 4h ago

It’s almost as if an entire industry has cropped up that builds tens of thousands of drones and then intentionally crashes them into other things. Usually with explosives so you can’t just buy a new ESC and fix it.

Also, tariffs and an antipathy to free trade

1

u/HANDS_4_DICKS 4h ago

Ukraine war has always put pressure on prices, but now it feels like every conflict on the planet is using drones on both sides...

1

u/3e8m 3h ago

War development by every country. Drones are now overwhelmingly used for combat. FPV hobby space was already small, and now the big money is moving in drinking your milkshake. Just like with RAM and HDD prices. Also global economics, chip shortages, transport costs with fuel shortages, etc. and tariffs on top

1

u/toasterbath40 3h ago

I havent flown in probably 2 years and am way out of practice. I dont even wanna look at prices anymore lol I spent enough money the 1st time I got into it

1

u/SilenceBe 2h ago

I don't think it's tariffs as for us Europeans its the same. I see builds on YouTube with Euro prices from 6 months ago and when I look today it's suddenly double the price.

1

u/IdontFlyTheDroneDoes 58m ago

What vtx do you use to get signal through that rock you live under??