I bought DJI’s banned camera — it was cheap and easy

As a kid, I always imagined the “black market” would be like the movies: Shady vendors hawking illicit goods along dusty streets. But if you want a banned DJI Osmo Pocket 4 or Pocket 4 Pro camera in the US, you can just reach for your phone.

They’re on Temu, AliExpress, eBay, Mercari — even Amazon and Newegg — with fast, free shipping and no risk of tariffs or seizures. That’s because these cameras are already inside the United States, despite rules that ban them from entering the country.

This past month, I ordered a DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro from Temu. It arrived just four days later, shipped directly from a fulfillment center in Oregon, where a cross-border logistics company called Blue Ocean stuffed it into a FedEx baggie for me.

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