I wanted to buy a Ducati Scrambler here in the Philippines but I was complaining that the price is about 30% higher than in Europe. Which is understandable somehow because they have to import the bikes and they have a lot of taxes. But still, that’s a lot and I was sad… so I thought, let’s do that in Taiwan, there is less traffic… so I asked for the prices at a Ducati shop in Taipei, and then I cried.
Basically, for a Ducati Desert Sled that has a MSRP of $12,000 is the USA, in Taiwan it is sold $22,000… that’s right, you didn’t misread… it’s $10,000 more expensive, so about 83% more.
What can justify that?
I asked for some explanation to the shop and I am still waiting for their answer.
So, they replied to me and I must say that at least they are transparent. Basically, Taiwan has tariff issues and regulatory issues that makes impossible for the imported brands to have competitive prices.
Taiwan was a dream to me but it is less and less every day.
Just get a scooter like everyone else its cheap, reliable and will take you everywhere up mountains etc. Also is the Ducati Desert Shield a 250+cc motorcycle? Im guessing it is and you don’t have the license for the Heavier bike. You will definitely be pulled over for that. Your Moto license from another country won’t work here.
Its not just the Government that causes the prices for Imports to be high. There are a lot of people between the factory and the retailer, and each adds their margin in. When you get the Importer, then the Distributor, then the Dealer all adding their 20% (or more) margin on, then it quickly adds up. Buying in the country of origin cuts out many of those in the chain. Its called Corporate Greed.
Many of the second hand bikes here are more expensive than the same model for new in the UK. I thought about getting a Taiwan bike. Wild Wolf or whatever they are called.
Yes, but that’s the same in pretty much every country in the world. If you compare the prices in 2 countries they already includes all that. Their share may vary but that’s probably not going to sum up to an 80% increase, especially compared to a country like the Philippines and with a brand like Ducati that’s officially present in both countries.
They can charge obscene markups because there is a wealthy crowd of bikers here that dont mind dropping 20K on a big bike. There is a large market of buyers willing to be fleeced
I went in to inquire once, saw the price, went into sticker shock, and got that idea out of my mind fast.
They don’t sell luxury goods. When you have a market of 24M people you try to open up to that market. Ducati have bikes that cost US$7,000 to $12,000. By selling more bikes you decrease your operating cost and increase your margins. There is no reason why they would say “Let’s overprice our bikes so we’ll sell less of them to a limited number of rich people.”.
The motorcycle market is booming everywhere in Asia. They have never sold more motorbikes than today in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, etc…
I more leaning toward Taiwan protecting their local brands like Kymco and Gogoro.
Still seems a bit crazy considering what you get for that money. It’s a good bike but nothing special. Are the cost increases the same on big jap bikes?
Agree with what you say SAL… The bike is not a super high spec one. But I believe you can have a lot of fun on this in Taiwan… and as said the price is not so crazy
I had a BMW S1000XR when I lived in Thailand, and that was NT$1.3M at the time. Actually I still have the bike in Bangkok, and haven’t’ ridden it for over 1.5 years due to poxy Covid. Hopefully the near future will change that
I’ve looked at the Kwacker Z900, that’s an awesome modern retro, and well priced too
Taiwan have just too many Traffic lights, police, and speed traps for me… so currently no bike… but the longing is still there.
Having lived in Thailand for some years… here is mostly a walk in the park to be honest. Yes, there are some twats around, but nothing compared to the roads, vehicles and drivers in Thailand.
Having said that, riding a big bike in Thailand is awesome, once you get out of Bangkok. Big roads, absence of police or speed-checks (plus the option to negotiate on the spot if you do get pulled, but very unlikely) - You do need to keep your eyes peeled at all time for farm vehicles, random pigs/buffalo/elephants, drunk idiots etc…
