Why the same part costs AED 300 at one Dubai shop and 1,400 at another
Not a scam, and not usually a difference in the part. A short account of how the local parts market is actually structured, and what to ask before you pay.
Ask three shops in Dubai for the same brake pad set and you can be quoted three numbers that do not look like they describe the same object. The spread is real and it is not random. It comes from four things, and only one of them is the part.
One: you are often not comparing the same part
The first quote is frequently the carmaker's own number, the second an aftermarket equivalent, the third a budget line. All three fit. They are different products at different grades, and a counter that says "brake pads for a Land Cruiser" has told you almost nothing about which one it means.
| Brand and number | Grade | Arrives | Price, AED | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
TOYOTA 04465-60280 Brake pad set front, Land Cruiser 200 | Genuine OEM | No source is offering this today | no price | See equivalents |
ADVICS SN160P Brake pad set front | OEM Quality | No source is offering this today | no price | See equivalents |
TRW GDB3428 Brake pad set front | Standard | No source is offering this today | no price | See equivalents |
Two: the shop that holds stock is rarely the shop you can find
A trade counter with a deep shelf has little reason to advertise to a private buyer, and often does not appear in a search at all. The shops that are easy to find are frequently the ones sourcing from the shops that are not. Each step is a margin, and you are paying for the introduction.
Three: a quote is not a price until it names a date
A low number with no delivery date is a different offer from a higher number that arrives on Thursday. Ask when, and ask what happens if it does not. A price that assumes the part is already in the country is not comparable with one that does not.
A price without a date is half a quote.
Four: VAT, and what is left out
| Ask this | Because |
|---|---|
| Is that with VAT? | Five per cent, and it is not always quoted the same way. |
| Which brand and which number? | Grade is most of the spread. |
| When does it arrive, and from where? | A date is part of the price. |
| What if it is wrong or does not come? | The answer separates a supplier from a middleman. |
None of this makes the dear shop dishonest. It makes the market opaque, which is a different problem, and it is the one this site exists to fix: every price here names its grade, its arrival date and the catalogue behind the link.