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:arm-L::train-shining::arm-R:
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LANDLORDS COWER IN FEAR OF MAOTRAIN
"that train pic is too powerful lmao" - u/Cadende
The cycle rickshaw, which is a variant of a cargo bike is quite common in Asia. The price for a new one ranges from $100-500. Meanwhile, a bike with elongated rear rack, e.g., a longtail cargo bike (barely counts as cargo bike) can cost $1,000 in the West, and that is the entry level "cargo bike." A front load cargo bike costs $2500 and upwards. An Urban Arrow (tm) cargo bike can cost a whopping $6-7k.
The longtail Yuba Kombi is $999 and fully manual, this is to my knowledge the cheapest new MSRP cargo bike in North America and it is just a normal bicycle with elongated rear rack. One can get used longtail cargo bike for $500-750 like the Yubas or Terns, but I highly doubt you can get a cargo bike with similar carrying capacity as fully manual Asian rickshaw for $500-750, unless someone in your area did a DIY welding project and decide to sell it on Facebook Marketplace.
That thing weighs 50 lbs so it at least takes a good chunk of welding steel to put it together and it is probably made overseas and shipped. But there are a ton of brands out there that are basically US designers and sellers where the quality of what you get vs. what you pay for it varies a lot. I don't have a cargo bike and haven't really evaluated the different companies there, but I think this trend applies to alll bikes.
Though to put things in perspective a half decent standard bike with similar specs is $500-1000 new in the US. That bike has low end Shimano components and Tektro disc brakes. Those aren't oo-la-la expensive bike nerd parts but they are pretty good parts and a company selling such a bike knows this and is pricing according to what others charge for such things. I see a similar REI bike for the same price that has hydraulic brakes and would probably go on sale this year.
But it is a very silly market that wants to charge more for new hype because that delivers more profit. With some exceptions I recommend buying used instead. Kind of like with cars, half the value is lost moments after sale. Cargo bikes with that design are a fairly new trend, and so are disc brakes on anything other than a mountain bike, so it might take a little while to find a used one. But if you wanted a 2000s mountain bike or road bike with rim brakes man you could get one free from a dumpster or buy one for $75. And then throw on $200 of racks to hold stuff.
PS there's a Walmart one (Mongoose) for $600 new.