How GoodBuy tears down a price
Every teardown follows the same five-section structure. Same questions, same sourcing discipline, same scoring logic. Here is exactly what we do and why.
We find what something costs to build, trace where every dollar of markup goes, and then score whether the premium is worth it for the typical buyer. Not the collector. Not the connoisseur. The person who just wants the best outcome for the money they are spending.
- Factory cost figures are sourced where data exists; estimates are labeled as estimates, per claim, always.
- We score value against the 95% buyer, not the expert. If a premium is only legible to a specialist, we say so.
- Brands cannot pay to be included, excluded, or favorably scored. We do not accept brand payment.
- Real does not equal relevant does not equal worth it. A genuine difference in quality only earns points if a typical buyer can perceive it.
- Every teardown is versioned. If a price, spec, or fact changes, we update and note the revision date.
- Affiliate links are disclosed per FTC guidance on every page where they appear.
Section 1: The Product
We establish what we are looking at before we touch the price. This means: the product name and brand, the designer or design house if applicable, the year it was introduced, and whether it is still in active production. We document the materials as the brand discloses them (frame, fill, surface, hardware, finish) and, where we can verify, where it is made.
We also note IP status here: active design patents, utility patents, or registered trade dress. This matters for what we recommend in Section 4. A patented silhouette changes the alternative play from "factory-direct equivalent" to "factory-direct interpretation." We flag this clearly so readers understand the difference.
Section 2: Price Anatomy
This is the teardown. We stack the cost components from factory to buyer and show where the retail price actually goes. The typical stack:
| Cost layer | What it represents |
|---|---|
| Factory FOB | What the brand pays the factory, or an equivalent landed-cost estimate. Sourced figures are marked; estimates are labeled. |
| Freight + duty | Shipping, import tariffs, port fees. For US imports this includes any active Section 232 or Section 301 tariff stacks. |
| Brand factory margin | The margin the brand or importer takes before the product reaches a dealer. |
| Dealer / showroom margin | What the showroom or retailer adds. Trade-only brands run higher here than direct-to-consumer brands. |
| Designer / IP royalty | The per-unit fee paid to the designer or design estate. Varies from 3% to 15% on luxury goods. |
| What the buyer actually pays | The real net price, not the sticker. Some brands (RH is the notable case) publish inflated sticker prices designed to be discounted via membership. We anchor the math to the price you realistically pay. |
Where a brand has a published membership or trade discount that most buyers use, we show both the sticker and the real price and anchor all markup calculations to the real price. A 70% sticker that becomes $X after membership is not a $sticker product.
Section 3: What You're Actually Buying
This section answers a different question from the price anatomy. Section 2 shows where the money goes. Section 3 asks whether what you get for it is worth having.
We look at four things:
- Materials vs. marketing. Is the specification genuinely different from cheaper alternatives, or is the language just better?
- Construction quality. Joinery method, hardware grade, fabric weight, tolerances. Things that affect durability and feel, not just appearance.
- IP and design heritage value. Some objects carry cultural weight, a design history, or a recognized silhouette that matters to buyers. We note this without inflating it.
- Service, warranty, and resale. The brand's repair network, warranty terms, and documented resale value where data exists.
Section 4: Equivalents at Four Tiers
For every teardown we find the best alternative at four price levels. These are not dupes. They are honest answers to the question: if you cannot or will not pay the brand price, what is the best outcome at each tier?
| Tier | What it is |
|---|---|
| Tier 1, Same product, lower price | Gray market, outlet, certified used, or authorized clearance. The same object for less. |
| Tier 2, Spec-equivalent, different brand | A different brand that hits the same material spec and construction quality. Not a visual match: a quality match. |
| Tier 3, Factory-direct custom | A made-to-order piece built to equivalent spec from a direct manufacturer, without the brand and showroom markup. Where IP protection makes the original silhouette off-limits, Tier 3 is a spec-equivalent design, not a clone. |
| Tier 4, Budget visual match | West Elm, Article, IKEA-tier. The same look at a fraction of the price, with honest notes on what the spec difference costs you in feel and longevity. |
We do not include a tier that we cannot honestly recommend. If Tier 3 does not work (because tariffs flip the landed cost, or because the IP situation makes a legal equivalent impossible to source), we say so and drop that tier from the teardown.
Section 5: Verdict Scorecard
Every teardown closes with a four-axis scorecard and a one-paragraph verdict. The axes:
| Axis | What it measures | Scored /10 |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency | How openly the brand discloses materials, origin, and pricing. Brands that publish specs and factory relationships score higher. | Yes |
| Value | Price relative to perceived outcome for the typical buyer. Not price relative to spec. If the spec advantage is real but imperceptible to most buyers, it does not raise the value score. | Yes |
| Defensibility | How much of the premium is protected by genuine IP, patented engineering, or a construction method that cannot be replicated at a lower price point. | Yes |
| Replicability | Whether the outcome the buyer cares about (the feel, the configuration, the performance) can be achieved at a lower tier. We measure buyer-perceivable outcome, not spec-clone possibility. | Yes |
We score "worth it" against the typical buyer, not the connoisseur. A premium earns points only if the person spending the money can actually perceive what it buys. Real does not equal relevant does not equal worth it.
The one-paragraph verdict names the buyer this product genuinely serves, states whether the premium is justified for them, and flags the specific case where paying more is warranted. Where there is a collector or specialist exception, we name it explicitly: "If you are in this group, the calculus is different. Here is why."
Sourcing and labeling discipline
FOB and landed-cost figures come from: direct factory quotes (where we have them), customs data, published brand reporting, and documented trade research. When a figure is sourced, we note the source or date range. When a figure is our estimate based on category benchmarks, we label it "est." in the teardown. We do not present estimates as fact.
We update teardowns when prices or specifications change. The version date appears at the top of every article. If a brand contacts us with a correction or additional data, we review it and update with attribution if it improves accuracy. We do not update to favor the brand.
Do brands pay to be included or excluded?+
No. Coverage decisions are based on search demand and markup gap: we cover products where buyers are actively asking questions and where there is a material difference between the brand price and a spec-equivalent alternative. Brands cannot pay to be reviewed, removed, or scored more favorably.
How do you get factory cost figures?+
From direct factory quotes where we have them, customs import records, published trade data, and documented category research. Every figure is labeled: sourced or estimated. We do not present estimates as hard data, and we flag the confidence level when it matters to the conclusion.
What is the difference between a dupe and a Tier 3 recommendation?+
A dupe is a visual copy, often in inferior materials. A Tier 3 recommendation is a factory-direct piece built to equivalent specification in the same material category. Where a brand holds an active design patent, our Tier 3 is a specification-and-feel equivalent with its own proportions, not a clone. We never recommend clones or infringing copies.
Why do you score value against the typical buyer and not the spec?+
Because the price is paid by the buyer, not the spec sheet. If a material difference is real but only perceptible to a specialist, it does not justify the premium for the 95% of buyers who will never notice it. We call this out explicitly so the buyer who IS a specialist can find the note and know the premium may be worth it for them.
Are affiliate links disclosed?+
Yes, on every page where they appear, per FTC 2024 disclosure guidance. The presence of an affiliate link does not affect a product's placement or score. A Tier 4 budget match with an affiliate link is still the honest Tier 4 match, not an upgrade to Tier 2 because we earn a commission on it.
New teardowns go out weekly. We cover one product, trace the full markup stack, and tell you what it is actually worth.