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Price Architecture

Retail $298 Dress: Where Should FOB Land?

September 07, 2026 · DONGFAN Editorial Team

Your retail went to $298 — and the FOB your supplier offered didn't match the math.

The hidden risk

Higher retail doesn't automatically give the factory room to add cost — it gives YOU room to choose better fabric, finish and trim. A supplier that hears '$298' as 'raise the FOB' is missing the point: the customer's paying for visible upgrade, not invisible cost.

How to judge

Define the visible upgrade the customer pays $298 for: better drape, structured silhouette, lined bodice, signature trim. Then align FOB cost to that upgrade — not the other way around.

What the supplier must provide

Cost-up options that ladder to that visible upgrade: a base version, a mid version, the signature version — with clear cost per tier.

How DONGFAN handles it

DONGFAN proposes FOB tiers per silhouette — base, mid, signature — and shows what each tier adds in fabric, lining and finish so the $298 lands on a true upgrade, not a markup.

Buyer checklist

  • Define the visible upgrade at $298
  • Build 3 cost-up tiers per silhouette
  • Align FOB to the upgrade ladder
  • Reject FOB that adds invisible cost
  • Test the upgrade on a real customer
  • Document per-tier FOB build-up

Planning a collection?

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