Summary of Action

In June 2018, the FTC sent a closing letter to Williams-Sonoma following an investigation into the company’s marketing of certain Chinese-made products as “Crafted in America.” The FTC decided not to pursue its investigation further due to the company’s corrective actions at that time, as Williams-Sonoma represented to the Commission that the false U.S.-origin claim at issue was an isolated error.

This representation was false. Between April and May 2019, TINA.org collected more than 800 examples of products that are or have been marketed by Williams-Sonoma as made in the USA but are either imported or made with imported materials, according to origin information inconspicuously provided on the company’s various websites. The examples collected by TINA.org were drawn from seven of Williams-Sonoma’s sites — Williams-Sonoma, Williams-Sonoma Home, Rejuvenation, Pottery Barn, PBteen, Pottery Barn Kids, and West Elm.

As a result of these findings, TINA.org sent a complaint letter to the FTC on May 21, 2019 urging it to reopen its investigation of Williams-Sonoma and take appropriate enforcement action.

On March 30, 2020, the FTC filed an administrative action against Williams-Sonoma claiming it made false and deceptive U.S.-origin claims about numerous products. To settle the charges, the company agreed to pay $1 million and to stop making false, misleading, or unsubstantiated U.S.-origin claims.