Import Genius

ImportGenius.com is a website that provides data on imports and exports. At first glance, this type of site might not seem relevant to the furniture world, but think again. A quick trip to the back room at almost any furniture store (Crate and Barrel, West Elm, Pottery Barn, and just about anyone else you can think of) will show boxes with "Made in China" stickers all over them. If not China, then Mexico or some other third-world country. Made in the USA, while it exists, is pretty rare in most furniture stores. That's where ImportGenius comes into play. Using their data and search technology, you can instantly figure out where almost any piece of furniture in the world came from.

If you are a furniture store, this can be useful for finding factories to provide you with similar or identical furniture. If you are an individual furnishing an entire house, you might find that you are better off going directly to the factory.