Recently, several internet conspiracy theorists emerged and claimed that Wayfair, an American e-commerce company that sells furniture and home-goods, was facilitating an illegal child trafficking concealed by high-priced storage cabinets in product listings. What is more, these cabinets contained female names – Neriah, Yaritza, Alyvia, and Samiyah – which, from the conspiracy theorists’ perspective, were claimed to be matching with those of real missing children. However, as the listed products removed from the website quickly, Wayfair denied these accusations, explaining that products in question are industrial grade cabinets that are accurately priced. So, all of this is about nothing but baseless accusations, or is there something behind the curtain? Let us find out!

 

On July 10, 2020, a Twitter user posted a screenshot of Wayfair’s website, complaining about the high price of some of the company’s bedroom cabinets. This later became theorized to be a super-secret child trafficking ring concealed behind expensive cabinets named after missing children.

 

Wayfair refuted these claims, explaining that the storage cabinets in question were accurately priced given their industrial use, and that they use an algorithm to name their products, just like other retailers. There are also baseless claims that personalized pillows that can cost up to $10.000 are that expensive because it involves trafficking a child. However, as Wayfair clarified, these pricings were related to a glitch on their website, which can also be noticed on other online sellers.

 

Shortly after, QAnon activists put forward a new theory, supporting those accusations. According to the theory, when the stock-keeping unit (SKU) numbers of specific Wayfair products searched via Yandex, a major Russian search engine, images of young women appear in the search results. The claim was true, yet another glitch related to the search engine. According to a report, a Yandex search for any random string of numbers would return the same results. This glitch also reportedly has been fixed.

 

Ultimately, both according to the news reports and Wayfair’s responses to the claims, we can safely assume that the theories put forward are completely false and inaccurate, since it is almost entirely based on one person’s confusion over an expensive cabinet after all. This conspiracy theory, as in their nature, started with an assumption that would be sickening if it were actually true. Nonetheless, no credible evidence has been offered to back up this accusation so far. (1) (2)

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Further Reading: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/wayfair-trafficking-children/