>"Not so. If a retailer is selling garbage, some people may buy it, but those people will promptly figure that out, stop buying those brands and leave them bad

>"Not so. If a retailer is selling garbage, some people may buy it, but those people will promptly figure that out, stop buying those brands and leave them bad reviews. And the retailer has incentives not to carry bad products even if they don't accept returns because getting burned doesn't make for repeat customers." Yes, but only those people, there is no shortage of new customers to fleece. Online reviews can (and are) bought and sold, even the supposedly trustworthy review sites such as Trustpilot have been caught manipulating scores, and in some cases (Yelp) hiding reviews until the business in question ponies up for a "partner agreement". The whole point of a mandatory return period is for consumer protection. A product should be fit for purpose and not break shortly after being taken into use. A warranty period of 6 months to a year ensures that products are fit for purpose. It also discourages the production and sale of disposable junk products, which is a better use of resources and more environmentally sound.