In theory for something like a CE marked power adapter, a manufacturer should be prepared to be challenged on why they feel able to certify it. For example, the

In theory for something like a CE marked power adapter, a manufacturer should be prepared to be challenged on why they feel able to certify it. For example, they could present their testing certificates from some testing lab and show that they haven't changed anything that would materially affect the results. I suspect that some manufacturers do not get challenged on that nearly as often as they should when they sell into channels like Temu and no-name importers. And so they can skate away with just not doing the certs, so they don't need to do the design work to meet them, and so they don't do it. If anyone asks, you just just don't sell to them. Whereas if they sell, say, 500k units to Costco, they will be required to produce that paperwork because Costco is taking on the liability in the market and they can't just vamoose when something explodes. It doesn't always work: things that have been "correctly" CE-marked sometimes do turn out to be unsafe and get recalled, but I suspect the real problems are things where the CE mark is fake and no one is stamping on heads in the way that UL does if you take their name in vain. Once it is known that testing and certification is statistically optional as long as you sell to the right channels, someone will do it unless they are stopped.