[ahar083]

A lot of lower end items are sent to the trash when returned. (Not items like an iPhone, which would be sold as referb models).

The wastefulness comes from the fact that the barrier to purchase is pretty low, given the ease of return, so one is more likely to buy an item which may end up in the trash in 14 days (30 for Amazon).

If I absolutely couldn’t return a product (aside from defects), I’d not buy a lot of items in the first place.

(I say this as someone who is guilty of plenty of “trials”).

I’m actually travelling through Japan right now, where one can visit a Yobadashi or Bic Camera, these stores are great, because all their tech is out and able to be played with, without explicitly getting assistance from a staff member. It’s obviously not the same as bringing a camera etc into the field to test, but it goes a long way in deciding if something works from an ergonomic perspective, before purchasing it.