Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale

by Adam Minter

One option is for governments to become more directly involved in regulating the durability of products. To some extent, they already are. Minimum safety standards in cars, child safety seats, electrical appliances, and other products are common and necessary. But stepping beyond safety to require, for example, that Maytag make washers with the same quality standards as Alliance Laundry Systems is more ambitious—and more problematic. For one thing, Alliance Laundry Systems probably wouldn’t like it. After all, the company’s booming consumer business (and its pricing) are built on the idea that consumers should be able to choose a better machine among many that are inferior. Second, and even more important, consumers who can’t easily afford Speed Queen would be the ones who suffer if governments started imposing durability requirements that raise the price of stuff. That’s not only unfair; it’d probably result in a backlash against the social and environmental goals that inspired durability requirements. Finally, regulations requiring minimum durability standards would inevitably chill the quest for innovation in new and existing products. Forcing companies to get it right on the first go will convince many to skip the innovation and development process altogether, and just keep making what they’re already making. For most of humanity, the argument that progress must stop in favor of dependability won’t fly.