Originally Posted by
jiejie
Oh ye of little faith!
Actually, it's also because you can get an occasional dud, even if absolutely real and from a store known for selling genuine merchandise. I've had this happen even in the USA. Returns even to willing merchants aren't fun anywhere in the world. So not only do I check memory sticks and minispeakers at BuyNow Electronics Mall, I've even had Carrefour here in Beijing open the Philips vacuum cleaner box, checked for inclusion of all the accessories, and plug it in and run it in the store...before repacking it. A heck of a lot easier to check in the store rather than get it all the way home only to be surprised. I've actually done similar in the USA (after paying of course). The look on the faces of the store personnel is priceless...
Indeed, merchants who accept returns are not necessarily sourcing higher quality goods, but they're probably just building it into their retail price so that they end up with the same or perhaps even a bigger margin.
In the absence of government regulation, competition means that the lowest price usually wins.