The problem is that the consumer usually has no way to compare quality easily, and so all they have to go on is sticker price. As a result the incentive is for companies to reduce sticker price at the expense of quality.<p>If you ask a consumer whether they want a $500 product that lasts 10 years or a $200 product that lasts 2 years, they&#x27;ll happily pay extra for the higher quality product. But that&#x27;s not usually the choice they&#x27;re presented with.<p>I think a solution to planned obsolescence would be to mandate prominent labelling of lifetime guarantees.