Still, those costs are high enough on mattresses that ranged from about $550 to about $950 for my full-size models to have the potential to cause serious problems for the companies. David Wolfe, chief executive of Leesa, said he was all for the unalienable right to an in-home trial. “But it’s not going to be helpful for the industry if people start to order multiple mattresses,” he said.

He urged consumers to thoroughly research any mattress purchase before starting an in-home trial. And you can’t blame the guy for not wanting to end up like Zappos, where people frequently order piles of shoes with the intention of keeping just one or two pairs.

Image Casper provided a tool to open its mattress. Credit... Cole Wilson for The New York Times

All of the companies claim return rates below 10 percent. 1-800-Got-Junk reports having taken in about 9,000 mattresses this year on behalf of the various direct-selling mattress retailers it works with.

Tuft & Needle provided the most unusual return experience I’ve ever had as a consumer. Its website promises that “we” will work together to donate a returned mattress. “It’s that easy,” the site reads.

In reality, the company could not find a charity partner near me. So it posed a challenge of sorts. I could find a worthy organization on my own and send Tuft & Needle an ad hoc receipt of sorts, with a signature from the recipient. Failing that, I could give the mattress to a friend or family member in need and provide similar proof. If that didn’t work, I could post a note on Craigslist or Freecycle offering to give the mattress away. And if that wasn’t possible, the junk truck was an option.

Given that the other companies had already told me how hard it was to give a mattress away in New York City, I wasn’t optimistic. But I posted a note on my personal Facebook page, and a friend I’d made years ago and hadn’t seen since popped up to tell me about a sex-trafficking victim her organization was helping. The client had just moved to a new apartment with her family and was sleeping on the floor. Could I help her? And sorry but no, the organization had no moving truck or anything like that.