We don't place any value on the CE mark in the States.
A lot of consumer electronics need to be FCC compliant, which involves a process of proving that the device doesn't emit too much of the wrong EMI/RFI in the wrong places.
And safety-wise, we use tend to use ETL, UL, and CSA for testing. These are third-party Nationally Recognized Testing Labs, and their own marks are used on devices they approve. But they're only really concerned about the safety of a product. In very broad strokes: If the device is proven to be unlikely-enough to burn a house down or cause electrical shock to humans, then it gets approved.
CE is a whole different thing. No government body in the USA requires or respects a CE mark on consumer goods; that mark doesn't hold any legal weight here.
Whether good or bad, CE is just not how we roll on this side of the pond.
(Of course, none of that means that laws in the EU don't affect product availability and features here. Globalization be that way sometimes.)
Oh. Sorry. I work for a rather large company that sells globally. In our business unit we always considered the CE mark mandatory.
I understand your point though. Of course a US company that is only ever going to sell in the US does not need to bother with international marks.