Right after convenience the thing most of us like about shopping online is that we can almost certainly find better prices than those at the local retailer. Say goodbye to that. The Supreme Court just overturned a 96-year-old rule that made it nearly impossible for manufacturers to require certain minimum pricing for their products in the retail channel.

In other words, Motorola can now mandate that their bluetooth headsets sell for $79.95 rather than the $24 at which I've been able to find them online. Palm can now dictate the the Treo 755 never be sold for less than $499. In other words, the rest of the world now gets to enjoy the pricing control previously reserved for Steve Jobs and iPods :-)

As with all other heinous reversions of rights and practices, this one is cloaked in twisted logic that claims it's for the good of society: By allowing companies to dictate not only the price at which they sell good at wholesale, but also the price at which resellers must sell at retail, we all benefit because it "makes it easier for a new producer by assuring retailers that they will be able to recoup their investments in helping to market the product."

In other words, no companies have been able to successfully create, launch, or retail products for the last 100 years because this horrible tradition of discounting has made business just plain unprofitable. Finally this ruling will allow business to return to America. (Never mind that all known facts are to the contrary - this is a justification for policy change, it need not be reasonable, rational, or factual.)

So stock up on whatever you crave. Prices are about to go up.