Hunh
Anti-trust regulation out the window. The blog I'm linking makes an erroneous point. It believes that this ruling makes things more Capitalist. By removing the stipulation that retailers can sell as they see fit and allowing Corporations to contract out prices, it enables the corporation
to force other corporations to sell only for the prices it deems fit. It empowers corporations with large legal teams over everybody else. That's not Capitalism, that Oligarchy. In Capitalism, the only group that determines the price you sell me a product at is you and me. I suspect that, in the short term, this ruling will help
dreamspinner04,
jadasc, and
princesspeanut (who all manage/own retail stores), but in the long term, I think it will hurt everybody.
Under this new ruling, online discount retailers may be a thing of the past. This I disagree with. As I was telling
anitra and
nightskyre Saturday night, buying from a brick and mortar store is a
luxury that should cost more than buying online. I choose to pay for this luxury. Some don't.
That's Capitalism. Amazon will have to agree to sell at MRRP (Manufacturer's Required Retail Price) or not at all. That's why it will be good for Rising Phoenix Games or Your Move Games in the short term.
But in the long term, the option of buying cheap
anywhere will vanish, unless buying used or buying from Wal*Mart. If RPG or YMG buys product that they are
contractually obligated to sell at MRRP, they may have to eliminate the V:tES discount I get at YMG, and may even no longer be able to clear their shelves of crap that doesn't sell. If the Manufacturer requires you to sell Boondoggle: The Dust Gathering at $5/pack, and you have 1000 packs leftover, you cannot mark it 10% off without risking getting sued. And every trick the small retailer will come up with to get rid of crap product: raffles, gifts, etc., will eventually be made breach of contract. This ruling only helps the CEOs of large corporations and the Oligarchic Politicians whose pockets they line.
