Although reselling tickets is illegal in the US, it's referred to as "scalping" and you see it very often for popular sports events and rock concerts. This situation is probably the same type of thing. Someone bought a bunch of tickets to DC knowing that it will be a very popular time, and the short supply and high demand will force those who are desperate to pay the higher cost. As previously mentioned, there's really not much that can be done about it.[msnsad]