Scalped Inauguration Tickets Pop Up On Craigslist, Ebay

Tickets to President Barack Obama's inauguration are supposed to be free, but they're being peddled on eBay and Craigslist for up to $2,000 apiece, the Associated Press reports.

Congressional offices and the Presidential Inaugural Committee, which are both distributing tickets to inaugural events, are trying to clamp down on the black market. So far, their efforts haven't stopped online entrepreneurs. One Craigslist seller is advertising a pair of tickets for $4,000, noting they are "going like hotcakes."

There were 250,000 tickets issued to lawmakers by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies to distribute to constituents, AP reports.  It's not illegal to scalp tickets being distributed for free by members of Congress for Obama's swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol. But  Committee chairman Sen. Chuck Schumer wants members to discourage scalpers. 

"Any constituent who wins tickets in the lottery that my office holds is required to pledge not to scalp the ticket to turn a profit," Schumer told AP.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee, which distributes tickets to the swearing in ceremony as well as to the inaugural balls and the inaugural parade, which aren't free, doesn't allow its tickets to be resold without the committee's permission. Those tickets can be rendered useless electronically through their bar codes, AP reports.