Well, also, we know from behavioral economics that people behave their most irrationally when they try to perceive value.
When a store runs out of flour, people don't get as mad at the store as if they raised the prices but keeps flour on the shelf. Despite the fact that having an expensive option for flour always leaves you better off than having no option.
After Hurricane Katrina there were some prominent examples of people being arrested under anti-scalping laws for trying to haul in food and generators from other areas to sell.
When a store runs out of flour, people don't get as mad at the store as if they raised the prices but keeps flour on the shelf. Despite the fact that having an expensive option for flour always leaves you better off than having no option.
After Hurricane Katrina there were some prominent examples of people being arrested under anti-scalping laws for trying to haul in food and generators from other areas to sell.