Tickets for sold-out pope Independence Hall speech already selling on Craigslist

A few of Philly's most entrepreneurial thinkers are already hawking tickets for Pope Francis' "free" Independence Hall speech event on Craigslist.

The 10,000 available tickets were distributed at noon today and sold out in mere minutes. World Meeting of Families reported that about 400,000 people flocked to their Eventbrite page to try to score the freebie. For the about 390,000 or so folks who missed out, you're in luck. The once zero-dollar tickets are now for sale on Craigslist for upwards of $500.

Don't be fooled by the pope at Independence Hall offers that boast $1 tickets. Most, if not all, have a higher amount or "best offer" listed upon clicking into the post.

There's also no real way of knowing whether or not the tickets are even real. Though Craigslist warns users of potential fraud, the service has no way of authenticating offers.

One reputable citizen is offering two sets of two tickets on the site for no money. He only wants the potential tickets' recipients to write him and explain why they deserve the tickets.

The event's rapid sell-out is a contrast to last month's SEPTA pope rail pass lottery, for which demand was unexpectedly low. Some blamed the city's prohibitive papal plans for the underwhelming SEPTA lottery.