There a many ways to ration scarce resources. Each method serves different goals so different methods are appropriate in different contexts.

Here's an incomplete list of common tools:

0) fitness judgement (e.g. grants, scholarships etc)

1) First come first serve (e.g. most product launches)

2) lottery (e.g. grand canyon rafting permits)

3) auction (e.g. broadband spectrum)

4) third party speculators (e.g. scalping)

You can often use several of these methods simulatenously, but if your goals include prioritizing egalitarian access to the scarce resource then #4 can significantly interfere with that goal. There's a reason you aren't allowed to resell grand canyon rafting permits.