"Excess rent" is economics jargon for something akin to "selling something for more than its fair value". The idea with "rent-seeking" is therefore that of seek

"Excess rent" is economics jargon for something akin to "selling something for more than its fair value". The idea with "rent-seeking" is therefore that of seeking opportunities to take advantage of or even create market distortions that work in your favor, allowing you to capture a greater share of surplus value than you would otherwise obtain in a theoretically-fair market.