For those who have been frustrated with Private auctions or having your bidders snaked out from under you, eBay's new Bidder system is now in effect whereby on an auction they will only be identified as Bidder 1, Bidder 2, etc. with appropriate feedback, bid history etc.

This is eBay's explanation: As the internet evolves, eBay continues to strike a balance between preserving transparency and protecting our Community of members. eBay has decided to change how bid history information is displayed so bad guys cannot target bidders with fake offers using this information. In certain cases, some bidders will no longer be able to view Bidder User IDs on the Bid History page. Your User ID will be shown only to you and the seller of the item you're bidding on. Other members will see an anonymous name, such as Bidder 1, applied consistently to the Bid History page.

Andrew