Private auctions

Bidders’ names are often kept private when dealing in the expensive fine art world. Likewise, to protect the innocent, eBay private auctions don’t place bidders’ names on the auction listing. No one needs to know just how much you choose to pay for something, especially if the item is rare and you really want it.
As a seller, you have the option (at no extra charge) of listing your auction as a private auction. The option can be found in the How You’re Selling portion of the Create Your Listing form. To find this option (should it be hidden), click Show/Hide Options in the top-right corner of the form, select Format, and then select Private Listing.
The eBay search page features an area where you can conduct a bidder search. You — and everyone else, including your family — can find the items you’ve bid on. One December, my daughter told me that she didn’t want a particular item — something that I had just bid on — for Christmas. My creative daughter had been regularly perusing my bidding action on eBay to see what I was buying for the holidays! Buying from private auctions might have kept my Santa shopping secret.
The private auction is a useful tool for sellers who are selling bulk lots to other sellers. It maintains the privacy of the bidders, and customers can’t do a bidder search to find out what sellers are paying for the loot they then plan to re-sell on eBay.
A great option for sales of items that are a bit racy or perhaps for purchases of items that may reveal something about the bidder, the private auction can save you the potential embarrassment associated with buying a girdle or buying the tie that flips over to reveal a racy half-nude female on the back. Although the private auction is a useful tool, it may intimidate the novice user. On the other hand, if your customer base comes from experienced eBay users, and you’re selling an item that may benefit by being auctioned in secret, you might want to try this option.