question about ebay selling practice

[ClementeFanOh]

Good morning net54- I've got a question for ebay sellers/frequent users. My
ebay history goes back decades, but mostly as a buyer, and mostly when it
was actually fun (20+ years ago). I noticed something in a live auction for
comics, that just as easily could happen with cards. This is the scenario:

So, the auction was by a seller with a 4 figure feedback rating, for a slabbed
comic. I followed it and checked bidding history to see the "pecking order" of
those involved- multiple bidders, bidders with big feedback scores, etc.
Then, on the final day, the histories were changed to "bidder identity
protected" for all bids. That is silly on it's face, as bidder identities have been
"protected" on ebay for years. This comic wasn't extremely pricey (it
hammered for under $400), so it led me to wonder what the seller's motive
could be. The pessimist in me says the seller shielded IDs for shill bidding,
but that is pure speculation. Is ebay now forcibly masking bidder feedbacks-
because the term "ID" is flatly wrong- on the final day? Or was this a choice
by the seller? What's the motivation? Educate me

Thank, Trent King