Interesting... there are some items that I was the first bidder and I can see the names of all other bidders.

However, I just did a little bid on an item that already had a bidder and accidentally am now the high bidder, but am still unable to see the names of those that bid before me....

It seems to be tied to the origin of the seller. If the item is listed specifically on ebay.com.au, the bidders are hidden.... WTF?