Kevin Pursglove, an eBay spokesman, said the company had
found evidence of one "shill" bid in the auction, and that such bids
are almost always placed by sellers seeking to inflate the price of
their offerings.

"Shilling is one of the biggest concerns that our users have
because it gets to the very integrity of the bidding process,"
Pursglove said. "When we hear about it, we move very fast."

He said that, conforming with eBay policy, Walton would be
suspended from using the service for 30 days, and that repeat
offenses could be punishable by a lifetime ban.