Consalvo was also captivated by another kind of cheating in the game – something she had rarely seen elsewhere. Using the chat function, some of the girls were manipulating the clam market by conspiring to drive up the value of their goods. Groups of girls would publicly say how rare or sought-after a particular upgrade was, and how much they would be willing to pay, to trick other players into overpaying for their goods. Consalvo calls this a kind of "social arbitrage", a form of market manipulation.