I agree with those who find the ability for the public to see stats a problem. Also I found that clicking on the counter would show stats for long dead auctions.
When I started out using Auctiva, I used the counter in all my auctions. I found the Sellathon features useful during my free trial, but not enough for me to pay the fee to continue. Then when I saw the disadvantages noted here, I stopped using the counters.
This change is a solution in search of a problem. The reason people are not using the counters is not because it was difficult to put them in the auctions, it is because of the problems noted here. If it helps Auctiva to have people use the counters, fix the problems with the counters. I for one would happily go back to using the counters if these problems were fixed. I would also probably use the sellathon stats if they were cheaper. I am a small seller, sometimes with just a few hundred a month in sales, so adding $5 per month to my costs is too much for me.