Rast
We don't do a frame exchange, the price of frames is in the price. So many newby BK's frames are poorly assembled that they are liabilities when put in the hives. Top and bottom bars coming off is the main problem.
We just keep our wooden nuc box. If people want to pick up a nuc of bees we put them into a corflute nuc and charge them extra for it.
Our nucs last season were $170 in your box or $190 in a corflute nuc.
So I talked to someone on the phone responding to my ad for nucs. I love that more people are interested in BK. But it's really hard to help them, when they resist reading. 75% of people I sell nucs to don't read and learn the hive parts before buying, even tho I email them what they need to bring, to pic up a nuc. They end up having to borrow some of my equipment just to get their hive home. Once I had a girl show up with a knockoff flow hive assembled wrong, no brood frames, no entrance reducer/ratchet strap....wearing a swim top and skirt, and no veil.... but wanting a lesson on how to inspect?
I had to give extra frames to fill the box, and explain, no, you can't just turn the tap and honey comes out...you have to give the brood a place to live, to have a BK license, they must live on frames...
Some people gripe about buying a wood nuc/carry box for $25, and a strong colony or overwintered nuc for $150. Before coming out, they are emailed free online beekeeping lesson, handouts on equipment, feeding, inspecting, and hurricane proofing...but they don't want to read, they want to have it explained to them. I wish I could be as firm as you are Old Beavo, because for me, selling a nuc is many, many hours of time invested in each person.