<Greater risk exists to the queen producer who is selling to newbies... if you can't spend time time to educate the customer on how to handle their queens, don't sell to newbies... spreading a policy of "sucks to be you once you step off my property" appears to go in the opposite direction of the culture many beekeepers in the past intended to generate of comradery and communal support, and shows to potential buyers that the seller may not be willing to stand behind is product.>

< It's easy for [large producers]  to compare feedback from the many large orders that they fill on any specific day.  The reputable
producers recognize when something went wrong at their end.>

A knowledgeable beek (even if a hobbyist) will pay more for a quality product but ALSO better customer service. I had losses the winter of 2015-16 when I was seriously ill and under-monitored my hives.  One of the queens in the replacement packages I bought from a local re-seller was defective - bad laying pattern and a dozen supersedure cells built within 2 weeks of release. The reseller had a rigid "tail light guarantee" philosophy and said I could have a new queen for $35 but I'd have to come get her (80 miles and a $35 ferry tab).  I subsequently discovered that other re-sellers who charged more for packages were more generous around replacements, and they happened to mention about the large breeders' SOP of providing resellers with a % of extras "just in case".  

So I just let that hive live with one of their mutt queens that summer.  I wasn't confident she was well mated either since our late spring was cool and wet, and I requeened that hive in August with a $65 feral/Russian hybrid from these folks:

http://www.wildernessbees.com/

That's $65 for a proven queen (marked, even!) including shipping.  This year they've changed their sale policy to a minimum order of three, due to demands on their time relative to profit margin, and their approaching retirement.  A sales policy some breeders might consider if wanting to weed out "newbies" they can't afford to be flexible with. 

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