"Most crowd funding platforms presell items at "reduced rates" to get enough
operating cash to purchase their first set of items, and develop the idea
(get patents, so forth). In theory, everyone wins. "

The prices asked in this case can not be reduced.  In fact I doubt if the current prices could lead to a sustaining business they are so high.  In any case patent applications must be submitted before the first sale.  Any sale of even one item before the application means the idea is not patentable.  The expensive part of getting a patent is not the initial application in most cases.  Initial applications are nearly always rejected as obvious based on prior art.  It then becomes the applicants job to show why this rejection is incorrect and therein lies the major cost of getting the patent.  Based on prior art I will be surprised if a patent is ever granted on the Flow hive.  I think likely the applications made were simply part of the advertising hype behind this campaign and will be abandoned on first rejection.

"The platform also gives people the option to pay $60 for a "flow box, without frames." Yup,
 that's $60 for a $15 beekeeping box. So much for a discount to the "initial investors." 478 people took them up on the offer..."

To date a total of 5265 of these $60 deep supers have been sold either alone or in combination with other items.  All you need is five minutes with a saber saw or a band saw to turn a regular deep super into one of these flow boxes.  I would sure like to be the supplier of such $60 boxes.

You can also simply gift money rather than buy a product.  Or gift in addition to buying a product.  I ran the math a couple of days ago and at that point about 60% of the money was towards products and 40% was an outright gift.  Based on the comments it would seem most of the interest in this product is from non bee keepers.  Why else would people pay 4X normal price for boxes other than not having a clue what equipment normally costs.  An item with moving parts inside a bee hive sounds like a propolis magnet resulting in non moving parts in a couple of years to me.  And, putting this in the hands of non bee keepers who do not want to open the hive strikes me as the makings of dead bees for any number of reasons including mites.  That is if the promised products ever actually get delivered.

The least expensive version of flow frames offered is a pack of 7 for $400.  A pack of 7 fills a ten frame box.  On the other hand you can go foundationless in normal frames for the cost of normal frames, about $12 in small quantities.  Crush and strain saves a lot of money but means the bee keeper must actually come face to face with his bees occasionally which is a good thing if he is really serious about bee keeping.

What does shipping cost from Australia?  Anyone know?  Shipping is clearly stated to be in addition to the up front price paid during this offer.

Dick

" Any discovery made by the human mind can be explained in its essentials to the curious learner."  Professor Benjamin Schumacher talking about teaching quantum mechanics to non scientists.   "For every complex problem there is a solution which is simple, neat and wrong."  H. L. Mencken

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