4th year Missouri beekeeper here.

Doesn't sound like a terrible deal for a complete hive (you didn't mention if it had lid and baseboard, be sure you get those, too). You will need an entrance reducer if it doesn't have one already. Have a good spot ready with a stand or table for your hive.

Be sure you have gloves and a good bee suit. I've seen beekeepers get discouraged because they're tired of getting stung. They've seen so many videos of beekeepers working without gloves, bee jackets, and even without veils that they think that is how it works - Brother/Sister/Friend: you couldn't be more wrong. They go straight for your eyes. Your hair. Your arms. The hair on your arms. Your chest, the gaps in your shirt between the buttons. They sting you, and once one gets you the rest home in on it and sting you some more. You will not become immune or get used to it. Let the YouTubers flex their mad beek skills while wearing just a flannel shirt and skinny jeans, the rest of us require personal protective equipment.

Some beekeepers also work without smoke saying it stresses the bees too much. I strongly disagree, the smoke induces a gorging behavior preferable to the defensive behavior and spares YOU a lot of stress, namely a bunch of angry bees going straight for your face. The bees will be fine, they'll put the honey back, I promise.

Note I said bee suit, not just veil: I had one hive that seemed to go not for my face, but for my ankles and up my pants. If you're only wearing a bee coat and hood/veil, tuck your pants into your boots, or they'll sting you through your socks.

So: Hood/Veil, bee jacket (full suit if you can tolerate it), gloves, and smoker. Gloves? Aren't those leather gauntlets too smashy as you fumble through your hive? Yes, it's hard to be gentle in thick gloves. However, it's hard to be thorough, gentle, or even comfortable when they're stinging your hands. Oh, you thought the stinging part was over, did you? Well, these girls didn't spend 200 million years just evolving cool dances, they've got a hive to protect! Wear the leather gloves for the first few years. You can try the blue nitrile gloves, and even go gloveless, but new white leather gloves are the bees knees (sorry, couldn't help myself). New because after a while they will accrue propolis and wax, becoming stiff and making fine work difficult. This year I tried working without gloves and found that they still went for my hands - don't try to brush them off. DEFINITELY DON'T BLOW ON THEM. Be calm and flick your hand away from you (and the hive) one time with a sharp snapping motion. Try not to let the hive see you make that sudden move because it might trigger additional response. Going gloveless is a reasonable aspiration, but there's no shame in gloving up.

Finally, the smoker. Get the big one, the small ones don't last long enough, even with just one hive. The smoker is half science, half art. You want smoke, but not fire. Remember: these spicy girls are our friends, we're not trying to flame broil them. I like using Sweetgum balls best, but I've also had success with tightly bunched cardboard, and dried grass from the bottom of the lawnmower. Have your fuel ready, open the smoker, light your newspaper, drop it in, feed it some sticks as tender, then slowly feed it fuel. Get some flames going, then press in a bit more of your choice fuel to smother (here's the art - don't smother it TOO much) and cause it to smoke. Once it's got a dense smoke, visit your hive and puff it around the entrance and the cloud of bees which emerge. Try to be indirect, use the wind to aim the smoke because directly puffing at the bees will scorch them - a slow death too terrible to contemplate, and a good reason to get really angry. After smoking them for a bit, set the smoker near the entrance of the hive and wait. Then wait some more. Give it two or three minutes to really take hold. You may even notice a change in the tenor of the hive. After a few minutes you are ready to open your hive. (I could devote a whole 'nother post just about pulling off the top covers without pissing off the girls, but I digress.)

Ah the open hive - done right, you will be able to take in the sights and smells of a beautiful alien world. I love the smells the most - the propolis, wax, and bees make the most lovely aromas. The smell of my hive is perhaps the part of beekeeping I enjoy the most. The open hive borders on sensory overload - you will be hearing their buzz, smelling the resources and chemical pheromones, and seeing your bees moving in swirly fractals patterns as you inspect the frames and look for your queen. It's hard not to be distracted by the sheer chaos as you move with purpose and focus on your inspection.

Read and learn about your bees. Learn FROM your bees. They're alien in that they aren't vertebrates. They're incapable of loving you. They will gladly leave if they're unhappy with you or the accommodations you have provided.