I have wondered also why the AA option never caught on more. i personally like them, the finish is durable and looks better to me than stainless. i have 10" AA barrels in 357 max/44 mag/7 TCU, and i have 14" AA barrels in .22, 7 TCU, 30/30, and .44 mag. most i bought new in the box at various times and paid only $135 to $150 each. I paid $175 ea for my frames. the highest was the super 14 .22 which was unfired in the box for $180. i am still looking for a 10" .22 LR, a hornet, & a 7mm Supermag (not TCU or 7x30) so am not sure what i will end up paying on those.
i think the low resale is due to the fact that there are limited numbers of AA frames in use out there and a lot of shooters dont want to have to buy an alloy frame to use unmodified barrels. SSK wont rechamber them, the finish is rough on their reamers/equipment. Maybe some folks dont want the hassle of having them converted to be compatible with blue/stainless...