The thing people need to remember is that vendors who except paypal have fee's taken out of the money you send. So say your buying a 350.00 snake they take like $15.00 out for fee's. You're asking the vendor to pay for your peace of mind while most vendors don't mind the fee's or even expect to pay them without second thought there are other that feel if that is the form of payment you insist on then the cost of the animal might just go up to cover the fee's after all it isn't fair that some one at a show pays 10-12% more for the same animal.
I've sent check before as well, both personal and certified they both offer just as much protection in that you can put stop pays or file disputes with the bank..
Just food for thought..