Well I haven't heard of many bad stories about having snakes shipped or anything. I've heard the odd story about the fedex or ups delivery person tossing the box around ignoring the fragile stickers on the box, but the snakes were always fine, and it's a rare occurance. I say shipping is fine, but IMO I'd wait till the show for a few reasons.

1. Less stress on the snake to be picked up and brought home right away, instead of being shipped overnight.

2. You can go to the show and get the snake, that way you bring something home instead of going home empty handed. And bringing home your snake then might stop you from buying other cute snakes there that you might not be able to afford or keep. Damn them irresistable herps.