Its always a risk to buy online, but even on this forum, there are breeders you can trust. I personally have never bought a reptile online, but I plan to. Yes it is more expensive, but you are paying for the gaurantee (sp) that the reptile you are purchasing is in good health, eats well, is free of disease to the best of the breeders knowledge, came from good lines, and overall is a better snake than what you would find at a petstore. For me, its worth paying the extra $50 for shipping. My next snake will come from a reptile show, but after that I plan on getting a snake from a breeder.