I feel really comfortable buying animals online as long as it is from a good source. Yeah, shipping might be an extra $50 or so dollars, but most of the animals you find online will be priced better than what you will find in a pet store, and most of the animals you will find online just won't be available in pet stores. You'll also have the comfort in knowing that you are purchasing an animal that the seller actually knows something about. Many times it will be an animal produced by the seller, not some kid in Petco that wants you to set up your ball python as if it were a cornsnake.