In my own experience the only "large breeder" that I've dealt with and had animals shipped from were Alex Hue Reptiles (totally check him out he's got amazing prices on stonewashed pastels right now). His packaging was phenomanal (sp?lol) and the snakes I got were out of this world!

I've also bought from NERD but they are only 45 minutes from my house so I just went there to pick him out and pick him up .

Most "large breeders" offer a live arrival guarantee and guarantee the health of the animal for up to a week in most cases. Just read the fine print!