as long as you buy from a person that cares about their reputation in this business you will be ok. That said I would only spend $300 for a Uroplatus if i could pick it up the day it got to the importer or buy it at a show so i could look it over first. Their is really only one person I would send that kind of money too and not worry about the condition of the animal when i got it.

Mortality rate can be pretty high regardless but if you get them in a proper cage, with PROPER TEMPS AND HUMIDITY, and get them wormed you have alot better chance. I remember buying hand fulls at 25ea for phantasticus and so on from an importer in miami few years back. If you went the day the shipment got there most of them lived. If you got them shipped from the same guy about half would die in the first week.

Every Corkbark I ever bought did just fine though. Granted it was never in the numbers of the others but they seem to be more hardy than the rest.