Dont be nervous about ordering online. I do it ALL THE TIME, especially from the site run by two doctors. They're are always willing to give u a refund or to exchange the item for another item or for the same item. I have never had a problem with them. However, although the hippo tangs are covered under the guarantee, the reason why many of them die is because during shipping when hippos ONLY get stressed, they shove their noses into the corner of the bag suffocating themselves. I learned this from an old LFS. The lady who worked there grew up in the Solomon Islands and she worked for a wholesaler there and they taught her a trick for keeping them alive throughout shipping. You tape the corners of the bag up, so they cant suffocate themselves. However, many web sites do not recognize this, and therefore MANY die on their way to your home.