A couple questions about ordering plants online...

[iammadeofdreams]

So far I've managed to resist ordering orchids, but with the cold weather no longer around to give me the excuse of poor shipping conditions my resolve is starting to crumble. However, I am curious about a few things...

Firstly, I have noticed that at times different sites will have vastly different prices for what appears to be the same type of plant (same name anyway). For example, a month or so ago, one site had a Psychopsis Mendenhall priced at $75, and another site had the same plant at around $20-$25. They were both listed at blooming size, so is there likely to be a significant difference (other than the $50 I could have spent on more orchids)?

Also, this feels like a silly question but I couldn't find an answer anywhere so I'm going to ask. How does shipping a "bare root" plant work? It seems like one can't just toss a naked plant in a box and hope for the best. So, is it still nestled in a pot and secured with paper/packing peanuts or I am missing something?