I can vouch for going that route. I wouldn't get it shipped, though. Take yourself a road trip or two.
Excellent advice. Whenever I toured to a city with a big bass house, I liked drop in and try out a bunch instruments. It's been awhile, but some of my favorite basses in the last big store I visited were some very reasonably price Shens. It's almost always best to try before you buy IMHO. Play through five or six instruments and you never know, you might find the love of your life.