Own a mantid for two weeks, fall in love.

I'd never wanted to invest much into mantids since they live less than a year, but I recently brought one home and have been watching it devour moths and I think it's great and I want more.

I want to know about breeding them, though, to get around that short lifespan thing. Do they breed readily in captivity? I read they can deposit a few hundred eggs, but are there species that typically produce a lot less? Do mantids ship as well as tarantulas, and is there even much of a market if one wanted to sell off most of the offspring?

I'll probably just take in a few more, hope I have a pair, see if I can breed 'em, and release the babies outside... I'm just thinking about the distant fuuuuture.

Mantis are pretty popular in the hobby. They are awesome to observe and some are easy to care for while others are extremely delicate.
I've ordered mantis online, purchased at reptile shows, and caught a few outdoors.

They make egg cases, ootheca/ooths, and they can also be purchased online. Many people find them in fields and bring them home to hatch out nymphs. Be careful as some are tiny when just hatched and extremely hard to feed.

Look online, or order Orin Mcmonigle's, Keeping the Praying Mantis book, and you'll learn everything you need to know about mantis.

Goodluck.