New here, bit confused about buying

My apologies if this forum is not the right place to ask. I didn't see any sort of "general" forum as is common in many online forum communities.

So, I am interested in an item currently for sale but the Audiogon information on buying seems rather loose. It also presents an array of options. In this case, the seller appears to be an individual but the accepted form of payment is credit card. Referencing Audiogon FAQ again it says "payment processor may be of the seller's choosing" and makes vague notions of being wary. That isn't comforting when you are talking a good deal of money. I did some searching through the forums on keywords around payment and the discussions themselves weren't too encouraging either. It all seems a little wild west and makes me ponder sucking it up and paying more money to buy new from a trusted source (dealer, etc.). It'd be a shame as the equipment in question appears to be in great shape.

I understand this site has been around a while but can't help feeling like it's a (very expensive) gamble. I wonder about the seller too, who may wonder about me as I am a very new member (registered a couple days ago). How do you all manage? Perhaps I am being overly paranoid (I've bought and sold a lot in person on craiglists since the early days and I've dealt with my share of scammers and assorted wackos, lol)?

Thanks to all who generously give their time in replying.

  -Jet88