How do I pay?

If you must do it and can't do it in person, postal money orders offer some protection.  Crooks know that the feds will come after them if there is fraud involved and won't accept them. Ditto using postal mails to deliver it. Of course this guy might just be dumb and then you have nothing but a hassle on your hands getting the feds involved. My advise, don't do it.

If you have good feedback, it is reasonable for you to ask for him to ship the speakers prior to your payment. I have done this successfully in the past.

I'm going to echo what others have said.  DON'T DO IT!!!  There are plenty of speakers on sale from sellers with feedback.  Be patient.  

This is UPS COD terms as an option for you. At worse case, the shipper is out the shipping charge, so perhaps you pay the shipping charges in good faith as you are not the shipper, and the rest is COD. Make a written contract with details of exactly what is being bought, the condition, the "warranty" on fitness, etc. The sellers other option is another buyer and/or taking a shave on price and selling locally. Sorry but I cannot remember the COD rates but obviously not free.


Terms of Service

These terms of service apply to C.O.D.:

• UPS will accept C.O.D.s for amounts up to $50,000CAD per shipment.
• UPS will accept a business or personal check, or another negotiable form of payment.
• At the shipper’s request, UPS will accept a certified check or money order only.
• The shipper assumes all risk related to the collection of the payment, including non-payment, insufficient funds, and forgery.

I would not say don't buy from someone with no feedback, but someone with no feedback needs to understand they are selling from a position of weakness.

Do you know their real name and have you found them on LinkedIn or Facebook?

@kjohn1234 there are escrow services (PayPal is not an escrow service) but both of you would have to agree to use one, and it would cost money and add complexity.

If neither of you has any particular reason to trust the other, then the only time you should use a cashier's check is when you would also use cash—in other words for an in-person sale.