Buying from first time seller

first time seller usually would set up paypal or any safe payment media where your funds are secure.
never mess around with direct wire transfer. it's the worst mistake and it will not be discoverable in a criminal or civil case.
paypal holds funds especially of first time seller for quite a while before they get released. they're released sooner in case you leave a positive feedback.

A wire transfer is not safe. Once the money is transferred, its gone. There's really nothing in place to help you in the event of any type of fraud. Assuming its not an international sale, I would pay a little extra and ship COD. Not only that, if you know your UPS or FedEx driver, they may let you open the box before you pay for it. They're not supposed to do that, but if you know them or they like you, they may overlook it. Another useful trick is to find out the shipping weight from the manufacturer. All packages are weighed when the shipper first gets the box. You can use the tracking number to find out what your package weighs before you get it. If there's a big difference, you may not want to accept the shipment.

I couldn't help but notice that you joined Audiogon today. Is this question about you? Paypal is the safest way for any transaction.