Standard answer:
Ask him to go to
https://www.paypal.com/invoice/create
And to send you an invoice listing the goods and services that he's providing (item and postage), and a total for what he wants you to pay.
You decide whether you want to pay that amount for those goods and services, yes or no.
How much of that money goes to PayPal, how much to a courier, and how much into his pocket is not your concern. That's for the seller to work out.
Never pay Friends and Family, never just send money without clear documentation of what you're paying for. Because in the event of a dispute, that's your contract.
This sounds more stuffy and onerous than it is. It's a clear and unambiguous way of doing the transaction, and there's nothing on that invoice that the seller shouldn't already have thought through, or that they won't have to think about and deal with before the item gets in your hands, so it should add just seconds to the process.
And anyone who won't do it - and I've had sellers say that they won't - can immediately be sacked off as a scammer, chancer, fantasist, or just bone idle.
