How to protect yourself from a fraudulent seller?

[flyntm]

I've been reading various articles on PayPal.com but I can't get this straight. I'll provide an example. I found someone (I don't know) In CA (I'm in TX) that wants to sell their 3D printer. This is just a person, not a company or website. We're talking several thousand dollars here. If I use PayPal to pay him, and he never ships it to me, or if it arrives broken what recourse do I have? What options do I have to protect myself?

[sharpiemarker]

@flyntm 

Pay as goods and services.

Then thoroughly read how you are and are not covered by purchase protection:

I didn't receive my item or it's different than described. Should I open a dispute?

https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/ua/useragreement-full?locale.x=en_US#purchase-protection