I was faced with exactly this issue when buying a Holbo turntable from Slovenia. (I live upside-down on the other side of the world).
The choice was an up-front direct bank transfer, or a premium for PayPal. In the end I trusted Holbo and went the direct transfer route, partly because it was easier than setting up a PayPal transaction. Holbo shipped as soon as my funds were cleared, and delivery was fast and smooth.
Normally I prefer to us a credit card, together with PayPal if the vendor supports this option.