wire transfers safe?

Wire transfers are the best/safest way to receive good funds, IMHO. (Even cash can be counterfeit). To be completely safe though, use a seperate account to receive the funds through, (paypal too!) then transfer the funds to your working account.

Careful, be very careful. Once you give your routing and account number to me for example, with just a phone call or two I can set up payments to third parties by ACH Debit. This is the way you pay for things over the phone by check. Your bank NEVER calls you to confirm an over-the-phone payment to the cable company, do they?

Either get an ACH Debit block on your account - meaning you'll never be able to pay by phone - or set up a new account and close it soon as the wire transfer hits.

I have a feeling that the wired money will never show. The key here is that your Brazilian friend is using a US bank as international banks are not in the ACH Debit network.

For the most part, Yes.

If you are heads up about it, it is completely safe.
Merely open a checking account with $1.00 in it, and use the routing number of that account. Once the money has been transferred to said account, transfer all the money, except for the original $1, out of said account.

My two cents worth.

I see no problems here. Be certain you get the buyer to acknowledge in writing
that your liability for shipping ends once the item has been safely delivered and
signed for by the seller's Texas agent.

If the buyer won't give you this release, then kill the deal.

Sounds like a scam to me. Just my 2cents. If he has an agent in Texas, he should wire the money to the agent, then have the agent send you a postal money order. Tell the seller, shipment of the item will take place once the money order has been cashed by the post office (in case they try to counterfeit a money order.)

A_L