wire transfers safe?

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

I've had 3 overseas wire transfers -- and all were without a glitch. I opened an "audiophile" account per se with a few $$ in it. In two instances, one was a buyer in Peru & he wanted me to send the item to a shipping company in Miami (which I did, registered) & the second from a buyer in Portugal to a shipping company in NY (again, registered). Both items were not heavy -- cables. In both these instances, the buyers sent me a .pdf of their request -- it took 4 or 5 work days for the money to make it thru the international/US banking system.

Having worked in the wire transfer department of a bank, I know that there are a wide variety of checks that a transfer has to go through in order to be verified, so it is less likely for a wire transfer to turn out bad than any other form of payment (credit cards have chargebacks, checks bounce, etc.).
However, any time you give out a routing and account number, you become susceptible to fraud. Setting up a "dummy" account is the best way to go. Most banks will offer you a free secondary account, and can even note it to stay open at a zero balance. I have two accounts for my audiophile dealings, one to serve as a hub for wire transfer activities, and the other as either the destination or source of wired funds.