Hi,
re: escrow - yes. For more info, take a look at this ebay help page:
http://pages.ebay.ca/internationaltr...rmngrisks.html
I bought my Yamaha rs7000 from a guy who advertised in Harmony Central. I live in Canada, he was in the States. There was a lot of anxiety for me during the transaction (delays in shipping, poor packaging etc.), but I got it, and it works great! I did get raped on duties though. You might want to look into that too.
Good luck!
Paul