Selling an item on gumtree through PayPal

[Andys]

I put up an ad for a guitar I want selling on gumtree a few weeks ago, and got no interest locally. I did however get a lad from Ireland emailed me saying he was very interested in the guitar.

Now, obviously since he's in Ireland we can't do cash face-to-face, and he suggested PayPal. Obviously I've used PayPal through eBay countless times, but how safe is it to sell a real life item on PayPal without using eBay?
I'm a bit weary as I'm not sure how easy it is to reverse transactions these days. I suggest a bank transfer but he doesn't seem to want to work it that way and would rather pay via PayPal. Is it safe to do this? I wouldn't mind if it was something relatively cheap but I'm selling it for £700!

[Demi]

PayPal is safe if you are verified.
The only reason everyone uses PayPal is because it is actually eBay's sister site. eBay own it and thus endorse it within their site.

I do many transactions daily through PayPal only and have never had problems.