Advice about eBay

[holidayroad]

I've been buying from eBay for about 6 months and lately I have had a problem with sellers wanting you to pay to an e-mail at Paypal not linked to their eBay account. I had a seller do this around the second week of March, paid them at their e-mail and later found out I shouldn't have. They never sent the item and now I'm trying to get the item or refund, but will probably have to open a case with PayPal to get the money because (I didn't know this at the time) eBay will only cover a purchase paid with by Paypal if you use their Pay Now link/ or use a seller's e-mail address linked to their ebay account. Now I am in the same situation. I won something for my husband. The seller wants it paid at a different e-mail/Paypal account. He has good feedback. If this was a less expensive item, I might chance it. But this item is almost $200! I chatted with an eBay employ today and she said that the seller may have changed their e-mail account and not updated it at Paypal, but that if I pay to the new e-mail he asked me to pay to, I would receive no coverage from eBay if he didn't send the item. Anyone else had this problem or have advice????