PayPal is somewhat of a double edged sword. As both a frequent buyer, and a past long-time seller using paypal I know what it's like to have dispute happy buyers open claims with little reason. They all get sorted out eventually, but it's the time hassle and capital tie-up that is a pain...so in some ways I can understand not wanting to accept paypal.
Anywho, reputation is very important to me in the online trade/sale of anything, but at the same time I'm not convinced that this particular seller is problematic, just that for me with the language barrier and other issues perhaps it's not the right machine.

If anyone does purchase it, would be nice to have good feedback. Even starting a Caravel thread with ebay.it feedback on sellers as it seems this is the actual "source" for these old machines. Maybe sorrentinocoffee or orphanespresso can comment on their experiences and on reputable sellers. I'll still be keeping my eye out. Thanks for all the tips.