I’ve received a private offer for an item on ebay via ebay but my item still has a few auction days left. I want to accept the offer how can i do this securely?

What would i ask the buyer to do? Should i send the item or should he pay for it first?

What is the safest procedure for both of us?

Thanks

Hey this was my first sell online and i dont think it was a good one. i sold an ipod through craigslist to a person that lives in Canada, which i know now never to do, especially when they offer to pay the shipping cost, whatever it may be. Anyway i had a thought it might be a scammed but when i recieved this email:

Protect Your Account InfoMake sure you never provide your password to
fraudulent websites.

To safely and securely access the PayPal website or your account, open
a new web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the
PayPal URL (https://www.paypal.com/row/) to be sure you are on the real
PayPal site.

PayPal will never ask you to enter your password in an email.

For more information on protecting yourself from fraud, please review
our Security Tips athttps://www.paypal.com/row/securitytips
Protect Your PasswordYou should never give your PayPal password to
anyone, including PayPal employees.

You’ve got new funds!

Hello *********, ********* just sent you money with PayPal. ********* **** is a Verified buyer. Payment DetailsTotal Amount: $277.00 USD
Transaction ID:***********Description:IPOD touch 16 gig
Payment Date: 08/03/2009
Shipping InformationAddress:
Name: *****
Address: *******8
City: *******
Province: *******
Post Code: ********
Country:
Canada. C2
Address Status:Confirmed This PayPal® payment has
been deducted from the buyer’s account and has been “APPROVED” but will
not be credited to your account until the Reference/Tracking number is
sent to us for verification. Below are the necessary information
requested before your account will be credited. Send tracking/reference
number to our customer care sendtrackingdetails@accountant.com and we
will attend to you. As soon as you send us the shipping tracking number
for security purposes, the funds will be credited to your
account. **PLEASE
NOTE**
Once tracking number is sent to us and verified, You will receive a
“CONFIRMATION EMAIL” from PayPal® informing you that the funds have
been
credited.

It Seemed very beleivable so i shipped it and sent them the tracking number. Did i get scammed? If so what can i do?