A Seller is contacting me outside of eBay to purchase an item 'through' eBay - is this legit?

[unpure]

I was contacted by a seller outside of eBay to purchase an item after the cancelled their posting.  Seller stated if I sent him my name and address, he would send that info to eBay to set the transaction up through eBay, and then eBay would contact me to complete the transaction...  I have never heard of this method of selling on eBay before and I question it's legitimacy... Anyone out there confirm or alleviate my suspicions?  Thanks!

[femmefan1946]

Is it a car or something equally large and expensive? If so, it might be a scam.

If you are interested in the item, ask the seller to set up a private listing for you, using your eBay name as the title. Usually that makes the item harder to find (your eBay name might not work too well for this:^O)

Make sure the listing describes exactly what you will receive and how much the shipping will be.

If you then buy the item from the private listing, and pay with Paypal from a credit card balance, you are as protected as you will ever be.