i am looking to buy $1500 worth of btc.
i can pay with international bank transfer or with moneypacks.

i dont want to get scammed so if anyone has tips on how not to get scammed that will be very nice.

how would i use an escrow on a trade like this and how do i know who is trusted and if someone is trusted can i send first without using an escrow? is that safe?
or do i have to use an escrow either way? and where would i find an escrow?


also if i want to buy from an exchange how would i do that?
how long would it take to send $1500 to an exchange