It is recommended to use PayPal Goods and Services when paying for an item. There are no buyer protections when sending PayPal Friends and Family, Zelle, Google Pay, Venmo, CashApp, Crypto, among others.
Probably worth the time to give Sal a call, to see if he's willing to drop his price for PCF/CT members. You can't expect him to match the importer's price, but I bet he'd come down some, just to move product out the door. Plus there's the intrinsic value of supporting a Forum sponsor.
Want all 40? Not sure how this works, are there fees involved in the transaction to be paid to PCF? If I net $10 I'll be good. So $10 + any fees if applicable + shipping. If you only want the $.25's say $5 + fees + shipping.