I'm assuming if the same user where to buy merits or accounts in this forum, you guys will be the first to bombard him with red feedback (As you should). But I guess you're just fine with it if the same practise happens outside of Bitcointalk ? and even offer to help ?
Isn't it the same thing on all networks?
It is possible to buy likes on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter... On this forum, several bounty campaigns are opened every day, promising rewards for likes and reposts on social networks.
I offered my Reddit account here, opened for my needs, I am not an account farmer just I haven't used it for a long time. Honestly, I'm not sure of the importance of upvoting on that network, given that each post is only current for a few hours. Very quickly it becomes irrelevant and is replaced by new ones. It really has to be comprehensive in order to achieve a significant reach.
I don't think that a significant impact is achieved with the purchased upvotes.
About tagging on the forum profile, unfortunately, this is the only way to protect ourselves from dishonest traders, sellers or any kind of potentially risky exchange value.