These analogies aren't really relevant and are a bit extreme in comparison, but there would be some valid reasons (though rare) to buy a passport but maybe you would disagree. You could buy a passport to evade the law if you've been unjustly or falsely accused of something (I'm thinking Edward Snowden here). Maybe one day the gov will come after bitcoin users for whatever unjust reasons and maybe some people would have no qualms in buying one if they knew they wouldn't get a fair trial. As for legit reasons to buy an account 99% of people buy them for signature campaigns. It's not really comparable to selling your identity. It's just a forum handle. Most of the people who sell accounts are just your faceless average Joes who nobody would even notice if they disappeared or their account was sold. Disallowing the sale of them would just push the activity offsite and underground and that is one of the main reasons they're permitted to be sold in the first place as it's largely unenforceable.