I've heard many horror stories of people getting beat up after they've sold btc face to face..and had their money (and btc) stolen. You need to be extra careful and meet in a public place and/or hire a private security if it's a considerable sum of money. I bought btc face to face many times, but I had recommendations from a few friends that the sellers were legit. So yeah, it can be done and people are doing it to avoid being slapped by banks, but you need to be extra careful.