Edit: this is the post I saw. Keep in mind it was 2:00 AM in the morning local time, didnt bother to read it fully
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2985345.0I read the title and sent a message. NEWBIE MISTAKE
I now know he wasnt selling merit. My apologies again. Didnt know I was walking into the lions den
Sometimes reading things carefully can avoid much trouble.

selling merits doesnt violate any rules.
Selling Merits and buy Merits isnt against the Rules , thats right !
Same as for Account selling and buy an Account isnt against the Rules !
At least it's likely that Merit sales will lead to red trust since it's an abuse of the system. It's only not directly mentioned in the rules because Merit sales will be arranged outside of Bitcointalk instead.
As LoyceV has written to ask for it via PM is against the Rules .
Honestly, I can't imagine that someone will remain untagged if he starts a topic in Meta offering crypto for Merits.
