He didn't say "buy design" he said "buy design help." He's looking for a contractor, and just doesn't like dealing with the legal/accounting/recruiting issues.

That's true. Design is a process and a complicated one too. It's very hard to just buy 1 unit of design. That's precisely why many designers prefer to work on projects, rather than per hour. Once you've settled on a project and set the price, the complexity goes away.