How would a native speaker understand this sentence:
I have bought 2 socks.
A pair of socks is quite obvious, 2 pairs of socks also, but what with 2 socks? 2 socks are a pair, but since you can't buy single socks, this 2 in the sentence could be interpreted as carrying the information that 2 pairs of socks were bought.
A sock is an individual item of clothing. To buy two of them would thus indicate that you had bought, well, two socks—but these socks might not pair with each other; instead, they might be halves of different pairs. Thus, unless there was context that might suggest otherwise, I (and presumably most native speakers of English) would conclude that you had bought two individual items of clothing.
And yes, you can buy individual socks if you want.
Most (then ones I know) native speakers would interpret this as a slip of the tongue, and would assume you meant 2 pairs of socks.
This may also be interpreted as humorous, depending on the context of the sentence.
