Best Places to Sell Aquarium Fish Online (2026 Guide)

Whether you breed bettas in a spare room or you're rehoming fish after a tank teardown, you have more options for selling online than you might think. The catch is that most big websites either ban live animals or quietly tolerate them, so it pays to know the rules before you list.

I run Light Fish, a marketplace built for selling aquarium livestock, so I'm biased about the first option below. I've tried to be straight about the others too, including where each one works well.

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Quick Comparison

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Shipping or Local Pickup?

Decide this first, because it decides where you should list. If you'll only hand fish over in person, local groups and clubs are hard to beat. If you're willing to ship, you can reach buyers across the country, and you'll want a site that handles payment and lets you set your own shipping rules.

Shipping live fish is very doable. Most hobby sellers bag each fish (often in breather bags), pack them in an insulated box with a heat or cold pack, ship early in the week by USPS Priority or Priority Express, and hold orders when the weather is extreme at either end. Our guide to selling live fish online covers packing step by step.

The Best Places to Sell Aquarium Fish

1. Light Fish

Light Fish is a US marketplace made only for aquarium livestock and supplies: fish, shrimp, snails, coral, plants and driftwood. Every buyer who lands here is looking for fish, so you aren't competing with phone cases and car parts.

How selling works:

• Free to list. No listing fees and no monthly subscription.
• 12% when you sell. Light Fish keeps 12% of the order, shipping included, and pays the rest out to your bank through Stripe.
• Your customers, no fee. Share your own shop link, and the first order from a buyer who's new to Light Fish carries no fee at all.
• Your shipping rules. Set your own rates, the days you ship, combined shipping for multi-fish orders, and a free-shipping threshold. You can pause your shop when you're away.
• Buyers pay up front. Checkout is handled for you, so there's no chasing payments.

Good for: breeders and hobbyists who ship. Less good for: very rare imports, where AquaBid's auction crowd is bigger.

2. AquaBid

AquaBid has been the hobby's auction site for more than twenty years. It's where serious collectors look for rare bettas, wild-type fish and imports, and you'll see many breeders from Southeast Asia selling through transshippers.

It charges listing and sale fees, and payment and shipping terms are largely set by each seller. The site looks dated, but the audience is knowledgeable and will pay well for quality fish. Good for: rare fish and auctions.

3. eBay

eBay's US live animals policy allows tropical fish and domestic aquatic snails. Shrimp and coral aren't on the allowed list, and the rules differ by country, so check before you list.

eBay's reach is huge, but fish are a tiny corner of it, fees typically run 13% or more, and you'll compete with large wholesalers. Good for: sellers who already have an eBay store.

4. Reddit's r/AquaSwap

r/AquaSwap is a busy subreddit for buying, selling and trading anything aquarium-related. It's free, and the community is friendly and knowledgeable.

Deals are arranged by direct message and paid outside Reddit, so neither side has much protection, and you'll handle payment and disputes yourself. Good for: reaching hobbyists and occasional sales.

5. Facebook Groups

You can't sell live fish on Facebook Marketplace, since Facebook's commerce rules don't allow live animals. Local aquarium groups are still one of the best ways to find nearby buyers, though. You connect in the group and complete the sale in person.

Good for: local pickup and selling to people you'll see again.

6. Local Fish Stores and Aquarium Clubs

Many independent fish stores buy healthy, home-bred fish, usually for store credit or a modest price per fish. Aquarium clubs often run auctions and swap meets where breeders can move a lot of fish in one evening.

You'll earn less per fish than selling direct, but there's no shipping and no risk. Good for: selling in bulk and clearing out grow-out tanks.

7. Craigslist

Craigslist prohibits selling pets, fish included, but allows rehoming with a small adoption fee. That's why you'll see fish listed together with a tank and equipment. Expect scam replies and tire-kickers. Good for: rehoming a whole setup locally.

What Sells Best Right Now

On Light Fish, shoppers search for bettas, corydoras, tetras, plecos and mollies far more often than there are listings for them. If you breed any of these, you'll face little competition. Livebearers like guppies and endlers, cherry shrimp and easy plants sell steadily too.

Whatever you sell, clear photos of the actual fish, an honest description of age and sex, and shipping rates that make sense for the order size do more for sales than anything else.

FAQ

Can you sell live fish on eBay?

On eBay US, tropical fish and domestic aquatic snails are allowed. Shrimp and coral aren't, and rules differ by country.

Can you sell fish on Facebook Marketplace?

No. Facebook doesn't allow live animals on Marketplace. Local aquarium groups are fine for finding buyers, but the sale happens off Facebook.

Do I need a license to sell aquarium fish?

Hobbyists selling home-bred fish usually don't, but rules vary by state and by species, especially for invasive or protected species. Check your state's rules if you sell regularly or in volume.

What does it cost to sell on Light Fish?

Listing is free. When something sells, Light Fish keeps 12% of the order, shipping included, and the rest is paid to you through Stripe. The first order from a new buyer who arrives through your own shop link has no fee.

Conclusion

For local sales, start with Facebook groups and your local club. To ship across the country without handling payments yourself, list on Light Fish. For rare fish, AquaBid's auctions are worth a look. Most successful sellers use two or three of these together.