Can You Sell Fish on Facebook?

Posted by Miles Harrison on 01/23/2022

TL;DR

No, you can no longer sell fish or aquarium livestock on Facebook. Services like Light Fish and eBay will still allow you to post aquarium livestock to sell to other hobbyists.

Screenshot of Facebook's Ecommerce Policy #13, Banning Live Animals

When did this change occur?

In 2017, Facebook users began reporting their posts on Buy & Sell groups were being taken down. These posts were being removed directly by Facebook. Facebook added a new ecommerce policy, policy #13, which states 'Listings may not promote the buying or selling of animals or animal parts, or land in ecological conservation areas'.

Screenshot of a change.org petition, which was created in an attempt to reverse the policy

Why did this change occur?

Most likely the decision behind this policy was directly correlated with new issues sparked by Facebook Marketplace. Listings were often in violation of Facebook's terms of service.

Facebook Marketplace was seen as the driving factor for the policy

How did people react to this change in the aquarium community?

The removal of aquarium livestock promoted a Change.org petition, which has registered over 8000 signatures. Hobbyists have not been shy in letting the social media giant know that they're unhappy with the change.

Screenshot of change.org user Amy Hart expressing her opinions about the change

Change.org user Amy Hart expresses her opinions about the change

Screenshot of user who claims to work in fish and animal resuce

Another user who claims to work in fish and animal resuce

Screenshot of user recommending they self-police their content

This user recommends that groups self-police their content

Where can I sell my fish and aquarium livestock?

Aquarium livestock can still be sold on websites such as Light Fish and eBay. Online forums such as plantedtank.net and reef2reef.com both have classified sections for aquarium-related products.

Thanks for reading!

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