How to Get Paid as a Seller on Light Fish (2026)
Posted by · Updated October 2026
The short version
Add tracking when you ship. The morning after the carrier shows the box delivered, your share (the order total minus 12%) is sent to your Stripe account at 9 AM Eastern. Stripe deposits it in your bank automatically, usually about two business days later. There's nothing to request or withdraw.
Light Fish pays sellers through Stripe, the payment company behind millions of online shops. The buyer pays at checkout, we hold the money until the fish arrive, and then it's yours. This guide covers each step, how long each one takes, and what can hold a payment up.
Table of Contents
Before Your First Sale: Set Up Payouts
4. Your Share Is Sent to Stripe
What Can Delay or Reduce a Payment
Before Your First Sale: Set Up Payouts
Open the Payouts tab in your seller dashboard and connect Stripe. It takes about five minutes: Stripe asks for your name, a few identity details and the bank account you want paid into. Stripe holds those details; Light Fish never sees your bank account number.
Your listings go live once payouts are set up. If a listing is approved before then, it waits and goes live automatically the moment payouts are on.
1. You Get an Order
When something sells, you get an email and a notification on Light Fish. The buyer has already paid. The order, including the buyer's shipping address, is in the Orders tab of your seller dashboard.
Tap Got it in the email or the dashboard so the buyer knows you've seen it, and ship on your next ship day. If you need more time, set a new ship date from the order or message the buyer. Orders that go unshipped get reminders, and are eventually cancelled and refunded to the buyer.
2. Ship and Add Tracking
Once the box is on its way, add the tracking number to the order in the Orders tab. The buyer gets an email with it right away. Typed it wrong? You can correct it and the buyer is told again.
Tracking matters for more than the buyer: it's how we know when to pay you. Without a tracking number, the order can't show as delivered.
New to shipping fish? Our guide on packing and shipping live fish covers bags, insulation, heat packs and which days to ship.
3. The Package Is Delivered
We check the carrier's tracking automatically throughout the day, so there's nothing to mark yourself. When it shows delivered, the buyer gets two hours to open the box and check the fish under our Live Arrival Guarantee.
4. Your Share Is Sent to Stripe
Every morning at 9 AM Eastern, Light Fish sends payment for every order delivered by then (and past its two-hour window) to the seller's Stripe account. In practice that's the morning after delivery.
You receive the order total, including the shipping the buyer paid, minus Light Fish's 12% fee:
| Order total (with shipping) | Light Fish fee (12%) | You receive |
|---|---|---|
| $25.00 | $3.00 | $22.00 |
| $50.00 | $6.00 | $44.00 |
| $74.00 | $8.88 | $65.12 |
Listing is free, and a new buyer's first order through your shop link is fee-free, so you keep the full amount on those.
5. Stripe Pays Your Bank
Stripe deposits your balance in your bank automatically every day, usually about two business days after the money reaches your Stripe account. Stripe sometimes holds a brand-new account's first payout for a few extra days while it verifies it; after that, payouts run on the normal schedule.
To see each payout and when it lands, use the link in your dashboard's Payouts tab to open your Stripe dashboard. You can change your bank account there too.
Example Timeline
A typical order, shipped overnight early in the week:
| Monday | You ship the box and add tracking. |
| Tuesday afternoon | The carrier delivers it. The buyer's two-hour window passes. |
| Wednesday, 9 AM ET | Your share is sent to your Stripe account. |
| About Friday | Stripe deposits it in your bank. |
What Can Delay or Reduce a Payment
- No tracking, or tracking that never shows delivered. Payment waits for delivery. Double-check the number in the Orders tab, and email us if the carrier's own site shows delivered but the order doesn't.
- Payouts not set up. Payments can only go to a connected Stripe account. Finish setup in the Payouts tab.
- A live arrival claim. If fish arrive dead and the buyer's claim is approved, Light Fish gives the buyer store credit and that amount is deducted from your payment for the order.
- A cancelled or refunded order. There's nothing to pay out, and a partial refund is taken off your payment.
FAQ
How long does it take to get paid on Light Fish?
The morning after delivery, your share goes to your Stripe account; Stripe deposits it in your bank about two business days later. For an overnight box, that's typically three to four days from shipping to your bank.
How much does Light Fish take from a sale?
12% of the order total, including shipping. On a $50 order you receive $44. Listing is free, and a new buyer's first order through your shop link is fee-free.
Do I need to request a withdrawal?
No. Payments are automatic once payouts are set up. (Older versions of this guide described a "Withdraw Funds" button and PayPal; that process has been retired.)
Why haven't I been paid yet?
Check that the order has a tracking number and shows delivered, and that payouts are set up. If both are done and it's been more than two days since delivery, email support@light.fish and we'll look into it.
Not selling yet? Listing is free and setup takes a few minutes.
Miles Harrison
With over a decade of aquarium experience, Miles can be found writing about saltwater and freshwater aquariums. When he’s not writing about fish, you can find him going for a run or building websites, such as this one!