Best Places to Sell Coral Online (2026 Guide)
Posted by · Updated October 2026
Any healthy reef tank eventually grows more coral than it has room for. Fragging and selling the extra pays for the hobby, and buyers get aquacultured coral that's already used to life in a home tank.
I run Light Fish, a marketplace for aquarium livestock, so I'm biased about the first option below. I've tried to be straight about the others too.
Sell your fish, shrimp and plants on Light Fish
A marketplace built for hobbyists: list in a few minutes, buyers pay through Stripe, and you're paid once the order is delivered. Light Fish keeps 12% of each sale, including shipping.
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Quick Comparison
| Where | Live coral allowed? | Payment handled for you? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Fish | Yes | Yes (Stripe) | Hobbyists who ship frags |
| Reef2Reef | Yes | No, arranged between members | Reaching dedicated reefers |
| Clubs and frag swaps | Yes | In person | Selling lots of frags at once |
| Fish stores | Yes | In person | Store credit, no shipping |
| Yes | No, arranged by DM | Occasional sales | |
| Facebook groups | Not on Marketplace | No | Meeting local reefers |
| eBay | Not on the US allowed list | Yes | Not recommended for coral |
The Best Places to Sell Coral
1. Light Fish
Light Fish is a US marketplace made only for aquarium livestock and supplies. Every buyer who lands here is looking for aquarium livestock, coral included, 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-item 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: hobbyists who frag regularly and ship. Less good for: very high-end SPS, where established reef vendors and their followings dominate.
List five coral and we'll advertise them. Once Light Fish has five live coral listings, we spend $100 on Google ads that send coral buyers to them. How it works.
2. Reef2Reef Classifieds
Reef2Reef is the biggest reef-keeping forum, and its classifieds are where many dedicated reefers buy and sell frags. New members may need some forum activity before they can post in the classifieds, which is meant to protect buyers.
Payment and shipping are arranged between members, so you handle disputes yourself. Good for: reaching serious reefers.
3. Reef Clubs and Frag Swaps
Local reef clubs hold frag swaps where hobbyists and small vendors set up tables and sell directly. You can move a lot of frags in one afternoon, there's no shipping, and you'll meet the buyers most likely to come back.
Good for: selling in volume and building a local reputation.
4. Local Fish Stores
Many independent fish stores take healthy frags, usually for store credit. You'll get less than selling direct, but it's the easiest way to clear out a tank. Good for: fast-growing softies and trimming overgrowth.
5. Reddit
r/FragSwap and r/AquaSwap both carry coral posts, though they're quieter for coral than the forums. Deals are arranged by direct message and paid outside Reddit, so check a buyer's history before you ship.
6. Facebook Groups
Coral is a live animal, so it can't be sold on Facebook Marketplace, and buy-and-sell posts for animals can be removed from groups too. Local reef groups are still good for meeting reefers and finding out about frag swaps.
7. eBay
eBay's US live animals policy allows tropical fish and domestic aquatic snails, but coral isn't on the allowed list, and listings can be removed. Check the policy for your country before listing.
If you grow into a full coral business, many vendors eventually build their own website as well. A marketplace or forum is still the fastest way to find your first customers.
Shipping Coral Frags
- Glue each frag to a plug or disc so it's easy to handle and doesn't tumble in transit.
- Bag frags separately in tank water with plenty of air, double-bag, and keep zoanthids and other soft corals away from stony corals.
- Pack bags in an insulated box with a heat or cold pack, and fill gaps so nothing shifts.
- Ship Monday or Tuesday, overnight or by USPS Priority Mail Express, and check the weather at both ends.
Our guide on how to ship coral frags covers each step in more detail. If you ever ship internationally, coral is covered by CITES rules, so most hobbyists stick to domestic sales of frags grown in their own tanks.
What Sells Best
Hardy, colorful corals are the easiest sellers: zoanthids, mushrooms, leathers and green star polyps for beginners, and torches, hammers, frogspawn, chalices and acans for keepers moving up to LPS. SPS frags such as acropora and montipora sell well to experienced reefers when they're healthy and well colored.
Photograph frags under neutral light, or say which lighting you used, since blue-heavy photos make buyers wary. If you sell zoanthids or palythoa, mention that they should be handled with gloves.
FAQ
Can you sell coral on eBay?
eBay's US live animals policy allows tropical fish and domestic aquatic snails, but coral isn't on its list of allowed animals. Check eBay's live animals policy before listing, since the rules differ by country.
Can you sell coral on Facebook Marketplace?
No. Coral is a live animal, and Facebook doesn't allow live animals to be sold on Marketplace.
How much can you sell a coral frag for?
Common soft corals and zoanthids often sell for $10 to $40 a frag, while named or high-demand LPS and SPS frags can sell for much more. Check what similar frags are listed for, and price by polyp or head count where buyers expect it.
How do you ship coral frags?
Glue frags to plugs, bag each one separately in tank water with plenty of air, double-bag, and pack the bags in an insulated box with a heat or cold pack. Ship early in the week by overnight or Priority Mail Express.
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.
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!