Terms of Service

Last updated: October 11, 2026

1. About these terms

Light Fish (light.fish) is an online marketplace run by Light Fish Technologies, LLC, 201 Montgomery Street, Unit 331, Jersey City, NJ 07302 (“Light Fish”, “we”, “us”). Independent sellers, mostly hobbyists and small breeders, list fish, invertebrates, plants and aquarium supplies, and buyers purchase from them through the site.

These terms apply to everyone who uses Light Fish. By using the site you agree to them and to our Privacy Policy. If you don’t agree, please don’t use Light Fish.

2. Your account

You must be 18 or older to create an account or place an order.
Give accurate information and keep it up to date. You’re responsible for what happens under your account, so keep your password private. If you sign in with Google, your Google account’s security applies too.
Don’t use a name that impersonates someone else, infringes a trademark, or is offensive.
We may suspend or close an account, and block access from the devices or networks it uses, if it breaks these terms, is used for fraud, or puts other users at risk.

3. How the marketplace works

Sellers sell; Light Fish runs the marketplace. Each listing is created by an independent seller, who is responsible for describing it accurately, for the health of the animals and plants, and for packing and shipping. Light Fish is not the seller. We run checkout and take payment, review listings, pay sellers, and handle Live Arrival Guarantee claims.
Listings are reviewed. We look over new listings before they appear on the site and may ask for changes, decline a listing, or remove one at any time. Edits to a live listing may be reviewed again.
We work to keep listings accurate but can’t guarantee every detail. If you have a question about an item, message the seller before you buy.

4. Buying

Prices and payment

Sellers set their prices and shipping options in US dollars. You’ll see the item price, shipping and any tax before you pay.
Payments are processed by Stripe. We accept major credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Light Fish never sees or stores your full card number.
Sales tax: we collect New Jersey sales tax (6.625%) on orders shipped to New Jersey addresses. We don’t currently collect sales tax on orders shipped to other states.
Coupon codes and store credit have no cash value, can’t be transferred, and expire on the date shown. Some codes, such as welcome codes, are limited to a first order.
First-order credit: a buyer’s first order on Light Fish of $30 or more including shipping (before tax) gets $10 off, applied automatically at checkout. One per person and household, not on your own listings, and it can’t be combined with a code. Light Fish may end the offer at any time.

Shipping

Sellers ship within the processing time shown on the listing and add a tracking number, which we email to you.
Live animals usually ship early in the week, and sellers may hold a shipment for weather, holidays or carrier problems.
Make sure your shipping address is correct and that someone can receive the package promptly. Live animals can’t wait in a mailbox or at a carrier facility.

Cancellations and refunds

To cancel an order before it ships, message the seller or email support@light.fish. A seller may also cancel before shipping (for example if the item is no longer available, or because of weather). Cancelled orders are refunded in full to your original payment method.
If a seller doesn’t ship within the processing time, we remind them. If the order still hasn’t shipped, we cancel it and refund you.
Live animals and plants can’t be returned. Losses in transit are covered by the Live Arrival Guarantee below.
If a non-living item (such as equipment or driftwood) arrives damaged or isn’t as described, email support@light.fish and we’ll work with the seller to put it right, which may include a refund.

5. Live Arrival Guarantee

Every order for live animals and plants on Light Fish is covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee. It replaces any live-arrival or “DOA” terms a seller writes in their own listings.

What’s covered: live fish, invertebrates, amphibians, corals and plants. Tanks, stands, light fixtures, filters and pumps, driftwood, rocks and stones, and live rock are not covered.
How to claim: when the carrier marks your order delivered, we email you a link. Open and inspect your order, and submit your claim through that link within 2 hours of the carrier’s delivery time. Include 1 to 5 clear photos showing the affected items in or near the original packaging. Report every affected item in one claim; there’s one claim per order.
What you receive: approved claims are paid as Light Fish store credit, not a refund to your card. A partial loss gets credit for the value of the affected items. A total loss gets credit for the full order amount, including shipping. Store credit is valid for 90 days on any listing on Light Fish.
Not covered: claims made after the 2-hour window; losses caused by a wrong address you gave us, or by a package that was refused or left uncollected; and losses after the animals have been acclimated or added to your tank. You’re responsible for suitable water conditions, acclimation and tank compatibility.
We review each claim and decide it. The cost of an approved claim is deducted from the seller’s payout.

6. Selling on Light Fish

What you can sell: only items you own and are legally allowed to sell and ship, described honestly with your own photos. Follow all laws that apply to the species you sell, including state and federal rules on restricted or invasive species. Don’t list animals that were collected or imported illegally, that are sick, or that aren’t what the listing says.
Payouts: to sell, you connect a Stripe account through the Payouts tab in your seller dashboard. Your listings go live only once payouts are set up. Stripe’s Connected Account Agreement also applies to you.
Fees: Light Fish charges a marketplace fee of 12% of each sale, including the shipping you charge, deducted before payout. We may agree a different rate with an individual seller, and we’ll give notice before changing fees.
When you’re paid: your share of an order is released once the carrier confirms delivery and the 2-hour Live Arrival Guarantee window has passed with no open claim. Stripe then pays it to your bank on its normal schedule.
Shipping: ship within the processing time on your listing and add tracking. If you don’t, we’ll send reminders; an order that still hasn’t shipped is cancelled and the buyer is refunded.
Refunds and claims: if an order is refunded, your share of the refund comes out of your payout, and approved Live Arrival Guarantee credit is deducted from your payout. Your own listing terms can’t override the Live Arrival Guarantee.
Staying active: buyers expect quick replies and accurate stock. If you haven’t been active for about three weeks we’ll email you, and if we don’t hear back your listings are paused after 30 days without activity. You can turn them back on whenever you return.
Taxes: you’re responsible for your own income taxes. Stripe may send you a tax form (such as a 1099-K) where the law requires it.

7. Messages, reviews and other content

You keep ownership of the photos, listings, reviews and messages you post. You give Light Fish permission to store, display, resize and share them on Light Fish and in our emails and marketing, for as long as they’re on the site.
Don’t post anything unlawful, misleading, abusive, hateful, sexually explicit, spam, or anything that infringes someone else’s rights. Reviews must be honest and about a real order.
Messages: keep sales on Light Fish. New accounts can’t send links to other websites for their first 14 days. We may read messages to investigate fraud, a dispute or a report, and we may remove messages that break these terms. Email notifications of new messages include the message text.
We may remove any content, or limit an account, that breaks these terms.

8. Emails

We send emails about your account and orders. Signed-in shoppers may also get a reminder about items left in their cart, and followers get updates from shops they follow. Our weekly email of new listings is sent only if you sign up for it. Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link, and you can change these choices in your account settings.

9. Promotions, giveaways and rewards

Coupon codes, giveaways and rewards points have their own rules, shown where you enter or redeem them. They have no cash value, and we may change or end them at any time.

10. Copyright

If you believe something on Light Fish infringes your copyright, email support@light.fish with: your contact details; the work you believe is infringed; the link to the material on Light Fish; a statement that you believe in good faith the use isn’t authorized; and a statement, under penalty of perjury, that your notice is accurate and that you’re the owner or authorized to act for them, with your physical or electronic signature. We’ll remove infringing material and may close the accounts of repeat infringers.

11. Closing your account

To close your account, email support@light.fish from the address on your account. We’ll close it and delete your personal information, except records we have to keep, such as orders, payments and tax records. Sellers need to finish any open orders first.

12. Disclaimers and limits on our liability

Light Fish is provided “as is” and “as available”. As a marketplace, we don’t make the items sold here, and we don’t promise that the site will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that every listing is accurate. To the fullest extent the law allows, we disclaim all implied warranties, including merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.

To the fullest extent the law allows, Light Fish is not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, or for lost profits or data. Our total liability for any claim relating to an order is limited to the amount you paid for that order, and for any other claim to $100. Remedies for losses in transit are set out in the Live Arrival Guarantee. Some states don’t allow these limits, so they may not all apply to you.

13. Disputes and governing law

If something goes wrong, please contact us first at support@light.fish; most problems can be sorted out quickly. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, and any dispute will be heard in the state or federal courts located in New Jersey.

14. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. We’ll post the new version here with a new date, and for significant changes we’ll let you know by email or on the site before they take effect. Continuing to use Light Fish after a change means you accept the updated terms.

15. Contact

Light Fish Technologies, LLC, 201 Montgomery Street, Unit 331, Jersey City, NJ 07302
Email: support@light.fish