For buyers
- Browse the marketplace. Search by category — corals, fish, invertebrates, equipment, frags — or open the full marketplace feed. Eligible livestock listings include ReefTrak source-tank parameters so you can see what conditions the animal was raised in.
- Pay through Stripe. Checkout is Stripe-powered. Payment goes directly from the buyer to the seller through Stripe Connect. ReefDock never holds buyer funds.
- Receive the shipment. Sellers ship directly using their own packaging and carrier. Live shipments require buyer photo confirmation on arrival.
- Confirm arrival or open a dispute. Upload arrival photos in the order page. If something is wrong — DOA, wrong item, damaged — the photo is the record the dispute is judged against.
For sellers
- Create your profile. Start a seller account with shipping address and seller display name. If you maintain a ReefTrak tank log, link it to publish source-tank parameters with eligible livestock.
- Connect Stripe. Stripe Connect onboarding is one-time. Once verified, buyer payments flow directly to your Stripe account, with the ReefDock platform fee deducted automatically.
- List items. Photos, description, price, shipping policy. List as fixed price, auction, or trade-only. Drafts save automatically.
- Ship and confirm. When an order arrives, the buyer confirms with a photo. Your payout enters the tier-based hold window — 5 days for new sellers, 3 for established, 0 for top-tier. See fees and payout tiers for the schedule.
Live-arrival accountability
The single biggest source of bad outcomes in reef marketplaces is "arrived dead" disputes with no record. ReefDock requires buyer photo confirmation on live shipments. That confirmation gates seller payout release, which means every party has aligned incentives: the seller to pack well, the buyer to confirm honestly, and the platform to adjudicate against a real record.
Why ReefTrak verification matters
ReefDock's sister app Reef Trak is a reef-keeping companion app where hobbyists track tank parameters and livestock. When a ReefDock seller maintains a ReefTrak log, eligible livestock listings can publish the source tank's parameters. Buyers know not just "here's a coral," but "here are the conditions the coral has been thriving in for months." See ReefTrak integration for the full breakdown.
Ready to start?
Browse the marketplace, list your first item, or read the FAQ for everything else.