Imperial Lava Lamp Cylinder

[Dave L.]

I have an original cylinder that has never been used and the original box it was shipped in. I am thinking about selling it if there is enough interest and the price is right. I don't trust any carriers to ship the cylinder, so pick up is the only option. I have included many pictures of the cylinder and the box it came in. I live in a southern suburb of Chicago. This cylinder has never been used.

[MileHigh]

I would love to purchase this if only I had an Imperial lamp base to put it on :(

This is going to make some Imperial owner very happy!

[kero48]

I can only imagine what the asking price would be on such a rare and special item.

[Alfred]

FWIW, packed properly with lots of padding on all sides (and if you really want to get serious, in a plywood box), there's very little reason something like this shouldn't survive shipping. Carriers don't go out of their way to destroy things, and losing packages outright is bad for business, so exceptionally rare in my experience.

[Dave L.]

I honestly don't know what a fair number would be. I have never seen an unused cylinder, or the original box it came in. My Mother bought this when she graduated high school.

[kero48]

^^ Well I guess you don't live in NY where the opposite is what happens with regards to packages and carriers. Whether UPS, FEDEX or USPS, nothing is safe in their hands in this state.

It's simply the quality of workers they are hiring, they just don't give two shits about your stuff. Many local news channels over the years have shown real video of the lack of respect these carrier workers have for peoples shipments.

You can mark FRAGILE till the cows come home, they simply ignore it.

[kero48]

Wow, that is such a cool story. Adds to the awesome factor!

Dave L. said:

I honestly don't know what a fair number would be. I have never seen an unused cylinder, or the original box it came in. My Mother bought this when she graduated high school.

[Alfred]

FWIW, there's really no reason not to trust the carriers to ship something like this. They don't go out of their way to destroy packages, and it's very rare for any of the major US carriers to lose a package outright. In my experience, when something arrives damaged, it's essentially always due to inadequate packing. Something like this needs to be packed tightly with at least several inches of padding on all sides.

Don't use padding that will compress in transit, such as crushed paper. If anything moves once the package is put together, it's not packed properly. If you couldn't safely drop the package off a table, it's not packed properly. If you want to be really sure with something like this, pack it in a box made of plywood and put that inside the shipping box.

Packing things properly is work, yes. (That's is why a lot of retail stores *don't* really pack things securely, but rely on the product packaging itself primarily and simply replace damaged items when that fails.) Faster shipping is also safer if you're not 100% sure of the packaging; it's amazing how much slightly compressible padding that seems secure at the start (like tightly packed, heavy paper) can shift over the course of several days on a moving vehicle.

(Sorry, don't mean to give you a hard time specifically.)

[Dave L.]

No offense taken. I have a daily UPS pick up, ship FedEx, DHL and USPS. There is no way I would ship something so rare and fragile. Believe me, no matter how well it is packed, I have seen punctured boxes, other boxes fall on the packaging, and employees that just don't care. There are approximately 10 of these know to exist. I won't take a chance on the matter. I hope you understand.

[kero48]

^^ With 10 known to exist, you are absolutely right, DO NOT SHIP IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. If someone wants it that bad, they will figure out how to get to you lol

[MileHigh]

Ever seen the TV show Shipping Wars?

https://www.aetv.com/shows/shipping-wars

Claude used them to safely transport a Colossus lamp several states for only $300.00

http://oozinggoo.ning.com/forum/topics/colossus-lava-lamp-for-sale-...

I would feel safe using them to transport the Imperial globe :)

https://www.uship.com/

[Critter]

Did you see the PM I sent you earlier?

thanks!

[fog rider]

Wow! There's something you don't see every day! And, in the rare Green/Clear colour combo.

My 2 cents on shipping:

1. I had my Imperial shipped from San Fransisco to northern Canada by UPS with no problems. The globe was fit into a 2 piece solid styrofoam sleeve, boxed, then strapped upright to a wooden pallet. 

2. That being said, shipping always involves the element of risk. For example, the pallet could slip off the forklift, or get damaged in any number of ways.

3. Therefore, I understand and respect the sellers wish for pick-up only.

Once again, "Wow". An unused Imperial globe in the original box! Awesome!