New to Goo

[Hopper Golightly]

Well, hello there, all you fine gooers. I'm new to this site, but I've lurked on and off since last year when the Colossus lamps came out for sale again.

 

A bit about me - I'm from Vancouver, Canada and I do not actually own a lava lamp, yet. Well, kind of true, but kind of not. I have a lava lamp that I've had for about 15 years, but it is not an official Lava Lamp. I love it and use it regularly. I've always wanted more, but I have a history with obsessive collecting and hoarding, so I must take care not to get crazy ;)

 

Anyway, I'm planning my first offical lamp. I'm interested in the following models in particular - Century, CoachLite, Aladdin, Grande and Lunar.

I'm full of questions and would appreciate any tips from experienced collectors.

 

My main concern with purchasing lamps, is shipping. Due to the breakable nature and weight of these things, I'm figuring that shipping is often as much or more than the lamps. Recommendations for the safest place to buy? Ebay, on here from collectors etc. Any info is appreciated. Many thanks,

Hopper

[Jim]

Get on it Hopper - looks mint!  http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rds/for/4335561419.html

[Jim]

So, Craigslist is a good place to start.  I also saw another lava lamp seller on Vancouver CL indicate London Drugs.  You might want to check that out as well too.  There are hardcore Canadian collectors, which means there will also be casual collectors willing to sell their lamps.  Keep on eye on eBay as well, but shipping from the states does seem brutal.  Best to find a Canadian seller (if possible).

[Erin]

I'd say most times I don't have any problems shipping or sending lamps. My local Craigslist never seems to have much, so almost all of my lamps have been shipped to me. Good packing is key! 

I buy a lot from members here, too. If you're around long enough, you'll see people come and go and sell of their lamps - and that's a great time to buy. :) 

Welcome! 

[Cowmatian]

Welcome!
I would recommend looking at local thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets...
That is how I got most of my lamps. There is no shipping and the prices are usually very low.

[Hopper Golightly]

Thanks lava peeps. Jim, I sent that seller an email. Thanks!

Also, I happened to see a lava lamp just yesterday at a local film resale store. It was on sale for $40 which seemed steep. I think I might go back tomorrow and take a closer look. I'm a thrift store junkie, but never found a lamp there yet. London Drugs did have them a couple months ago. I meant to go grab one, but forgot. Wonder if they still have them? Hmmm, they're open now, maybe I'll call. 

[Hopper Golightly]

Oh dear. I now own 5 lava lamps. London Drugs had them on clearance, $10 for large 14.5 inch and $8 for the 11.5 inch. 

1 large pink lava and purple liquid
1 large purple lava and blue liquid
1 small pink lava, clear liquid 

1 small white lava, purple liquid. 

Also, I'm making arrangements to pick up the one Jim listed. I have a problem. This is how hoarding starts.

[Jim]

Welcome to our world Hopper!  Just make sure you set limits, snap that rubber band on your wrist and give some thought to what you would like your collection to look like.  Looking at some of the collections on here will be a great start.

$40 may be an absolute bargain depending on the lamp you saw; some older vintage lamps are worth hundreds of dollars and some are even worth $1000 +.  Lava Lite lamps have gone down in price as a result of their decision to move production to China.  One thing to note - on that lamp I linked you to, take off the the top cap and take a look at the bottle cap.  That is what you are looking for - made in the good ole USA.  The quality is like night and day compared to the lamps they are pushing out of China currently.  That particular lamp retailed for $55 - $60 back in the day.  It may seem counter-intuitive when you are shopping for lamps - you have this older lamp for $15 or you can get a new one for $20.  Get the old US made lamp.  For more on how to identify a US globe, see this page.  It will also allow you to identify what color combo is in the globe.  http://oozinggoo.ning.com/page/lava-lite-color-codes

Hopper Golightly said:

Thanks lava peeps. Jim, I sent that seller an email. Thanks!

Also, I happened to see a lava lamp just yesterday at a local film resale store. It was on sale for $40 which seemed steep. I think I might go back tomorrow and take a closer look. I'm a thrift store junkie, but never found a lamp there yet. London Drugs did have them a couple months ago. I meant to go grab one, but forgot. Wonder if they still have them? Hmmm, they're open now, maybe I'll call. 

[Tim Gill]

Welcome to OG

Lava lamp collecting is a interesting hobby but can be addictive. Jim has got a interesting point about having a future plan / look of your collection I never did this I brought and do buy a lot of lamps manly from eBay and Craigslist type sights - often for cheap but ok lamps - that's a good place to start.

[Hopper Golightly]

I'm a collector by nature and I'm all too aware of the dangers of collecting ;) 

I had a plan. I knew which lamps I wanted to collect and then somehow, in 24 hours I went from one lamp to six and none of them are what I was intending to buy. Just kind of happened. I'm not too concerned yet. I will purge my collection when the time comes. Craigslist is a great start. That blue lamp above that Jim posted is beautiful and starting to flow as I type. 

Thanks. 

[Critter]

Good advice given here.  The lamp hobby is fun but buying every lamp for the sake of having every lamp seems quite a bit overkill to me.  However, I am sure there are collectors who have done (or tried to do) just that.  There are rumors of a collector in the Philippines with well over 10,000 lamps....that is crazy to me.  My take on the collecting is to look for the ones you really like.  My focus is on those that catch my eye and that is usually the 60s-70s lamps both Lava Lite and Crestworth.  Me and my wife both are Mid-Century design nuts so I'm generally looking for elegance and style in the lamps.  I made a conscience decision a good while ago to not bother with the "sillier lamps" like the icons, etc.  I did have two icons last year that I got in a group buy and I gave them away to a member of this forum.   My slight diversion into the sillier lamps is that I have some of the Resin lamps (I do like them) and I have a Vintage Kiss lamp.  However I keep those lamps at work in my office and at the house it's classic type lamps only.  The key is to find what you like and focus on it. 

The Chinese lamps are not always bad sometimes you can find a Chinese bottle that is pretty free of bubbles and after you dump out the horrible wax fill and give it a Goo Kit it can be a good bottle too.

There are some deals out there too and Jim has been pretty lucky over the years finding some stellar lamps at bargain prices.

Just have fun with it and don't out spend your resources as that can ruin it too.

Critter

[Tim Gill]

Yea there are thoes who buy every single lamp (or at least try to) but don't get to display them - one guy who was hear had a wardrobe full of boxed Mathmos and crestsworth and Mathmos lamps - never used.

I have slowed down on buying as I have no display room left and I have a large box of bits I want to do things with.

[Jim]

After everything this guy is subjected to on an episode by episode basis... and you call him silly?!?  Have a heart Critter, have a heart. 

Critter said:

I made a conscience decision a good while ago to not bother with the "sillier lamps" like the icons, etc.