If you’re looking to buy an oil lamp then know that the largest marketplace is by far and away the internet.

Many regular stores also offer mail order services via the internet and there are several dedicated internet only websites.

Regardless of where you decide to purchase your oil lamp from make sure you take a bit of time to research the product, the site and / or the company before committing to any purchase.

Try to find independent testimonials and third party reviews (forums can be useful for this) to find out what other peoples experiences have been.

Always remember that word of mouth still remains one of the very best recommendations available.

Also, look at the payment methods they offer and make sure you’re comfortable with them.

As you would expect, internet auction sites offer the biggest range of all and operate in a variety of ways.

Some auction sites have a proposed finishing time for the listing but will continue accepting bids until a pre-set period of time passes without any further bids.

Under this system, there have been listings that have continued for 24 hours or more beyond the original scheduled finishing time so you may have to wait longer than expected to find out if you are the successful bidder.

The biggest of all internet auction sites is, of course, eBay.

eBay

eBay offers a worldwide marketplace from which you can purchase your oil lamp whether it be a basic one or a very ornate antique oil lamp or anything in between – they will all be catered for at some time.

It is a comparatively safe way to purchase for a number of reasons.

Easy market research

eBay auction listings run for 1, 3, 7 or 10 days so it is relatively quick and easy to get a feel for what products are available and what the current market price is for any particular product. It is very simple to “watch” specific items thus enabling you to compare them against each other and also to learn about specific sellers.

eBay feedback system

The feedback system allows you to check the seller’s performance over the past 12 months in 4 key areas – description accuracy, communications, promptness of despatch and shipping charges.

If you are considering a purchase and the seller’s feedback rating is anything less than 100%, check their detailed ratings and see what the buyer complaints have been.

If the complaints are similar in nature, you need to decide if it is a potential problem that you are willing to take a chance on.

If the complaints are diverse, again you need to weigh up the comments and decide whether or not to proceed with a purchase.

The feedback comments left by buyers (including the positive comments) all serve to give you an overall sense of the seller.

Payment options

eBay offers buyers a number of payment options including 3^rd party payment services such as PayPal (an eBay subsidiary).

There are also other eBay approved 3^rd party payment providers but the availability of these is dependent on which eBay site you are registered on so check your local eBay site for all acceptable payment options.

The big advantage that these services offer is the added layer of security to help keep your personal banking details private.

Other payment methods such as direct bank deposit or transfer; credit card payment directly to the seller; postal money order; C.O.D. and payment on pick-up are also available on selected eBay sites.

Buyer protection

All eBay sites offer some degree of buyer protection for cases of non-receipt of an item, damage during transit or misrepresentation of the item by the seller.

On some sites the cover is only available for items paid for using PayPal so again, check your local site to find out if your selected payment method is covered.

Buyer protection generally covers the original purchase price plus the original shipping cost that you paid.

In the case of an item which is significantly not as described, you will not be reimbursed for the cost of sending it back to the seller.

The final decision

So now you just have to decide exactly which lamp you are going to purchase.

The following two articles may assist you:

Why do people buy oil lamps

Where do people buy oil lamps

Hopefully this guide will have helped you to decide the best place to source it from but once your purchase is made, you will be faced with an even bigger dilemma – whether or not you will be able to stop at one.

Lots of us can’t but we sure do have a great time finding and buying them.

Good luck!