eBay Guides - Lighting Buying Guide
Skip to main content


 Reviews & Guides


      Reviews & Guides home page   

Lighting Buying Guide

Tags:  Lamps | IKEA | Chandeliers | Ceiling Fans | Stained Glass LampsWrite a guide!

Lamps and lighting serve a practical purpose, but also offer opportunities for decorating your home, by creating atmosphere and ambiance in various rooms and spaces. Whether searching for a new Ikea ceiling light or a vintage stained glass lamp, you’ll find that eBay shines brightly as the place for all your lamp and lighting needs.

Illuminate Your Home With Lamps & Lighting


Illuminate Your Home With Lamps & Lighting

Lamps and lighting products can transform any room in your home. For general/ambient lighting, task lighting, or accent lighting, eBay offers a variety of fixtures, lamps, and more.

While browsing, expect to encounter favorites such as Kichler lamps, Ikea lights, Hampton Bay lamps, Laura Ashley lamps, Pier 1 lamps, and Restoration Hardware lamps.

Lighting from above

If you’re looking to save space and add decoration from above, shop for ceiling lights.

  • Chandeliers: Always an elegant lighting option, chandeliers are not just for the dining room. Consider them for your hallway, foyer, and even a bedroom. (If you do hang a chandelier in the dining room, make sure it’s 30 to 36 inches above your table.)    

  • Ceiling fixtures: Ceiling fixtures attach to the ceiling. You can find ceiling light fixtures—which are primarily used for general lighting purposes—in many styles and shapes.   

  • Pendant lights: Suspended from the ceiling, a pendant light hovers over your dining room table, game table, or kitchen counter. Because they hang low, pendants have shades or globes to prevent glare.    

  • Ceiling fans: Besides offering relief from the heat, ceiling fans also come with lights, providing a dual function.     

  • Recessed lights: This type of lighting is placed directly in the ceiling. Recessed lights can be effectively used in all rooms.     

  • Track lighting: Offering versatility and multiple lighting options, track lighting consists of a light or series of lights mounted to a metal track. Just move, swivel, or rotate a light to suit your immediate lighting needs.

Wall lighting

Lights that reside on walls also work great, providing indirect light and decorating wall space that would otherwise remain empty.

  • Wall-mounted lighting fixtures: Sconces attach to walls, creating a dramatic effect by illuminating the surface of the wall. A wall sconce adds a nice touch of sophistication.     

  • Swing-arm lamps: Swing-arm lamps are great for nighttime reading. Install one on each side of the bed for symmetry.

Portable lamps

Portable lamps allow you to arrange and rearrange a light wherever you want it. They’re also some of the most widely available lighting, so you’ll have plenty of choices and styles when it comes to matching the décor of your home.

  • Floor lamps: Look for floor lamps made of materials that bring cohesion and interest to your room, such as a wood floor lamp or a brass floor lamp.    

  • Table lamps: Table lamps come in a range of styles to fit your interior décor. You might choose a mission table lamp, or a contemporary table lamp.    

  • Desk lamps: As desk lamps are both decorative and highly functional, be sure to consider the type of lighting in addition to the style. There are big differences between a halogen desk lamp and a fluorescent desk lamp for example.

Outdoor lighting

You can finding solar outdoor lighting and electric outdoor lighting for a variety of placements:

  • Path lighting: Path lighting typically lines a path or walkway leading to the home.    

  • Light fixtures: Outdoor light fixtures often hang on the wall next to the front door, or on either side of the garage to add a decorative touch.    

  • Spotlights, floodlights: Spotlights and floodlights can be used to highlight favorite plants and trees or to accentuate your door décor.   

  • String lights : Outdoor string lights are particularly popular during the holidays, but can be used any time of year to decorate trees and shrubs.    

  • Lanterns: Lanterns can be mounted to walls for lighting your front yard, backyard, entryway, or driveway.

Lamps and lighting accessories

Need lighting accessories? eBay has listings for everything from ceiling fan pulls to light bulbs to lampshades. (A word about shades: if you want a lot of light in a room, transparent shades work best. In contrast, opaque shades will help focus light downward and provide more directed lighting.)


Back to topBack to top

Shine With Lamps & Lighting Style


Shine With Lamps & Lighting Style

From casual country to cool elegance, lamps and lighting can reflect your own personal style.

Get the lamps & lighting look you want

Decorative lamps and lighting can match just about any design style. Take your pick:

  • Classic lamps & lighting: For a classic vintage look, you can’t go wrong with a crystal chandelier or a stained glass lamp.     

  • Retro/modern lamps & lighting: If you’re after a retro or modern vibe (Eames, art deco), you’ll find myriad lighting options that complement your aesthetic tastes.    

  • Simple lamps & lighting: For a simpler yet elegant appearance, seek out lighting products influenced by the Mission and Arts & Crafts styles of design.     

  • Fun lamps & lighting: If you veer toward the funky, you can add atmosphere with everything from lava lamps to tropical palm tree lights.

Lamps & lighting colors

As is the case with any other decorative item, color ranks as an important buying consideration for lamps and lighting. You’ll want:

  • Solid, bold colors for a retro design motif.     

  • Softer, muted colors for homes with a simpler, more subdued style.     

  • Floral patterns, which add variety and multiple colors to your design palette.

Lighting finishes

The finish of a light will largely determine its decorative impact.

  • Floor lamps, chandeliers, and sconces in cast metal complement a variety of design goals.     

  • Pewter lamps and lighting offer a sleek, modern, high-tech look.     

  • Antique brass lamps and lighting remain a favorite for rustic design tastes.    

  • Lamps with a metal base or hardwood base are a good choice for mission-style lighting.    

  • For a more contemporary appearance, consider lamps and lighting with a brushed nickel finish.    

  • Brushed and satin finished lamps and lighting soften hard edges.


Back to topBack to top

Choose a Light Source


Choose a Light Source

How a light shines will depend on the light source (bulb or tube) that’s used to illuminate the fixture or lamp. You have three general categories from which to choose: incandescent, halogen, and fluorescent.

Incandescent lamps & lighting

These are the standard light bulbs that you see for sale everywhere. Available in different wattages and shapes, incandescent bulbs emit a yellowish-white light and work fine for your general lighting needs (floor lamp, desk lamp, table lamp, chandeliers, etc.).

Halogen lamps & lighting

Producing a bright, white light, halogen lamps and lighting yield more light than incandescent light bulbs. What’s more, they have a longer life than regular light bulbs, and are designed to give you maximum light efficiency. Halogen lights are a common choice if you have or want:

Fluorescent lamps & lighting

If you’d like to create more of a glowing effect, go with fluorescent lamps. Fluorescent bulbs and fluorescent tubes come in different colors, ranging from basic warm white (which best approximates the color of an incandescent bulb) to funkier options, like black light (great for parties or highlighting posters).

Besides casting their unique glow, fluorescent lighting uses significantly less energy than other types of bulbs. Smaller, compact fluorescents work great for:

Screw-in fluorescent lights can be used in standard lamp sockets for table lamps, desk lamps, and so on.


Back to topBack to top

Track Lamps & Lighting Trends


Track Lamps & Lighting Trends

Lamps and lighting trends generally reflect larger trends in interior design. Recent years have seen a number of developments, as lamps and lighting continue to become a more commonly used fashion component and statement, in addition to serving their functional purposes.

What’s hot in lamps & lighting

Popular lamps and lighting trends include:

  • informal, relaxed, warm lighting (part of an overall trend in home décor)    

  • integrating lighting with the décor of a room and its furniture    

  • matching lighting to the overall interior look of a home   

  • matching interior and exterior lights for a more comprehensive design integration     

  • larger light fixtures to fill today’s larger homes

  • the use of pendant lighting in dining rooms (as opposed to chandeliers) and kitchens    

  • the use of accent lighting to draw attention to artwork, fireplaces, plants, or curio cabinet shelves   

  • wall sconces that feature a more contemporary design, as opposed to a more traditional look    

  • the use of undercabinet lighting in kitchens    

  • bathroom lights that allow you to “design and combine” by mixing wall brackets with different glass shades    

  • switching to cost-effective fluorescent bulbs

Some lights, however, remain perennially popular. Stained glass lamps, for example, will always be in style. However, it’s now more common for them to be presented as standout collectible items rather than as part of a larger design theme.


Back to topBack to top

Find Lamps & Lighting on eBay


Find Lamps & Lighting on eBay

Once you know what type of lighting item you want, go to the Home & Garden portal, click Lamps, Lighting, Ceiling Fans, and start searching for item listings on eBay.

  • Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Chandeliers, Desk Lamps, Floor Lamps, Pendant Lighting, Table Lamps, and more. As you dig deeper into the site, you'll also be able to narrow down your choice by brand.   

  • Keyword search: Search eBay title listings for specific words. For example, if you want to find a mission-style lamp, type "mission lamp" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.


Back to topBack to top

Buy Lamps & Lighting With Confidence


Buy Lamps & Lighting With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

  • Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

  • If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

  • Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

  • Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

  • What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

  • What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

  • Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that you don't receive your item or it is not as described, eBay Buyer Protection will cover your purchase price plus original shipping. Learn more.


Back to topBack to top


Ready to share your thoughts with the eBay community? Write a guide!
 Content Provided By

eBay