All my stuff goes in the ground with me.

Kidding,
I'm still young so there's hope my stuff will be enjoyed soon by me

Just a few comments on "stocking up on lamps" :

 1) Since most HID lamps will last for at least 5-10 years being run D2D , unless you're planning on having a dozen or so running D2D at one time , having more than 6 spares is kinda pointless.

 2) You have 5 cases of extra lamps , what happens when the ballast goes bye-bye ?? Now you have a zillion lamps and NOTHING to run them in !

 3) Electricity costs : With the ever rising costs of electricity , none of use will be able to afford to run most of what we have to EOL anyways .

 4) All "stocking up" does is raise the price of lamps and equipment for those new to the hobby.

 5) When YOU die , what happens to all of the stuff you "stocked up" on ?? More than likely it will either wind up in the trash or it'll get recycled in which case NO ONE will get to use or enjoy it !  Too many times I've seen a collector die and the family couldn't be bothered with the deceased's "junk" and hires someone to just get rid of it .

 All I'm saying is that if you have a fixture that will actually get used on a regular basis than fine , get SOME extra lamps for it . There's no reason to be greedy and buy CASES of them that will most likely NEVER get used .

 EXAMPLE : Years ago there was an old man nearby that had a field full of HUNDREDS of old station wagons from the 40's to the 70's . He bought every old wagon he could find as station wagons weren't being made anymore . He wouldn't sell or part out any of them . Not long ago , he died and the family hired a scrap company to clear the land so it could be sold. The scrap company brought in a portable crusher and a bulldozer and literally pushed rows of cars , one by one into the crusher . All the old man did was make wagons even harder to find ! He didn't help to save anything , he just compounded the problem !!

If I chose to stock up, I would write a will that declares that my bulb collections get donated to other collectors. When J-Frog passed away, some of his collection got donated to other members.

Well said, Tim. Too many times on here I've seen people buy cases and cases of lamps and then just effectively hoard them. Unless you're actually going to USE them, then what for..?

It just makes them harder to find and more expensive for the rest of us.

If I chose to stock up, I would write a will that declares that my bulb collections get donated to other collectors. When J-Frog passed away, some of his collection got donated to other members.

In that case make your will or wishes known straight away, J-frog died very young.

I am personally trying to stock up on mercury vapor lamps, but for a somewhat different reason. While i do collect lamps for the hobby of lamp collecting, i also need to stock up due to being an avid insect collector, as mercury vapor lamps are widely considered to be the best light source for attracting a wide range of insects.

I'd be happy to take a few Sox bulbs off of ya. At some point.

This may be me here soon, but it doesn't look like fluorescent lighting is completely phased out, at least not the tubes.
I just found tons of F30T12's and even F30T8 GE lamps for sale in Lowes. Today! Newer style though with Sylvania type endcaps... but still.
Didn't know that's been going on. I will be buying two of each next time I stop by Lowes.

That's fine, that's perfectly reasonable. Where I get annoyed is when people buy lamps by the case with no valid reason. If you've got a large area of land with dozens of fixtures up, then obviously you need to have sufficient stocks to keep them going. But buying cases and cases of lamps just to leave them sitting around doing nothing isn't really on in my book. It just has the knock on effect of raising prices due to dwindling supplies.

Buying quantities of lamps to sell on or trade is ok as well, I've done that sometimes, but only maybe 10 lamps of any one type, not hundreds of them. The only time I bought a case of 12 150W HPS lamps was because the seller was local and could deliver them by hand. Sadly, only two or three people wanted them, so I still have 8 or 9 left if anyone is interested 

If you're going to actually use them, fine. But what's the point of buying hundreds of lamps just for them to sit in a cupboard or basement or wherever and never see the light of day again..?

We've got plenty of lamps in cupboards, true. But they're mostly all different, we don't have boxes and boxes of the same type of lamp. And they all get taken out every so often and lit up.

If you're buying them to sell, trade or give to other collectors, fine. If you're buying them to use, fine. But I just don't see why anyone buys lamps by the case just to store them away 

I have no idea. Some people have large properties, I suppose.

It's all personal preference, I guess. When I buy my lamps, or when I get lamps from friends (since my friends know I'm a lighting enthusiast) all
of my lamps get used, and I continue using them until they hit their end of life. That's the way, uh huh, uh huh, I like it. That's how I roll.
So if I'm stocking up on lamps, they're getting use, even if I have to wait until I get designated fixtures for them, etc.

Hey, that's fine. I just get annoyed when the prices on eBay go up because supplies are running low due to people buying them by the thousands, or that's how it seems 

Not gonna lie, Ebay does seem like it's getting a bit tougher, in terms of finding fixtures. Specifically the Slimlines, HO and VHO fixtures.
I wonder if people really are buying them as soon as they get posted online?

Don't know, I don't really buy fluorescents. But SOX lamps are getting more expensive by the minute 

That's fine, that's perfectly reasonable. Where I get annoyed is when people buy lamps by the case with no valid reason. If you've got a large area of land with dozens of fixtures up, then obviously you need to have sufficient stocks to keep them going. But buying cases and cases of lamps just to leave them sitting around doing nothing isn't really on in my book. It just has the knock on effect of raising prices due to dwindling supplies.

Buying quantities of lamps to sell on or trade is ok as well, I've done that sometimes, but only maybe 10 lamps of any one type, not hundreds of them. The only time I bought a case of 12 150W HPS lamps was because the seller was local and could deliver them by hand. Sadly, only two or three people wanted them, so I still have 8 or 9 left if anyone is interested 

were you replying to me or someone else? If not i also believe i have a valid reason, as i am using lamps pretty much every night during the summer, albeit on a single fixture.