I have a circline type fluorescent fixture in my house, and it's been having an issue. I can never get it to light when I first turn on the switch, so I have to turn it on and off two or three times to get it to start. It used to only do that when it was really cold but now it does it all the time. I took the shade off and didn't notice blackening at the end of the tube. So I'm not sure whether it's the ballast or the lamp itself. It has a magnetic ballast.

If the ballast is rapid start, it could be a grounding issue or a dirty lamp which impedes the capacitance of the ground. Flipping the switch makes an inductive kick similar to a starter switch and can get problematic fixtures to start. Fixing the ground or cleaning the lamp and fixture can take care of it. Otherwise, the filament heating coils in the ballast might be getting weak and not heating up the electrodes sufficiently to light the lamp.

If it is preheat, it might have a bad starter.

Hope this helps.