I've been constantly looking for fluorescent fixtures but I can't hardly find any and when I do they're just the new ones.

Places I mainly look are the ReStore or craigslist.

Can anyone offer some advise to a beginning collector?

I have been wondering the same thing myself. In my year and a half of collecting, I have found that sometimes Restores can provide the best stuff. I live in a "big" city, so my Restore sometimes has some very good stuff. Just today, I found a vintage Lithonia Wraparound. Check Restores in neighboring cities.

I haven't bought any lights from Craigslist, but I'm sure you could find something.

Check every garage/estate sale you see. I have gotten many lights from estate sales. Especially in older run down neighborhoods.

Does your town or city have Bulky item
Pick up drives, i find many vintage lights or
Tubes that way and even incandescent lamps.
That. What i do twice a year go run around collecting
Lamps and fixtures and scrap metal as well, to pay for
My time and fuel.

I have been going to the ReStore but I haven't had much luck...

@funkybulb
I'm not sure actually. I don't think so as far as I know.
What city in Texas do you live in? I live near Dallas, TX

Hello Good223  I live just a bit north of San antonio
Texas. And I do all my lighting finds on Curb pick
Up in San antoino, as junking season about
To start. Couple years ago there is a cool place
In DFW area a lamp shop that have some vintage
Bulbs, i have access to 5 restores with ease being
All depends on what area i take a load of recycle
To and hit restore while i am in the area,

One thing i forgot is thrift store is good place
To look for fixtures as well

I find them from individuals, craigslist and ReStore.  Many times you can simply ask an individual for a light they have and they will give it to you, especially if it is no longer in use.

Ok. Thanks for all the advise.

I'll try that and see what happens.

I've found a lot on craigslist...but one thing to keep in mind is that the search feature is very limited. You have to be very specific in spelling. In other words, when searching an item, don't forget to try the 'plural'. For example, if searching "shop light", don't forget to also search "shop lights"...different results will come up. Of course, that's aside from all of the possible posted misspellings that occur on a regular basis. "Fluorescent....Flourescent", etc. Some of my best finds resulted from me being creative in the searches.

Edit to add: I found my F90T17 PH fixture under "shop light".

I agree with don93s.  I've found some of my "better" finds by misspelling searches.  Also searching the catalog number or part number of the stuff you may be looking for will bring good results too.

You can also find old fluorescent fixtures in junk yards, abandoned buildings, garbage dumpsters. The best time to get them out of abandoned buildings is at night when there is very little to no traffic at all; preferably around or after midnight.

Most Restores dont take fluorescent fixtures because of the old ballasts.

So far the only ones I've found have come from leaving my number at an estate sale.

I do have a wanted post up on Craigslist.  It's yielded me a lot of old bulbs, but no fixtures as of yet.

I think I would be very leary about taking lamp fixtures from "abandoned" buildings.This can be considered illegal-trespassing and theft of property.Fishing the lights out of dumpsters would be OK.I a place is being remodeled suppose you could talk to the building owners and see if you can have the old lamp fixtures.They may let you have them-but you might have to take them all! I don't want to see any of us "Flashoholics" get in trouble!

I've been trying to find old fixtures (especially street lighting luminaires) through "honest channels" for a while now, it's harder and harder. The biggest time for that seemed to be the late 80s HPS retrofit period. When they were tearing down the Gates Rubber factory here about 10 years ago, there were a bunch of old GE Form 109 MV fixtures on poles that were about to be knocked down. Asked the demo crew if I could have one or two and got an emphatic "no". (Plus some other choice language.)

A kinda good place for old weird fluorescent tubes and fixtures from time to time here in Colorado is Surplus Tools on Alameda, (and I probably am gonna get smacked for letting that cat out of the bag - but I'd like to see collectors / enthusiasts give those good homes anyways..) Bunch of T17, Mazda, Brass-end, plunger/single-pin style there recently... (now I need to go back this weekend and try to grab some...)

As far as dumpster diving goes, this may be becoming a bit of a prime time for fluorescent -- we should see some movement on disposal (if people don't just break them) due to the recent emergence of LED fluorescent tube replacements, but mostly T8 there. I got some good finds with salvage buyers cleaning out old AT&T LongLines facilities... (a bunch of OTHER sad history lost there... grumble..) Let's see some T12 replacements happen so we can get a shot at some of the more interesting tubes ... However the lack of T12 compatibility may mean more fixtures taken down and made available. 

Are there any lighting contractors in your area?Try checking with them-they may have some fixtures they removed to install new ones.I got some of my fixtures that way.Sometimes the contractors advertise in want ad magazines or the paper that they have the surplus fixtures.