Sports Authority Review

(If you'd like to skip this article and see our top pick for a memorabilia retailer, click here.) We’re a nationwide group of memorabilia enthusiasts who created this Website to protect and inform consumers. It's estimated that over half of all memorabilia on the market is fake. With this in mind, our goal is to ensure people buy items that are both authentic and well-priced.

Overview

The Sports Authority is best known for selling sports equipment and apparel. The company's website, www.sportsauthority.com, loads quickly and is simple to navigate.

To get from the homepage to the memorabilia page, click on the “Fan Shop” tab and select “Memorabilia” from the drop-down menu. Their memorabilia shop offers cases, signed merchandise and collectibles acquired from memorabilia distributors such as Mounted Memories and Steiner.

The memorabilia selection is limited; there are only 10 college teams featured in the NCAA section and only eight teams in the MLB section. There doesn't seem to be any reason as to why some teams are included and others are missing. They carry merchandise related to the Mississippi Running Rebels and Texas Rangers, for example, but have no products featuring more popular teams.

Memorabilia sold through Sports Authority is guaranteed authentic by both Sports Authority and the vendor that sold the product to Sport Authority. Sports Authority also offers payment plans, which allows buyers up to six months to fully pay for a product. This is an attractive option for people who would not be able to pay for an expensive item up front.

The Good

  • Good selection of sports equipment
  • Financing available

The Bad

  • Limited selection of autographed memorabilia
  • No content library
  • No explaination of authentication promise

Our top pick for 2008:  SportsMemorabilia.com

SportsMemorabilia.com, which has been selling memorabilia online since 1996, is our top pick across the four fields of authenticity, price, ease of shopping and service.

SportsMemorabilia.com features a comprehensive authenticity guarantee and formal relationships with the major memorabilia wholesalers. All items come from organized athlete signings which were witnessed and logged.

The site is professional, easy to navigate and the one-page checkout is simple to use. They employ HackerSafe, THAWTE and 128-bit SSL to secure online transactions.

Searches on Google and Better Business Bureau for “SportsMemorabilia.com” yielded no negative mentions or complaints against the company. There have been no reported instances where a product was returned for lack of authenticity.

The site ranks #1 in Google’s organic (unpaid) search results for terms like "sports memorabilia" and “memorabilia”. Websites don’t pay for placement in these rankings— they are a reflection of Google’s trust in the site and the Website’s age.

In addition to a nice product assortment, the site includes other resources such as a blog and resource library. Information about the company’s background and founders is easy to find. The SportsMemorabilia.com staff, reached both via 800 number and email, was courteous and knowledgeable.

>>Read more about SportsMemorabilia.com