Choosing the suitable sites for buying or selling your sports memorabilia is crucial for your success as a sports enthusiast.
It’s a bit like choosing the best dealer to buy your new car from. You have some big household names that you can use, and you know they’re reliable and offer the best cars around.
However, the prices aren’t always the best here.
On the other hand, you also have smaller resellers or independent sellers.
These will offer you the best prices on the market – but there’s always a risk you bite into an apple that’s gone bad with these sellers.
You’ll need some careful calibration and research before you choose the service you want to use.
Best Sports Memorabilia Sites to Use
Throughout my years as a card and sports memorabilia collector, I’ve used several online stores and services that deal with sports memorabilia, and these have generally been very good for me.
eBay
Perhaps the best option for buying and selling sports memorabilia. Prices are reasonable, customer service is decent, and there’s a huge community of buyers and sellers that use the site.
Plus, you can find just about anything on eBay.
Cards and autographs are the most popular items on eBay, but you can also find jerseys, balls, and other equipment.
What I also like about eBay is that you get many chances to find some fantastic prices for sports memorabilia, especially for ungraded items.
If you like auctions, then you’ll enjoy the freedom of wheeling and dealing that eBay offers. But it’s also a very competitive landscape since you’re competing with dozens and potentially hundreds of other collectors to buy any items on this site.
eBay is also good for selling your items. You might have to pay special attention to shipping while using this site, though.
Now, it’s true that eBay has a reputation for being hit and miss, especially since you have so many sellers on the site.
The good thing is that you can always choose reputable sellers with good ratings to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Anytime I’ve worked with these types of sellers, I haven’t encountered any problems, so you should do your research before deciding to work with anyone on this site.
It’s best to err on the side of caution with eBay, especially if you’re using it for the first time.
Fanatics
Fanatics is a website that is dedicated to selling sports memorabilia, and it’s a great option if you’re looking for specific items. The best thing about this site is that they offer a wide range of products, including jerseys, balls, cards, and autographs.
They also have a good selection of merchandise from different teams, so you’re sure to find something regardless of who your favorite team is.
The site focuses mainly on American sports teams, but they also have a few international teams as well. If you like to collect memorabilia from basketball, baseball, hockey, football, or NASCAR, then this site will appeal to you greatly.
It also offers memorabilia in soccer, golf, gaming, and much more.
They also have good customer service, so you can always contact them if you have any problems with your order.
There’s also the FanAuctions part of the site where you can participate in auctions, which are updated weekly.
Bottom line: If you’re looking for a wide range of products and good customer service, then Fanatics is a great option. Just be aware that their prices might be a bit higher than other sites (like eBay).
Auction Houses
Auction houses are a great option if you’re looking for high-end memorabilia or want to participate in live auctions.
One of the best things about auction houses is that they offer a wide range of items, including rare and valuable pieces. If you’re looking for something special, then an auction house is likely to have it.
Another great thing about auction houses is that they provide authentication services, so you can be sure that the piece you’re buying is pristine and 100% authentic.
Some auction houses have more on offer than others. There are also some houses that focus solely on sports memorabilia. You can also use other auction houses that deal with other items, too.
Here are the best auction houses to use for sports memorabilia.
Goldin Auctions
Goldin Auctions is one of the best sports memorabilia auction houses. It’s widely preferred by many collectors since it focuses on sports memorabilia as its main thing, so you know that the site is genuine.
A great thing about Goldin Auctions is that they sell authenticated items. In many years of functioning, I haven’t heard many complaints about their service or about any scams that they’ve done, so they are one of the best around.
They also have a strong focus on customer service, so you can be sure that you’re in good hands when you use this site.
Overall, Goldin Auctions is one of the best places to go if you’re just starting with sports memorabilia or if you’re a seasoned veteran looking for new sites to use.
Pristine Auction
Pristine Auction is another auction house that is worth checking out. They are based in the United States but ship internationally, so you can use their services regardless of where you live.
They also offer a wide range of memorabilia on offer, including jerseys, balls, cards, and autographs. They also have a good selection of merchandise from different teams, so you’re sure to find something regardless of who your favorite team is.
One of the standout features of this site is also the variety that it has to offer when it comes to auctions. From daily auctions to weekly, elite, and classic auctions, it won’t disappoint you if you’re someone who likes auctions.
Goldin and Pristine Auctions are two of the best services when it comes to auction houses that deal specifically with sports memorabilia.
Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s is one of the largest online stores and auction houses in the world. If you’ve ever used this site, then you should also know that it offers you many types of products, including sports memorabilia.
This site focuses mainly on luxury items and the more expensive items. So if you’re after something high-value and slightly rarer, there are good chances that you’ll find what you’re looking for at Sotheby’s.
You can decide whether you want to go after more valuable items on this site by searching through what it has on offer.
Sotheby’s is a reputable brand with almost 300 years of history, so if you decide to go with this auction house, you know that you’re going with a reputable house that you can be sure about.
Facebook Marketplace and Other Marketplaces
When it comes to finding sports memorabilia online, we’ve looked at some of the best places so far. However, there are also some hidden “spots” that we might have missed, such as various marketplaces online.
One such marketplace is Facebook Marketplace. This site is known for its versatility and its widespread appeal to the general population.
On this marketplace, you’ll find a wide variety of items including personal items and belongings. You might have already used this marketplace for selling one or several of your items.
But did you know that it’s also a popular place for collectors to sell their sports memorabilia items?
If you can’t find your preferred item on one of the places we’ve recommended above, then it’s a good idea to check out Facebook Marketplace. The great thing about this marketplace is that you can see the Facebook profile of the seller, and you might even be able to find one near you.
Then again, you’re buying from individual sellers, so you might be in for a bit of a risk since you don’t know them and they’re not scrutinized as heavily as on auction houses, for instance.
Other Marketplaces
If you search the world wide web, then it’s highly likely that you’ll find many other marketplaces that you can use for buying and selling sports memorabilia.
Some marketplaces are more reliable than others. When you’re searching or using a site, it’s best to check for the site’s COA (certificate of authenticity). This will tell you whether to trust a site or not at all.
Now, there are many different spots that you can look for when it comes to dealing with sports memorabilia.
You can try several online marketplaces similar to eBay or Facebook Marketplace. There are many sites like that that also offer sports memorabilia.
Whichever site you use for sports memorabilia, it’s always necessary that you make absolutely sure that the site is reliable. More importantly, if it shows offers from third-party sellers such as individuals, it’s even more important to run a few authenticity checks before deciding to do business with them.
