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Buying Sports Memorabilia Online Rich Altman of Hollywood Collectibles Collecting on line can be a great way to add to your sports memorabilia collection or it can be a nightmare. In order to make it a positive experience, there are a number of things that you need to keep in mind. 1. A lot of fraud has occurred in the on line auction business. Before you buy from any on line dealer make sure that you know something about them. Any reputable dealer will supply information without a problem. 2. How long has a dealer been in business? Do they have a retail store; do they have a mail order business or Internet business? Established dealers do this as a livelihood and are not going to sell something questionable. 3. Does the dealer have any athletes that sign exclusively for them? 4. Does the dealer do in person signings in their store or place of business? 5. Watch out for dealers that don't put any information about themselves or their businesses in their auctions. Most dealers will put the city and state where their business is located in the information or about me section of the auction. They will supply you with a telephone number or e-mail address for questions and will answer your questions. A legitimate dealer welcomes an educated consumer. 6. Has the dealer had any articles published, been interviewed by major TV stations, radio stations or any major publications? 7. Is the dealer well known in the industry? 8. Certificates of authenticity - anyone with a computer or typewriter can make a certificate of authenticity. Check who has signed the certificate of authenticity. Is it the dealers themselves? Has it been co-signed by a major athlete? If the dealer is supplying you with a certificate of authenticity from another dealer check with the other dealer to make sure that the piece you are buying originally came from them. 9. If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is. You do not find top named athletes being sold at discount prices. 10. Look at the autograph on the item that you are purchasing. Autographs are fairly consistent from one piece to another. Most athletes will have some particular characteristic that can be seen in their autographs. Retired athletes autographs may become a little shaky or look a little different from when they were younger. 11. Watch out for weekend sellers. They may be legitimate people re-selling items that they have purchased but you really do not know what you are getting. The chance that they will disappear by the time you receive your merchandise is a good possibility.