The Best Sporting Goods Stores

Sunday, April 2nd

2023 Sporting Goods Store Reviews

Scheels

• Cost: From $20 to $3,000

Scheels has the most extensive inventory of sporting products of all the stores in our review. They have apparel to fit an active lifestyle for all seasons. They even go as far as having a maternity section and list of clothing to fit a business casual look.

One stop shop

In essence, not only could you get all your sports gear from Scheels but also buy all your clothing, accessories, and hygienic essentials too. Scheels is a one-stop shop that caters to all sporting goods needs and much more. As you browse the site, you'll soon see why this retailer earns our highest ranking.

Sporting goods categories

On their user-friendly website, it's easy to find a specific product you may be looking for either within one of their listed categories or with the search function. It would be nearly impossible to list all categories of inventory they have, but here are the main categories and subcategories of sporting goods available at Scheels:

• Traditional Sports (baseball, soccer, baseball, wrestling, golf)
• Water Sports (wakeboarding, snorkeling, paddle boarding, wakesurfing)
• Winter Sports (snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice hockey)
• Fitness & Exercise (weights, boxing, cardio, resistance training)
• Camping & Hiking
• Paddle Sports (kayaking, paddle boarding)
• Cycling
• Outdoor Recreation (yard games, disc golf, skateboarding, scooters)
• Fishing
• Hunting

Thousands of products

In addition to the above categories, Scheels has an extensive list of fan gear for the NCAA, NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. Unlike their competitors, there are thousands of products for all of the teams listed including jerseys, jackets, hats, bedspreads, headphones, framed pictures, and more. In fact, this is the case for all of their inventory. No product search comes up with a slim selection to choose from. There are hundreds of different designs, brands, sizes, and types for almost all of their gear.

Frequent sales

Sales are frequently running on a variety of products sold at Scheels, making their prices affordable for just about everyone. You can shop specifically in their sale section and find great deals on high-end apparel. They have all the high-end name brands you might be looking for as well as lesser-known brands with more affordable styles. When you make a purchase of $50 or more, you get free shipping. With the amount of great inventory at Scheels, hitting the $50 threshold should be easy.

100% satisfaction guarantee

One of the most customer-friendly aspects of Scheels is their generous return policy. Unlike most competitors, there is no timeline for returning your items. Their 100% satisfaction guarantee means you can return a product for a full refund at any time as long as you have the receipt. Without the receipt, Scheels still allows exchanges and in-store credit. Refunds appear within 3-5 days of returning your purchase.

Highest rating

The Better Business Bureau and other third-party sites give Scheels an A+ rating. We are very impressed with their extensive inventory, affordable prices, and generous return policy, making it easy for customers like you to find the gear, apparel, and sports accessories you need. If you're looking for sporting goods, we recommend that you make Scheels your first stop. This store earns our highest rating. .

Anthem Sports

• Cost: From $5 to $52,000

Anthem Sports has categories, sub-categories, and even sub-sub categories of almost any sports product you can think of. Their easy-to-navigate website makes it simple to find what you're looking for and filter down your results by price, brand, product size, and type. If you're overwhelmed by the list of options for each type of equipment, you can skip some clicking by just using the search bar to find what you need.

Wide variety of sports

A wide selection of sports equipment (apparel, training gear, balls, bags, nets, bats) are available on the Anthem Sports site for the following sports:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Football
• Lacrosse
• Soccer
• Softball
• Track & Field
• Volleyball
• Tennis
• Street and Field Hockey
• Wrestling
• Gymnastics
• Golf Training

Home gaming equipment

This is not an all-inclusive list for athletes, since sports like swimming, cheerleading, yoga, pickleball, and more are not listed. However, they do have an impressive list of additional equipment that includes things like industrial bleachers, scoreboards, floor mats, and U.S. flags. Anthem Sports even sells home gaming equipment like ping pong tables, air hockey tables, darts, shuffleboard, and more.

Affordable prices

Although most products have name-brand options, there are lower-end equipment choices that make prices more affordable. Anthem Sports runs seasonal sales that you can keep an eye out for to score some deals. If you subscribe to their email list, you can immediately get 10% off your next purchase of $100 or more. A clearance section makes it easy to check if there are good discounts on any of the specific products you are looking for.

30-day return policy

A 30-day return policy is in place for customers to return any new or unused items for a refund. If all the product tags and packaging are intact with the return, customers can receive a full refund. The one caveat here is that any larger items shipped via truck are subject to a 20% restocking fee. For questions about this and to initiate a return, customer service can be contacted by phone Monday - Friday during the hours of 8:30 am to 5:00 pm EST.

Solid choice

The Better Business Bureau gives Anthem Sports an A- rating. Overall, positive reviews from other third-parties make Anthem Sports a solid choice for fulfilling your sporting goods needs. For most athletes, coaches, or sporting entities, you'll find what you're looking for within the product selection here. We recommend Anthem Sports as a reliable place to buy sporting goods.

Dick's Sporting Goods

• Cost: From $15 to $6,000

Dick's Sporting Goods was established in 1948 and has kept pace with changing trends and popular hobbies. They are the largest sporting goods entity in the United States and have a more exhaustive list of products than almost any other sporting goods store we have found. They meet the product needs of traditional athletes as well as people interested in camping, biking, kayaking, fishing, and more. Customers can purchase from Dick's Sporting Goods both online and in one of their 858+ brick-and-mortar stores throughout the U.S.

Actual customer reviews

One of the best features of Dick's Sporting Goods' website is the ability for customers to leave product reviews. Besides choosing from name-brand, reputable products, customers can gauge the quality of their gear based on feedback from others. Not only does Dick's carry sports equipment, but also a huge selection of apparel and accessories. Maybe you aren't looking for sports gear, but you just want a cool new hoodie. Or maybe you just want some new Nike's for everyday wear. Either way, you'll find tons of name-brands with plenty of product reviews at Dick's.

60-day return policy

Most products carry a 60-day return policy. You can print a shipping label from their website and send back your online purchase. Initial shipping costs for products purchased are based on the size, weight, shipping method and the delivery address of the product. Sometimes seasonal sales might also include free shipping, but this is not standard for online shopping at Dick's Sporting Goods.

Best price guarantee

Something to take advantage of is the Best Price Guarantee that is offered in case customers find a product at full price for lower than the cost of a product at Dick's. They will match the price to give it to you for as low as possible.

Customer issues

Needless to say, Dick's Sporting Goods has a lot going for them. Because of this, we were disappointed at the lack of positive feedback found from customers on other third-party sites. The Better Business Bureau gives Dick's Sporting Goods an "F" rating because of how many customer complaints they have received. Some complaints include issues with refunds, items missing from online orders, and poor customer service.

Worth checking out

Being such a large entity, they are bound to have hiccups along the way, but we would like to see these issues being resolved rather than ongoing. Dick's does have a great selection of sporting goods, so we think it is worth checking out their gear despite the mixed reviews.

Paragon Sports

• Cost: From $15 to $2,800

Paragon Sports is where rugged meets classy. You'll pay a pretty penny for the apparel and gear sold through their store, but you'll get a high-end product in return. Paragon Sports' brick-and-mortar store is located in New York City, so if you're not nearby, the online store is the way to go. The website is professional, clean, and easy to navigate.

Focused no apparel

Paragon Sports' bread and butter is the apparel for sports and outdoor hobbies, not so much the gear specific for performing them, although they do carry some. You can find categories for men, women, and children here in name-brands that literally cover the whole alphabet from A - Z. Customers can shop by the type of apparel they're looking for or by the sport they're wanting to play. From travel to camping to cycling to ice hockey, they pretty much have something for all athletes in any season.

Free shipping over $49

Shipping is free if you spend $49 or more on products at Paragon Sports. This would be easy to do considering you can expect to spend around $50 or more on any given product. The price tags for their apparel might be limiting for some customers who are wanting good clothing and gear, but not necessarily the high-end fancy stuff. For an initial purchase, to help offset higher prices, customers receive 15% off their whole purchase if they subscribe to Paragon's email list.

30 day return policy

If something doesn't fit or meet a customer's expectations, there is a 30-day return policy in place. We wouldn't be concerned with the quality of their products since they carry expensive, name-brand items.

High end appeal

One main reason for not giving Paragon Sports a higher rating is because it may be too high-end for the average customer. They also carry more apparel than actual sports gear, so we suggest looking at our highest-rated sporting goods stores for sport-specific equipment.

E Sports Online

• Cost: From $20 to $5,000

eSports Online has an organized and easy-to-navigate website with nearly every category imaginable relating to sports and outdoor hobbies. Everything from setting up a sport, coaching, playing, and maintaining equipment is listed at eSports Online. The site is organized into the following categories: Team Sports, Individual Sports, Action Sports, Exercise, Facilities, Fun & Games, and More. These categories and the search feature make it easy to find whatever you're looking for.

Small selection

Although there are many categories to choose from at eSports Online, there is not a huge product selection within these categories. For example, if you're looking for a baseball bat, there are only seven to choose from, including bats for tee ball. This could be problematic for serious baseball players since there are thousands of styles, weights, and lengths out there that a customer might need.

Caters to children

Other examples of the slim selection found are soccer jerseys with one type of shorts and two types of shirts, a golf club selection of two types for men and two types for women, just to name a few. Only kids bikes are sold at eSports Online, so it might be safe to say that the slim selection caters more to children or young teenagers who aren't as picky about their sporting needs.

Competitive pricing

Most products are on sale at eSports Online, making them competitive when it comes to pricing. They often have a sale running that takes a percentage off of everything in the store as well as periodic deals to minimize shipping costs. If you find yourself needing to return your purchase, all returns must be authorized by eSports Online and a written return authorization must be provided by them. Sounds like a pain! If authorization is given, items need to be in their original condition, including tags, packaging, and accessories. After this, items are subjected to return charges and a restocking fee of 25%.

Better for kids

If you have a kid starting a new sport and you don't want to invest too much money in gear and apparel, this is a good place to look. eSports Online's selection won't be overwhelming, and you might find the basics of what you need. For adults more serious about their sport, we suggest looking at one of the higher-rated sporting goods stores.

Dunham's Sports

• Cost: From $25 to $3,000

Dunham's Sports carries a wide range of products relating to various sporting categories; however, they do not have near the selection that their competitors do. When browsing their online store, you'll navigate through a very basic-looking website organized by the following categories: Accessories, Sport, Footwear, Apparel, Other Merchandise, Team Logo Product, Shooting Sports Warehouse, and Fan Shop.

Feast or famine

It is obvious that Dunham's Sports puts focus into providing more products for some hobbies than for others. It is not uncommon to click on a link such as women's sandals or MLB products only to reach a dead end and receive an error message that no products were found for the search. Some other categories provide as few as one product relating to the search. Other categories provide plentiful options for customers such as their gun selection. In fact, Dunham's Sports has a sister company called Dunham's Shooting Sports Warehouse. There you can find almost every type of gun for sale.

Behind the times

Besides having a bare bones selection for some categories, Dunham's Sports doesn't have the latest styles in shoes and apparel. Unlike some of their competitors, they aren't keeping up with the trendy apparel made by popular brands they carry like Nike, Adidas, Columbia, or Under Armour. Many of their styles are a bit older, but to counteract this, most things are either on sale or under $100. This is reasonable considering you're at least getting brand-name products.

60 day return policy

A 60-day return policy is in place if you have your original receipt and return the merchandise new, unused, and with no sign of wear. The receipt is also needed if you want in-store credit or to exchange your product. Dunham's Sports does price matching, but the place you found the competing product must be within five miles of the brick-and-mortar store, cannot be an internet retailer, and the competitor's item must be in stock.

Room to improve

If you care a lot about the style of your sports apparel and equipment, it may take longer to find something you really like at Dunham's Sports. You aren't likely to find the latest trends here. However, if you want name-brand products without the steep prices, you can find slightly older versions of popular brands within this store. To save you some time searching for your sporting goods needs, we suggest starting with one of our higher rated companies to get the best variety right off the bat (pun intended).

Online Sports

• Cost: From $5 to $15,000

Online Sports is a smorgasbord of sports apparel, paraphernalia, and equipment. Perhaps, the best and worst thing about this store is that you'll find products related to your sport you didn't know you wanted or needed. If you come to this site being unsure of exactly what you need, this could be helpful. For customers with specific products in mind, the random assortment of sporting goods will make your search harder.

Wade through the results

Clicking on a product category on the Online Sports website might bring up lots of similar products also related to your search, which makes it harder to find what you're looking for. For example, if you click on "basketball", you'll get nets, basketball apparel, hoops, mugs, display cases, and other similar things. It is not uncommon to find that the specific product you're looking for has a very slim selection.

Player-specific products

Something unique about Online Sports is that they sell products specific to players in the MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, and more. You can also search by specific sports teams and find products related to the team. Some items might include jerseys, rugs, balls, display cases, and more. Unfortunately, many of the links to players come up without any product results.

Reasonable pricing

Pricing for sports gear sold at Online Sports is reasonable and many items are on sale. In fact, you can use the search bar to browse products sitewide or search only through things on sale. Prices vary based on the details of the product. For example, if you're looking at football helmets, you'll find NCAA options for around $28 and others for over $200. The cheaper option is a mini size whereas the more expensive is an authentic, full-size, signed helmet. Because of these differences, prices vary widely among products.

3-month return policy

Online Sports offers a 3-month return policy for exchanges and full refunds. They also match or beat competitor's products with their Best Deal Guarantee. For returns or price matching, a phone number, contact form, and live chat is available for reaching customer service.

Better choices elsewhere

Overall, Online Sports has some unique finds that customers might stumble upon if they take the time to browse the site. Customers looking for specific products with a variety of designs and brands should look elsewhere, though. We suggest starting with one of our higher rated sporting goods stores for your high-quality sports gear needs.