Spending Money on the NFL Passion is Fun

Full Review
As a huge fan of the New England Patriots, I have enough gear to probably cover the field of Gillette Stadium. Growing up in New England, and being forced to move to Virginia made me a Washington Caps fan, but I'm still loyal to the Celtics, Red Sox, and of course the Pats.Years ago, it was impossible to find their merchandise in sports stores in Virginia. Thankfully, due to their success and a lot of transplants from the New England area, I can find jerseys, shirts, and other memorabilia usually without much stress. Yet at the same time, when I want a special jersey, there's no other retailer I go to other than NFLshop.com.

Their prices are generally expensive, but you can find deals in their "outlet section." That's where I've bought a lot of stickers, hats, and other items for the house. I've had a lot of luck finding posters and other wall decorations cheaper here, than I would at any sporting goods store in the area. Yet for jerseys, you can't find the retro outfits of years past at Dick's Sporting Goods or the Sports Authority. That's why I go online, as I have retro jerseys of Brady, Bruschi, and Mr. Grogran himself. I've bought three jerseys from NFL Shop and am pleased with their quality.

In addition, the Christmas decorations and other household items have been excellent quality as well. Yes, some of them can cost you some serious money, but if you are a fan, you just can't put a price on your passion. Their online site is very user friendly. What I like to do obviously, since there's only one team I root for, is to search by team. One click on the Patriots brings me a whole plethora of choices. If you see a sweatshirt you like, all you have to do is click on it, and add it to your cart. Then you go through a secure checkout process, and enter in your credit card/home address information. Its very user friendly, and much like the Geico commercials, "even a caveman could do it."

As for shipping, this is where you can rack up some extra charges. If it makes sense for you to get a product close by, just drive over there and buy it. Yet for specialty merchandise, this is the best route, and usually shipping is only about $4.99-$8.99 depending on the amount you spend. The shipping is done through Fed Ex, and most of my items have arrived within a week. There was one instance where a jersey took a couple of weeks, but I couldn't complain that much, as shipping was free during this period. Often, if you purchase over $75 of merchandise, free shipping is included, so I wasn't that upset as I didn't particularly need the jersey for game day.

Otherwise, each time I've ordered its less than a week to receive my new toys. If there is a concern, you can always call them at 1-877-NFL-SHOP toll free. I was worried one time when I didn't get an email confirmation of my order, and called them to check if all of the information went through. The customer service representative was helpful, and was able to relay to me under a minute, that it was in processing. Sure enough, an hour later I got the email confirmation, and my package arrived in perfect condition. I think this is a very user friendly site, and while it is a bit expensive, its a fine way to get your favorite team's merchandise.