It used to be that the vast majority of cricket bats were sold in brick and mortar stores but the age of instant has put a slight spanner in those works. Far more cricket loving people are choosing to buy their cricket bats online. There are cricket stores online that offer expert advice and have great customer service. Online cricket stores offer shoppers a far bigger selection than most physical stores. If you live in the USA, you are more than likely to look for an online retailer to buy a cricket bat.
The trick to buying a cricket bat online is really about asking the right questions.
First and foremost you need to make sure the online store is credible. Browse the site and look for regular updates on blogs and social media pages.
Then contact the store with good questions. Tell them about your skill level of cricket and your budget. If you are shopping on a tight budget, ask them if they have some cricket bats from last season at sales prices. This is often the case.
If you are a first time bat buyer, ask the store if they offer a knocking in service on their cricket bats. By the way, this is another fantastic gauge of credibility. A highly credible store will be able to prepare your bat for you or at least be able to refer you to someone that can.
If you are a more experienced bat buyer ask about bat weights and willow grades. A good online cricket store should be able to give you great options in a preferred willow grade and weight category.
Ask for pictures. This one is important to see if the store is legitimate or if they are selling someone else inventory. Ever wondered why sometimes it takes stores 3 weeks to ship your gear. Well in the USA espcially many "online" stores don't even carry inventory. They simply drop ship from bigger stores never even seeing your gear before its shipped off. Ask for pictures of your bat. if you get an image of the exact bat within a couple hours then you know the store is legit, If it takes a day or two then you know its probably coming from somewhere else.
Use the LIVE CHAT feature, contact the seller and ask for images and more information..Better yet ask to see a video.
A cricket store that is known to be there for their customers is Cricket Store Online. They are a incredibly reliable Cricket Store with a knowledgeable and patient support staff to answer all your questions.