Online Tire Dealers Are A Threat?

[bunnspecial]

Back in 2016 or so, I put a set of 4 new tires on the MG. The ones I took off were at 80% or so tread, but just old and hard(no visible dry rot) so I saved one with the intent of getting another wheel and using that as a spare.

I found a wheel-or rather someone gave me a matching RoStyle steel wheel-and then tried to have the tire mounted. Most shops wouldn't touch it, and the only one that would wanted $75 to mount/balance a single tire that I brought in. They explained that they charged that price "because of the internet."

In the next sentence, they offered to sell me a good used tire in that size for $50 out the door(tire, mounting, balancing). I looked at what they had available used, and ended up going that route since they had one with a decent amount of tread that was a lot newer(2014 production) than what I wanted to mount.

It didn't make a lot of sense to me that they would sell me a tire and mount/balance it for less than what they'd charge to do the same to one I supplied, but I went with it.

 

[Sayjac]

Quote
….The indies don't see Costco, TireRack, America's Tire/Discount Tire or even Walmart in the same eye as they do with Amazon.

Local shops are selling Chinese tires for the same price as a name-brand on TireRack or even a Costco promo.
Two things here. First indies should see them similarly because they both can take customers from the IDT. In the case of DT coming to the area, that's what happened to me in mid 2000s and never looked back. Besides price, service during installation and after the sale and that includes properly torqueing each lug keeps me going back. Also maintaining and honoring tire warranty, USTMA puncture repair FOC.

Second, "if" the IDTs are making up sales by selling Chinese tires as stated, then they are depending on a very uneducated or under educated tire buyer imo.

There's a member who is/was an IDT, some years ago he posted and was upset because some tire manufacturers started providing WM with same tires as the IDT got. Naturally with WM economies of scale they could/can sell them cheaper.

I did find it curious that the article mentioned Amazon alone, when other tire online sites like TR been around much longer and selling far more tires. I suppose Amazon though is the symbol for all that is evil with online sales. Easy target.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Originally Posted by Chris142
Local Firestone quoted me $320 to mount and balance my carry in tires.


LOL they must be able to afford losing business do to over charging.

 

[WylieCoyote]

The Firestone by my house is always jammed. They have so many cars waiting at any given time (Saturday mornings, fuggetaboutit) they overflow into the car wash parking lot, next door. Clearly, they're busy enough to pick and choose what work they do, as they flatly refused to change the transmission fluid on my '82 Mustang. It wouldn't surprise me to get an outrageous mount & balance quote from them.

 

[avacado11]

It's like a customer wants to buy prepaid debit cards at Walmart and use it on Amazon/eBay, so we're gonna charge extra because they're not buying anything from us. Not the customers fault that wheel/tire dealers put big mark ups on the tires they sell. Also not our fault that there's rarely a shop that gives you a good selection of tires. Clear evidence that the industry is not catching up with technology. When I walk into a shop to get tires and they quote me $850 for a set I can get for $400 + $80 installed, of course I'm walking out.

I guarantee a shop that focuses on the lower but still decent tire tires like Falken, Cooper, Nexen etc. would not have issues like this. Also I'm starting to see a lot of these smaller shops team up on sites like Simpletire to move their inventory quicker. The guy just needs to get with the times. If the shop only deals with tires I don't see an issue at $80/set.

$80 X 10 customers X 6days a week x 4 weeks a month = $19,200

Say $2000/mo to run utilities. You're still talking about $17,000/mo income + the profit you make on your own tire sales. What's the issue here?

 

[DavidJones]

I buy my tires either off of Amazon-Facebook Marketplace-Craigslist and have for years. I've never bought tires from my "local" tire/battery store, but he doesn't seem to mind the $100 I give him to mount/balance/get rid of the worn tires, when I show up.....a job that takes him and his guys about 30 minutes, if that. He could turn me away by charging too much or doing poor quality work but why would he? Cutting off your nose to spite your face seldom works out.

 

[Traction]

All to often I don't charge over my quote, and usually undercharge for after doing a lot of unseen extra work. Like just trying to get the fn wheels off. But, when I explain issues I had to deal with to the customer, I often get a 5-to 40 dollar tip!
Or, like when I can get a set of tires installed from the TR in less than 24 hours of when the order was placed.