Top Five Reasons to Buy Tires Online Instead of a Tire Store

If you’re in the market for a new set of tires, there are some distinct advantages if you buy tires online vs. purchasing them at a brick and mortar store. In addition to potential cost savings, online sites provide a plethora of information, comparison data, and helpful tips on tire ownership and upkeep. Finding the right tires can be as simple as entering the year and model of your vehicle and then doing some comparison shopping to find the one that fits your budget and driving needs. When you buy tires online, they can even be shipped directly to an installer for convenience. Here are five of the top reasons to buy tires online:

Price – This is probably the number one reason to buy tires online. In almost every case, consumers can save money over buying their tires from a local retailer, even after factoring in shipping costs. The online sellers are able to offer a lower price because they have a cost advantage. They can service an entire country or even the world from a single or a few warehouse facilities, which are normally located in low-cost industrial parks. Brick-and-mortar tire retailers have a considerably higher operating cost because they tend to have multiple locations peppered throughout their operating area. These stores are generally located in prime locations, which means expensive leases, higher labor cost, etc.
Comparison Shopping – As most of you know, comparing prices at local retail stores can be tedious, frustrating and time consuming. This is especially true for tire shopping because tire availability varies considerably from retailer to retailer and even by location. So, it is very tough to get an apples-to-apples comparison. Shopping for tires on the internet affords the opportunity for extensive research and an apples-to-apples price comparison over multiple sites. More importantly, you don’t have to rely on the knowledge of the so-called local “expert” whose primary motivation might be maximizing profits, rather than recommending the best tire for a driver’s needs.
No-pressure buying – When you buy tires online, you avoid the aggressive sales & “add-on” tactics used by some dealers to sell you a more expensive tire or additional services you may not want or need, like a brake job, wheel alignment or new shocks. While some consumers enjoy the face-to-face interaction of the sales process, many do not, and buying online takes this pressure out of the mix. It also allows you to work at your own pace and schedule.
Data and reviews – Many of the online tire sites have readily available data about each tire that is difficult to find in a brick-and-mortar store, such as tire performance, extended warranties and even consumer reviews of the product. Such information can be extremely helpful when trying to narrow your search for tires.
Selection – Local tire dealers usually limit their inventory to major brands and popular tire sizes at each location because it is cost prohibitive for them to carry over 10,000 available tire makes and models. Online sites generally don’t have this restriction because each of their locations fills a much larger volume of orders. This allows them to carry a wider variety of styles that are almost impossible to find locally—including exotic, high-performance, and specialty tires.

Although buying tires online has many benefits, it would be unfair of us not to also highlight some potential negatives. When you buy tires online, you don’t get the benefit of touching and feeling the product before the purchase. Also, purchasing tires online still leaves you seeking a reputable tire installer in most cases. However, this potential issue is being eliminated by new services like AutoSquad which not only sell you tires online but also come will install them at your work or home. Perhaps the biggest drawback of purchasing tires online is the amount of time (usually 2-3 days) before they arrive to your doorstep or your preferred installer. This is why buying tires online may not be the best option in cases of emergency. But all in all, there is money to be saved, and buying tires online can take a lot of the hassle out of the process.

To experience the convenience of shopping online for your tires, visit our website and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

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