Modern Tire Dealer Magazine Blogs about Used Tire sales

June 04, 2010
Used tires are not abused tires

By: Bob Ulrich Modern Tire Dealer

When I hear the phrase "used tires," I always think of affordable alternatives to new tires. I never think "scrap tires," which, by their very description, are unusable.

I bring up the topic because since the beginning of the year, Tire King, a used-tire dealership based in Akron, Ohio, has been advertising "Good used tires" for $25 each (mounted and balanced) in the Akron Beacon Journal. Sometimes the ads are full-page ads, with type almost as large as a tire.

In business about a year, Tire King also offers new tires, but doesn't stock them. If a customer wants new tires, Kauffman Tire, a local distributor, delivers them.

But make no mistake, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, the dealership sells a lot more used than new tires. And they are doing well enough to buy full-page newspaper ads.

From time to time, we hear talk of legislation that attempts to ban the sale of used tires. I think that is rubbish. (Rubbish? Who am I, my grandmother?) Tire dealers are tire experts. They know how to inspect tires and when they are safe enough to sell.

Are properly inspected tires safe? Sure. They certainly are safer than bald tires, and they give low-income families an option.

Remember a few years ago when Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC announced it would stop selling used tires at its 2,200 company owned stores? I'll bet the store managers weren't too happy with that decision.

The Rubber Manufacturers Association, which is made up of nearly all of the tire manufacturers in the United States, isn't against the sale of used tires, although it warns that there is potential risk in purchasing used consumer tires "that have an uncertain or unknown history."

I agree with that. In other words, it's up to the tire dealer to determine the history and condition of the used tire. It puts the responsibility on the tire dealer, where it belongs. Want to sell a used tire? Make sure it is safe.

Even Sean Kane, president of Safety Research and Strategies Inc., is not against selling used tires as long as strict standards are adopted.

Three years ago, I received a letter from a tire dealer who sold used tires and was complaining about some bad press. He had been selling used and new tires for more than 30 years.

"Out of the 600-700 used tires we sell each year, rarely do I get one back because of a failure due to it being used," he wrote. "All the used tires we sell have at least 50% or more tread on them, and are thoroughly inspected for cuts, punctures, improper repairs (plugs), blisters, etc., before they are installed.

"All of our customers trust us and the tires we sell them, new and used."

Check the Internet and you'll see plenty of listings for used tires. Howard Tire Co. sells them in Central Pennsylvania, while Atlanta Used Tires.com sells them in metropolitan Atlanta. Border Tire Inc. in the Rochester, N.Y., area reclaims them from car dealerships and sells them.

Bestusedtires.com asks "Why buy new?" and claims it is the largest online used tire store in the U.S. All-Used-Tires.com sells used auto parts as well as used tires. Used Tires Inc. and its usedtires.com Web site wholesale used tires.

I think you see my point. There are a lot of dealers out there who seem to know what they are doing when it comes to successfully and safety selling used tires. So when the government once again feels the need to legislate, and maybe ban, their sale, I just hope the powers that be ask tire dealers what they think first.

GENERIC DOMAIN NAMES AND SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING

GENERIC DOMAINS MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Understanding Search on the internet and the value of Generic Domains
When a business owns the Generic Keywords in the form of a dot com it can be a Search Engine Driven traffic and Direct Navigation traffic Bonanza.
We at Used Tires Inc.were fortunate enough to buy the Generic Key Words that pertain to our particular segment of the tire industry we operate http://http://www.usedtires.com/and http://http://www.usedtire.com/ and http:// www.usedtrucktire.com amongst other geneic URL's we own and then thru Domain FOWARDING POINT TO OUR OPERATIONAL DOMAINS.Tire Dealers need to understand how people search the internet and how they wind up at your site.The importance of links.... KEYWORDS and "Search EngineOptimization" and "Search Engine Marketing" and why and how people get driven to or click on your website from the landing page on the search engine they used.Direct Navigation which means the user bypasses a search engine and types the name of whatever thing they are searching for Directly into the Browser acoount for 10-20 percent of all searches giving domain owners with generic terms(usually the dotcom version) an extra advantage and usually a piece of intellectual property worth tens of thousands,hundreds of thousands if not more. In our indusry the following are the 15 most searched words or phrases Singular and plural version.according to overture.com1-tire2-discounttire 3-canadiantire 4-wheelsandtire
5 -tirerack 6-tiredealer 7- goodyeartire 8-trucktire
9- coopertire10-usedtire11-motorcycletire12-michelintire
13-cartire14-bigotire15-atvtireI hope in the future you will continue possibly with a series of articles bringing all tires dealers into the internet age and helping all of us maximize the net for our business's.Possibly covering the importance of Unique vistors and Page Views,AS WELL AS FROM WHAT AREA THE SURFERS IP IS FOR IDENTIFYING GEOGRAPHICALLY WHO IS VISITING....AND HOW TO CONVERT THESE METRICS INTO SALES!!!As well as how pay per click advertising (SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING) such as Google Adsense has turned ordinary website owners such as www.usedtire.com and www.usedtires.cominto an advertising billboard on the net........Generating $$$revenue for us in addition to our tire sales and incredible Leads.........
Howard Levy, President Usedtires.com Used Tires Inc.