There was a time when you could competitively shop for tire sales. Now all stores seem to price-fix.

[TheBlackAdder]

.




You go from one shop to the next and it's the same price for the tires, no wiggle room.

A place might throw in discounted roadside or warranty, but that's after trying to negotiate a price.


Try going to to several stores, whether big box, 'discount' chains, dealers, etc. The same freakin' prices.



That's my rant of the day.

.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Internet prices are transparent to all sellers

What was supposed to be pure competition became pure collusion.

Welcome to the new free market capitalism!

[Meadowoak]

2. Try Costco or Sam's club, they seem to be about 30% cheaper

Than the other tire stores.

[TheBlackAdder]

4. Tried them, same price.

.

They're the same price as my Subaru dealer, and if that's the case, I'm having them do it.

They balance tires really well.

.

[SheltieLover]

3. Have you broken a strut lately?

Prices are TRIPLE what they were about a year ago.

Put D2 racing coil overs on my old Honda for around $800. Just checked price yesterday. $2,800 for 4!



Oxygen sensor from Honda: well over $500!



Don't break anything on your cars folks! (Inevitable in this red hellhole state as roads -- even interstates -- are like intense off-roading. This is how I ended up with the D2 struts, they have bump stops.)

[Enter stage left]

5. I've been buying tires from "Tirerack.com for over 18 years...

Even with shipping it was cheaper than buying locally.

That being said, I haven't used them in the last 5-6 years, so I'm not sure they're still cheaper.

[Xoan]

6. I used them also about that era ...

I stopped because the installers were crummy with my time.

[NQAS]

7. IMHO it's about more than tires and tire prices

I've been going to the same tire place for 20 years. It's a regional chain that was owned locally until the owner retired and sold to one of the bigger chains. These guys know me, my tires, my vehicles, driving habits, etc. I haven't compared prices but have always had the sense that I was getting a fair deal. And I know that the tires they recommend are the right ones for me. I've looked at tire rack, but I don't know enough to compare their tires to the ones my shop is offering in terms of quality, features, etc. Also, if I buy from tire rack, the local shop's mounting/balancing prices are higher. (In this regard, my local mechanic is fine with me bringing in parts that I've purchased, but their labor rate goes up, and the part doesn't have their usual guarantee of their work. I leave it all to them, and have done for more than 10 years.)

What's more important is that I can go in to my tire shop with any tire question/issue, and they will take care of it. Slow leak? Mystery problem? Excess wear? They sort it out quickly and sometimes without charge, knowing that I'll be buying the next set of tires from them.

The tire place is in a town of maybe 25,000 people, 75,000-ish in the county. And this tire place is one of more than 10 tire shops, plus scores of mechanics and garages who also offer tires (some purchased online and others purchased from any number of these local shops). In fact, a couple of years ago a new tire shop went up literally next door. I asked the guys whether they've been affected. Yes, they said, their sales have gone up. Existing customers went to check out the new place and came back for the price and service. And new customers stopped in after the advertised deals of the new competitor weren't quite what they seemed on the sign out front.

Not having compared prices, I can't say whether your reference to collusion is correct. I can say that there's more to it than pricing.