Why Used Tire Shops Lose Money Without the Right Inventory

Sep 17, 2025

2 min read

1

10

0

If you run a tire shop, every time you tell a customer you don’t have the right used tires in stock, you’re losing more than a sale — you’re losing repeat business and long-term profit. The math proves it, and the solution is simple: stock the right wholesale used tires that your customers are asking for.

The Real Cost of Missing Used Tire Inventory

Wholesale used tires typically cost $18–$25 per tire in mixed loads (depending on shipping costs). Shops then resell those same tires for $60–$80 installed.

That’s an average $40–$55 profit per tire.

Now imagine this:

Your shop turns away just 10 customers per week because you don’t have their size.
Each customer needs two tires.
That’s 20 tires you could have sold.

20 tires × $45 profit = $900 lost in one week.$900 × 52 weeks = $46,800 in lost revenue each year.

And this is just from 10 customers a week. For busy shops, the number is much higher.

A Real Example From Tampa

Just last week, I spoke with a tire shop owner here in Tampa who told me they had to turn down four customers in a single day because they didn’t have the right sizes in stock.

Let’s do the math:

Average profit per used tire: $45
Each customer needed two tires
That’s 8 tires lost in one day

8 × $45 = $360 lost in a single dayMultiply that by just 20 working days in a month → $7,200 lost per monthOver a year → $86,400 in missed revenue

That’s one shop, one example, one day. How many customers are you turning away each week?

Why MT and AT Tires Multiply Profits

Beyond passenger tires, mud-terrain (MT) and all-terrain (AT) used tires sell fast and deliver even better margins.

Shops source Grade B MT/AT sets for as little as $170 per set.
Those same sets often sell for $350–$500 installed.
That’s $180–$330 profit per set.

Turn away only three or four MT/AT set buyers per month, and you’re losing $7,000–$10,000+ per year.

How Wholesale Used Tire Inventory Grows Your Shop

The most successful tire shops don’t win because of flashy ads or low prices. They win because they always have the right inventory in stock. Customers don’t want to hear, “Sorry, we don’t have that size.” They want to drive away safely, with the right tires at the right price.

With the right wholesale used tire supply, you can:

Keep popular passenger sizes in stock.
Offer matching MT/AT sets that boost margins.
Turn one-time visitors into repeat customers who trust your shop.

Partner With a Trusted Wholesale Used Tire Supplier

We specialize in supplying tire shops with the correct used tire inventory that sells. Whether you need passenger sizes, mixed loads, or MT/AT sets, we make it simple to stock up and maximize profits.