It is true that buying  used tires can in some instances be a bargain, but unfortunately if you buy from an unscrupulous merchant, it can easily turn in to a nightmare.

I have been around the automotive world for many years and thought that it would be safe to buy used rubber on ebay. Partly because of my experience, and also because of the safety net that Ebay and PayPal advertise and want you to believe in. But, I was had . Not  once, but twice actually in a matter of a couple of weeks. It wasn't because I didn'task the right questions, as I knew the questions to ask. It was simply because the seller gave me the right answers, even though that did not correctly describe the item.

The first one was a pair of Pirelli P6 tires, which I purchased from Vycbestusedtires, from Allentown, New Jersey.This seller probably sells more used tires on Ebay than anyone else.I bought an item which was described to have 7 to 8/32nds of tread with absolutely no damage. I asked for the tread depth to be measured with a tire gauge to insure that the statement about the tread depth was in fact correct. They assured me that all their tires are in fact measured with a tread depth gauge. When I received the tires, they looked good. They did not measure out to the claimed 7 or 8 32nds, ( I measured 6/32nds) but at that point I wasn't going to pursue the seller for that even though he was adamant about the tread depth being advertised correctly.I had the tires mounted and immediately noticed an unbelievably loud " howling noise" when rolling down the road.When my wife took the car to the Saab dealer, as part of their inspection they checked the tires and determined that the tires I had just bought were "out of round" ( apparently a problem with the P6 Pirelli tire) and should have in fact been thrown out or shredded, NOT RESOLD. I contacted the merchant and  I  basically got a - " too bad, you mounted the tires and you can only refund in 14 days"-.

But even if they would take the item them back and refund the purchase price, I would still be out $60.00 for shipping, and they have really lost nothing because they receive thier item back . Some product will come back some will not, and eventually there is profit. About three months later and at my persistance this seller did in fact refund the purchase price in return for a mutual negative feedback retraction.He allowed me to keep the tires ( which were already ready for the scrap heap as I had already purchased a replacement ). I was out on the $60.00 shipping however.

My second second experience was with  packlinkmotorsport,  where I purchased a set of four "barely used " BMW X5 wheels and tires ( and you may be laughing now) but I thought my first experience may have been just a fluke.

 I was not really interested in the wheels as mine were in fine shape, but the tires were advertised as practically new (seller claimed  only 3mos of wear and an unheard of  9/32 or 90% of tread) .I thought the deal made sense.And again reconfirmed the tire depth with a tire gauge prior to my purchase with a person named Felix. Thay stood by thier claim and I had them shipped. When the set arrived it was immediately obvious that the tires were not as described. The wear was more like 60% tread depth and not 90%. A fact which was confirmed when I measured the tires with my tread depth gauge.The tires actually had a  6.8/32nds average, which would indicate over a 30% wear and really an item I would not have bid on at all. I contacted the seller with my complaint, but this guy was a pro and immediately escalated it to PayPal .He presented Pay Pal with a story that he shipped me tires with 90% tread and that I must have swapped the tires on the wheels. Essentially a lot of nonsense. Some folks at Pay Pal pursued the matter and after emailing me some requests which I completed as best as I could , including sending in pictures of the item and pictures of the tires being measured with a gauge, decided that the item did not qualify as "CONSIDERABLY NOT AS DESCRIBED" according to their policy and to my dismay decided not to pursue sanctions against the seller.Needles to say I was dissapointed and no longer trust Pay Pal or eBay to protect me against anything I buy on eBay.

Both experiences have thought me NOT TO EVER BUY USED TIRES AGAIN. Especially on Ebay, and site unseen. The best case scenario is, you may save a few bucks.But on the other hand, it could cost you time and money in having to buy tires again immediately after you just bought a set, or to buy them sooner than you had hoped for.

If you have to buy used rubber, buy  where you can physically see what your getting. It is way too easy for a seller to take a picture of good tires and brag about tread depth, and in turn ship you garbage.

I hope this helps.