What should a used tire cost?
How used tire pricing actually works, and how to tell a fair price from a bad one.
Price follows three things
Brand, size and tread. That is nearly all of it.
A premium brand costs more used than a budget brand, the same way it does new. A big truck size costs more than a common passenger size. And tread is the big one: the same model at 8/32 should cost clearly more than at 5/32, because you are buying nearly twice the remaining life.
Compare per tire, with shipping
The only number worth comparing is the price per tire with shipping included. A cheap tire with $30 of shipping is not cheap.
Then compare like for like: same brand, same model, same size, similar tread. A price that looks great until you notice it is 4/32 is not great.
What used should save you
Against the same tire bought new, a good used tire normally costs a large fraction less, and the saving grows with how expensive the model is new. The saving on a premium touring tire is far bigger than on a budget one.
Work out the value as price divided by usable tread. A $60 tire with 6/32 usable costs $10 per 32nd. A $45 tire with 3/32 usable costs $15 per 32nd, so the cheaper tire is the worse deal.
Signs of a price that is too good
No tread depth stated anywhere.
Stock photos instead of the actual tire.
No returns, or returns at your cost, on a tire you have not seen.
A set of four at one price with no tread depths given for each. They are often mismatched.
Mounting and balancing
Whatever you pay for the tire, a shop will charge to mount and balance it. Factor that in on every option you compare, new or used. It is the same cost either way, which means it eats a bigger share of a cheap tire's total.