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by Paul Williams
For several years Canadians have gazed wistfully at the terrific wheel and
tire prices and great selection offered by direct mail companies in the US.
Places like the Tire Rack seemed to have just what we want, but experience
shows that Canadian buyers can double those low prices by the time we add
the exchange, shipping, brokerage fees, duty and taxes.
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It got Vancouver’s Mort Koch thinking. He’d been in the wholesale tire
business for 10 years. Perhaps the Internet combined with Canada’s low
shipping costs could make a Canadian version of the US discounters work
here.
So TireTrends.com was born just over three years ago, and indeed the timing
was right. Yes, Canadians certainly do want low-priced tires and wheel/tire
packages, without the cross-border hassles.
According to Mr. Koch, business has been great. “We’re not affiliated with
any company, and we have access to just about everything on the market,” he
says. The other key person at Tiretrends.com is Bob Blakeborough.
 Click image to enlarge |
TireTrends only carries name-brand products that carry a full manufacturer’s
warranty. Wheel and tire packages come with tires mounted and balanced, and include
lug nuts, so they’re ready to bolt on.
You can order the tires online, pay with your credit card online or phone
the 1-800 number. Shipping a set of tires from Vancouver to Toronto takes three business days and costs only $10-12 per tire, says Koch. Your order’s typically shipped the same day it’s received.
 Bob Blakeborough at the tire machine |
“We’ve had lots of positive feedback,” says Mr. Koch. “We give honest,
impartial advice, and our goal is to be customer service-oriented.”
The experts at Tiretrends.com moderate Autos’s wheel and tire forum, one of the few places you can get free, expert advice about tires and wheels.
For more information, click on the TireTrends banner ads or go to www.tiretrends.com. Their prices are competitive, and they’re in Canadian dollars!
