I need to replace a tire and can get it significantly cheaper online that at the LBS.

Should I be concerned that the online tire is a few years old or a defect?

Depends where you get it. If you are targetting Ebay, you never know what you end up with. But there are a lot of trustworthy sites lik CompetitiveCyclist, Wiggle, Ribbles, chainreaction, probikekit and more.

I agree that you should be fine if you buy from a high-volume factory-authorized vendor. The major online retailers sell a lot more tires than your LBS, so their stock is generally a lot fresher.

With great pricing at the major online retailers, planning ahead and purchasing consumables like tires in quantity will save you money

Ribble has great prices on many tires and I've been buying tires there. e.g. Mich Pro4 SC are $29.50 if you buy two or more. Shipping is very reasonable and they ship fast, but delivery to the US takes 1-2wks due to random delays at the port of entry.

Don't tires improve with age, anyway? (Assuming stored away from excess sunlight and heat).

In the old days, you were supposed to "age" your tires (sewups, of course) in the basement, like fine wine in a wine cellar.

Amyway you can save a ton if you shop the UK sites. PBK has free shipping and if you are patient you can sometimes get Conti GP4000s tires for about $32 each, including shipping.

Biketiresdirect.com

Plus you earn points/or money toward next purchase!

Well.. i can get them from my LBS for $63 since my son worked there for a number summers and they give me the employee discount.

But I found them for $45 shipped online from a vendor that has almost 50,000 feedback with 99.7% positive.

I'm guessing the LBS tyres are older than online.

Mine specializes in Triathlon equipment and does an online business.

But true, a store that sells mostly recreational bikes with a small "pro shop" might have 6 month old or older tires.

If tires are stored inside, they will keep for years and years. There is a limit, but they are not like fresh produce. I have a stash of tires and tubes that will take several years to use up. It might be more of an issue for racing tires where you want them soft and grippy, but I doubt if you or I could tell if a tire is 3 months old or 3 years old. They sit on bikes in garages for years all over America without falling apart.

I like to support lbs in alot of ways but tires aren't one of them. Usually double the price

Tires that have tread glued on, like most tubulars, vittoria open corsas and the like can benefit from a year in the dark. The rubber hardens and gives you some extra longevity. Modern vulcanized tires don't benefit from aging.

I too support my LBS as much as possible. But sometimes I can get better deals online for certain things that justify buying over the internet.

If you want to support your local bike shop, just do like a public television station. Donate. That way you can buy online and not feel like you are somehow undermining the local bike shop's purpose.

It also sends a message to the bike shop. Most small shops are marginal when it comes to supplies.

Buying tires on EBay is just as safe as buying from any online retailer. You just have to review the seller feedback. Some power sellers have tens of thousands of favorable feed-backs with higher percentages of satisfaction than normal online retailers.

As much as I like to support local businesses, I also need to ensure I get the best bang for the buck. LBS in Toronto all sell components especially tires at outrageous prices, not to mention paying a 13% tax on top. Buying from US retailers like Amazon, Bike Nashbar all charge shipping to Cda and sometimes duties, equivalent to 15% of the cost of goods. Large online retailers like Wiggle sells more selection, great service and typically at huge discounts unseen anywhere, even better when on sale. Bought Campy Zonda wheels and a pair of Conti 4000 tires for $500 Cdn ($485US) from Wiggle, no shipping charges, tax or duty, and arrived in 4 days. To buy the equivalent in Toronto would cost $675 for Zonda's + $140 pr of Conti 4000 + 13% tax = would have cost me $921, a savings of $421... almost the cost of spending 2 full sets.

100% agree, I get all of mine from ebay and most of the time beat other online deals, and never have to wait weeks for my things to arrive due to customs.

I can't remember the last time I bought a tire from a bricks and mortar shop. There are very few consumables where you can reliably get them for 50% of the price that you pay in a store. I'm a Michelin fan boy and could always find Pro3's and Pro4's for $30-35 as opposed to the $60 tag I always saw in person.

OP, just do it.

Just wanted to report back that I received the Continental GP4000S from planetcyclery. It's as described.. .brand new and already on the bike.

[h=1]1 Continental Grand Prix GP 4000 S 700 c x 23 Road Tire[/h]$44.95 delivered

Beware the ebay ratings that are not 99.9 or 100%. I don't mean I won't shop with such vendors, but I also recognize that I could have a problem. It is a calculated risk. Why? It is very difficult to give bad ratings on ebay. There is a lot of red tape. The "system" keeps asking you if you are sure. Then the vendor comes back to you and whines about what a s#%thead you are for dissing them, and begs you to change the rating. 99.7% positive out of 50,000 sales means 150 people persevered to down rate that vendor. And those same folks resisted any attempt to get them to change their rating. And even with the specter of a bad rating, the vendor couldn't kiss and make up with the buyer and make the bad rating go away. There is a reason for that. That is not insignificant. In order to a vendor's positive ratings to be meaningful, they have to be VERY nearly perfect.

You lucked out that your shipment wasn't caught by CRA. When a shipment is caught, typically it's $5 plus HST, which still isn't bad. Order enough, you'll find about half your packages tagged.