What about all the other car parts at the "big name" suppliers like Napa, Autoxzone, etc. that have 10 year old hoses, or 10 year old bushings, or 10 year old TRE's, etc. sitting on their shelves in a warehouse somewhere that they continue to stock their stores with?
What if I said I had a set of factory MJ bedsides that were "new". We all know those are over 10 years old. Would you be upset if you laid down some cash on those?
Point is that not just the tire industry does it. A part that is not used and in original packaging is considered new; no matter hold old it is.
Non-the-less it's an interesting topic about the tires...
NOS ---- new old stock
this is a term that is used alot in the "classic car" parts areana