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What does it mean when they say a tire is cupped?

How do tires become cupped?

quick google (just confirming my vast knowledge )-

A "cupped" wear pattern on the tires can be caused by a wheel and tire that are out of balance or by weak shock absorbers or struts. This type of wear occurs because the wheel bounces up and down as it rolls down the highway. The cure here is to have the wheel balanced or replace the worn shocks or struts.

maybe it's time for some AGX's, Scott?

Ok, I need new rear struts. Damn, what did the previous owner do to my car???

Maybe they hauled around lots of heavy stuff/people in the back and drove on any of our wonderful local roads.

I'm beginning to believe that my car sat for a while completely stripped down, engine in the back seat at one point and sitting in the open at one point too with the back seat out. The reason is that those damn little helicopters are everywhere, in the fuel pump housing and in behind the alternator and there's also (a lot of) a rusty colored substance that came from the rear seat when I surface cleaned it. The only way all this could be is if a) something rusty sat on the back seat and got wet. b) the fuel pump cover was off for an extended time and c) if the engine sat under a elm tree for a while right before being put back in.

But that's another story. I need new struts and rear shocks.

junk yards put all manner of parts on the seats when the car is sitting there just to keep them sorted, so yeah I would say rusty seats is abad sign

cupping can result from lots more than just shocks, more likely shot bushings or bad alignment, in the front worn balljoints or tie rod ends is a sure cause, or a very bad wheel bearing

a shock has to be flat dead to cause cupping usually

oh, and helicopters come from maple trees

my tires had cupping before i replaced them from a broken strut top

Hmm, well it's something else to fix.