Newbie to suspension need help with replacement

I have the Tacoma 2016 DC sports (90k miles, stock suspension, 600-800lbs load in the bed once a week). I went into Big O Tire for a tire patch recently and they told me that my struts and shocks are bad. There is an uneven wear pattern on my tires. I inspected the strut and shock and they showed no signs of oil leak. In fact, they are pretty clean and look to be in good condition. How else can i determine if they are bad?
In anticipation of if I need to replace them, i have been researching and have a few questions.

- Seems like the tacoma does not have a "strut" system but a coil spring over shock for the front. So would it be better to keep the stock coil spring and replace just the front shock or buy those assembly sets?
- What brands do you guys recommend? My budget would be $500-$700 for replacing all four. I see a few YouTube videos recommending KYB and stay away from Monroe. I know I don't want spend money on Bilstein as i think they are over-killed for my needs. How about those brands that are sold by Napa, AutoZone, O'Reilly's, etc.. stores?

TIA

 

nothing is wrong with ur shocks keep driving they are salesman thats ther job

 

90k miles on original shocks? Yes I would replace them. I said I, meaning that's what I would do. $500-$700 gets you bilstein 5100's all around. Or Eibach shocks. I'd skip the kyb, or auto parts store brand. Also if you are satisfied with your ride height, then your factory coil springs can be reused.

 

You can test them. Remove them and see if they have any resistance left. If they collapse easy, they are toasted.

Also just saw this in the for sale thread.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trd-off-road-shocks.778001/