You don’t have to hurry to your local Costco to enjoy tons of savings on groceries and more. Shop Costco online instead, and enjoy equally amazing deals without having to leave your home or deal with the ever-present crowds. Anyone, Costco members and non-members alike, can shop online at Costco. That’s right, you do not have to have a Costco membership to shop costco.com. But non-members will pay a 5% surcharge at checkout. Sometimes, the deals are so good, that even with the extra 5%, Costco will still have the best price you’re going to find.
The Groupon Coupons team has done the research, comparing Costco and Amazon to help you figure out which deals are worth your time. If you’re a discount lover like us, you don’t want to miss this.
SAVINGS HACK: You can shop on Costco.com without a Costco membership. Non-members pay a 5% surcharge at checkout.
Basic Tips to Save Online with Costco
To help end the ongoing debate about which online store is the best place to shop, we compared tons of products across both brands to come up with a few conclusions:
- Costco’s Kirkland brand is a huge money saver. Many of the house brand’s products are well-known dupes of more expensive name-brand products. So you don’t have to sacrifice on quality to save money. While a few Kirkland products can be purchased on Amazon, the selection and inventory is much better at Costco.
- Costco’s Return Policy is way more forgiving and relaxed.
- Costco and Amazon may have the same product, but buying in bulk can make all the difference when it comes to saving money. Costco specializes in bulk buying—just make sure you don’t buy more than you can use. That is the No. 1 savings tip.
- Home cleaning supplies tend to be cheaper at Amazon.
- Snacks, toilet paper, paper towels, and miscellaneous household items tend to be cheaper at Costco.
- Costco’s basic membership is only $60 a year compared to Amazon Prime, which is $139.
Without further ado, here's our list of Costco Must-Buys, broken down by category.
Health & Beauty
Neutrogena Sunscreen
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 55, 5 fl. oz. & 3 fl. oz.
Even with the 5% surcharge for non-members, it is still more than $1 cheaper to buy this sunscreen at Costco than it is to shop on Amazon.
Eye Drops
Bausch + Lomb Lumify Redness Reliever Eye Drops, 7.5mL, 2-Pack
For the same 2-pack of FDA-approved eye drops, you can save nearly $10 at Costco vs. Amazon. If this is a product you use a lot, those savings will really add up.
Listerine Mouthwash
Listerine UltraClean CoolMint 1.5L, 2-Pack
There may be a small delivery fee on this item at Costco, unless you spend $75 or more on your online order. But even with the fee, you’ll save by shopping online at Costco and you'll get more. The Amazon option is for 1-liter bottles versus 1.5-liter bottles at Costco.
Baby Essentials: Diapers, Wipes & Formula
Huggies Diapers
Huggies Plus Newborn Diapers
Prices on diapers fluctuate a lot on Amazon and they are often out of stock. We don’t recommend shopping for Huggies diapers at either Amazon or Costco. At Costco, Kirkland diapers are routinely cheaper than any other brand. Check out our Cheapest Diapers of the Week article, where Walmart and Target routinely win for the best diaper deals. If you are brand loyal to Huggies, Target is often the best price. If you are open to other brands, Luvs at Walmart are a great value.
Costco: $39.99 for 148 size newborn diapers
Amazon: $56.99 for 128 size newborn diapers
Similac Baby Formula
Similac Pro-Sensitive Infant Formula, 34oz.
You have to be a Costco member to buy formula, so we can't really compare the pricing on this item. On this one, Amazon wins by a technicality because anyone can buy it whenever they need to, but Costco does likely have lower prices.
Costco: Members only pricing
Amazon: $34.18 for 29.8oz. with 5% Amazon Subscribe & Save discount
Pampers Baby Wipes
Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes
Costco doesn't have Pampers wipes, but wipes are wipes in almost all cases. And baby wipes are a great bulk buy. You will need so many more than you ever thought possible. Dollar for dollar, it’s a no-brainer to buy the wipes at Costco—you get just 36 fewer wipes for about half the price.
Costco: $21.99 for 900 Count
Amazon: $42.99 for 936 Count
Household Essentials
Tide Laundry Detergent
Tide Advanced Power Ultra Concentrated Liquid Laundry Detergent, 150 Fl. Oz.
It’s easy to compare the two because the product is exactly the same, even if the sizes aren't exactly alike. Per load, the savings are $0.32 (Costco) vs. $0.56 (Amazon). That means it's almost double the price to buy online at Amazon.
Costco: $24.99 (138 fl. oz., 78 loads)
Amazon: $49.94 (150 fl. oz., 89 loads)
Cascade Dishwasher Pods
Cascade Complete Dishwasher Detergent Actionpacs, 90-Count
This was one of the bigger price discrepancies we found in all of our searching. You would pay almost $7 more for the exact same product if you bought it at Amazon versus at Costco.
Dog Food & Medicine
Dog Food
Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain Puppy Formula Chicken & Pea Dog Food, 20lb.
It’s no surprise that a Kirkland product—Costco’s house brand—would be cheaper at costco.com than on Amazon. But the fact that it is 13% cheaper on Costco is a little bit surprising.
Cat Flea & Tick Protection
Seresto Cat Flea & Tick 8 Month Prevention
There are certain items at Costco online that are so such a good deal that Costco reserves them for their members only. This Seresto Cat Flea & Tick Collar is one of those deals. If you’re a non-member, Costco won’t even let you see the price. Just know it’s a really good deal. You could ask a friend or family member with a Costco membership to buy this for you, or you could just go ahead and get your membership today! Trust us, it’s worth it!
