The Amazon Shortcut To Get Kirkland Food Without A Costco Membership

A multi-national wholesale chain where you can get lobster claws and sweatpants, scotch and hotdogs, and even caskets and kayaks, Costco is beloved across the globe. You can buy an engagement ring at Costco or, as a couple in Australia famously did in 2017, tie the knot in the food court. Between the savings and the perks like discounted gas and travel, there's big love for the chain.

But maybe you don't have a Costco membership. Maybe in hard economic times, you just can't swing the membership fee — especially when it inevitably, one day, hits a price increase. Maybe you love Costco but have mobility trouble or live hours from the closest one, outside the Costco same-day delivery range.

You won't be able to buy a $1.50 hot dog or a $4.99 three-pound rotisserie chicken, but not all hope is lost. On Amazon, you can buy many Kirkland Signature products without a membership. And while only Costco members are eligible for same-day, two-day, or cold and frozen delivery through Costco's website, some items are available for same-day delivery for non-members via Amazon Prime, depending on where you live.

Some of the Costco products with the biggest cult followings are available on Amazon, including Kirkland Signature coffee, olive oil, nuts, protein bars, turkey jerky, and maple syrup. The brand shop for Kirkland on Amazon has easily shipped products: dry goods grocery, household products, pharmacy shelf products, and Kirkland clothes.

This means some of the best deals at Costco (the packaged pantry goods, for example), are available on Amazon. And much of it is available with Amazon Prime for free, fast delivery. You can get packs of t-shirts and boxer briefs, a bottle of 400 fish oil capsules, a 200-count carton of 13-gallon, heavy-duty kitchen garbage bags, a 20-count box of protein bars, five pounds of praline pecans, a box of 72 minty green doggie dental chews, a box of 240 Pacific Bold Kirkland K-cups, and a Kirkland Girl novelty sweatshirt.

You won't find lobster claws or Kirkland Signature tequila, but you can get eight cans of albacore tuna and 3 ½ liters of margarita mix. You also won't be able to get member-only items, such as a 20 cubic foot French door refrigerator or a dishwasher. But you can get 3,000 feet of plastic cling wrap and 152 dishwasher detergent pods.

Will buying Kirkland Signature items from Amazon get you the same great deal you'd get in-store with a membership? In short, no. Prices on Amazon can vary wildly because Costco isn't selling the wares itself. Other retailers are peddling Kirkland through the Amazon marketplace.

There's definitely a markup on Amazon, and whether or not it's cheaper than a $60 membership depends on how much you buy. Maple syrup straight from Costco is $14.99. The same bottle of syrup via Amazon Prime is was 23.79 (as of this article's publish time). The Kirkland two-liter bottle of extra-virgin olive oil is $21.99 from Costco, $28.96 from Amazon Prime. Kirkland K-cups from Costco are $32.99; from Amazon, they range from the same price to more than $50. The same Kirkland brand kitchen trash bags are $21.49 and $35.40 on Amazon Prime.

Is it even a better deal than buying from your local supermarket? We'll use Kroger brand store prices. The same volume of extra-virgin olive oil from a brand name like Pompeian is $27.45, and comparable maple syrup costs $22.99. Buying 120 Keurig Green Mountain cups from Kroger, though, will cost you $99.90, and the same Kirkland brand box of trash bags ships for $47.20.

Most of the time, buying Costco items from Amazon may not be the best choice, price-wise. But if you love Kirkland praline pecans and don't go through more than 30 pounds of them a year, it's worth it to get them through Amazon.