Costco Next, the online marketplace that members widely considered one of the retailer's most coveted hidden perks, has quietly disappeared from the company's website.

The service offered members discounts of up to 40% on certain products not stocked in Costco warehouses, featuring goods from a curated list of vendor partners spanning home goods, luggage, and electronics. Because purchases were completed directly with brands rather than by Costco itself, the marketplace let the retailer extend its value proposition online without carrying the inventory or fulfillment costs of its warehouse model.

Shoppers who visit the Costco Next online page are now greeted with a message stating: "Access to Costco Next storefronts is no longer available."

Costco said customers seeking to return items previously purchased through the program should contact the vendors directly.

"Please refer to the list below for contact information for vendors with active return policies. For eligible returns and warranty inquiries, contact the vendor directly," the retail giant said.

The program had featured roughly 80 vendors, including Anker Electronics, Caraway, Travelpro, and Priority Bicycles. Under its structure, shoppers who selected an offer on Costco's website were redirected to a custom storefront on the vendor's own site, where the purchase was completed directly with the brand.

Some shoppers said they discovered the closure on Sept. 1, and the move appeared to come without warning. Costco has not publicly explained the reason for the shutdown, which stands out given the retailer's long-standing practice of tying member perks to its paid membership model, a key driver of its high renewal rates.

"A real bummer for the deals," one Reddit user wrote.

The shutdown came even as the platform appeared to be gaining traction. During Costco's third-quarter 2025 earnings call on May 29, 2025, the company said Costco Next's quarterly sales equaled the platform's total sales for the entire 2022 fiscal year.

Nino Garcia, assistant general merchandise manager at Costco Next, previously explained that the concept originated in 2016 and took several years to fully materialize as the retailer refined the program.

"The Costco Next idea was born in 2016 but did not fully materialize until a few years later," Garcia said. "There was a real learning curve as we developed the program, and there were a lot of refinements, from site improvements and product selection, to ensuring that every supplier understood the concept. In the end, Costco's goal will always be the same: offering our members quality goods at a great value."

FOX Business reached out to Costco for additional comment. Whether the program returns in another form, or affected vendors shift their member discounts to other channels, remains to be seen.

Source: Fox Business