6 Costco Online-Only Foods Worth Every Penny And 6 To Avoid

Online shopping is so prevalent that even warehouse clubs, seemingly the last bastion of brick-and-mortar stores, are getting in on the act. According to Mass Market Retailers, Costco Wholesale saw a 21.5% year-over-year surge in digital sales for the fiscal quarter ending May 10, 2026. This online-only ordering helped fuel a total sales increase of 11.6% during that period.

Plus, club stores like Costco were already eating into grocery store sales. For routine household food items like snacks and fresh foods, warehouses can offer superior value and convenience, especially as inflation drives up prices at traditional outlets. These two factors have created seemingly the perfect storm: Online-only grocery shopping at Costco. You can stock up on items you want and need even if the nearest physical location is hours away. You don't need a Costco membership in many cases, though a 5% surcharge does apply to non-members.

However, something sold on the Costco website isn't an automatic "must buy" signal. Although some of the online-only foods are worth every penny, others suffer from lack of choice, pricing, and shipping drawbacks, along with other concerns. To help you make the best choices, here are six online-only Costco food items (though some of these might be in limited supply at warehouses) worth buying and six you should skip.

If you're reading this, there's a good chance you'll drink coffee at some point today. About 66% of Americans drink coffee each day, more than any other beverage. Furthermore, the average coffee enthusiast downs three cups daily. If you swim through coffee like it's going out of style, Costco online is a great place to shop.

You won't need long to find dozens of online-only coffee options on the Costco website. Along with mainstream brands such as Starbucks, Peet's, and Costco's Kirkland Signature private label, you'll find premium and artisan brews that include Jose's Gourmet Coffee, Ruta Maya, San Francisco Bay, and Caffe Vita. There are also all types of coffee roasts and forms, and you can even buy mushroom coffee.

The pricing on this bulk coffee is also very good compared to other online stores. For example, Ruta Maya Organic Dark Roast Coffee currently costs about $32 for 2.2 pounds from Walmart or Amazon, equating to roughly $16 per pound. At Costco, you can order a 5-pound bag online for $49.99 – that's only $10 per pound. Overall, Costco online shopping is a great way to stock up on coffee, especially if a brand or variety you like isn't available locally.

When you walk into Costco, you'll find all sorts of affordable and specialty cheese options. There are even Reddit threads dedicated to people's favorite Costco cheeses. But the online store is a place reserved for the most elite cheeses and the aficionados who eat them — i.e., what some refer to as "cheese snobs."

Even if you appreciate the complex flavors the gourmet cheeses that Costco sells online, you might not be able to afford them. A 7-pound wheel of Don Juan Black Garlic Sheep's Milk Cheese (the name itself is a mouthful) currently costs $169.99. That's roughly $24 a pound — and you'll need a lot of gatherings to use the cheese up before it dries out or develops mold.

Most cheese aficionados are better off shopping at Costco in-person or at a grocery store. You'll find the everyday cheeses you eat most at better prices — my local Hannaford sells 2-pound blocks of Cabot cheddar for just over $12. When you want gourmet cheese, you'll find it in much smaller quantities you can afford and use.

What is food without flavor? The global spice market was valued at more than $21 billion in 2025, and back in 2010, CBS News and McCormick estimated that the average American had 40 different spices in their pantry. If you like to get spicy when you cook, Costco's online-only storefront has you covered.

A solid assortment of spices and seasonings are available online, from kitchen standards like cinnamon, vanilla extract, garlic and herb, and sea salt blends to more niche culinary add-ins like turmeric and steakhouse seasoning. Multi-packs are available for Indian cooking, grilling, and more. You'll find many reputable brands, too, including Kirkland Signature, Kinders, Spiceology, and Nielsen-Massey.

Since these are spices that you're likely going to use early and often, the savings you'll realize are significant. A four-pack of Spiceology signature seasonings (9 ounces each) costs $5 less at Costco than Amazon, and a four-pack of Nielsen-Massey international vanilla extracts is $20 less than if you buy on eBay. People who do a lot of baking, grilling, slow-cooking, or any other favorite method will benefit from getting these wholesale seasonings and spices online. It complements the in-warehouse options perfectly to fill your spice cabinet.

Meat remains a staple of the American diet, and buying meat online has surged in recent years. According to HTF Market Intelligence, the worldwide meat and seafood ecommerce market is expected to grow at 22.5% annually in the coming years, potentially passing $50 billion by 2033. Yet even with the massive increase of online shopping for beef, pork, poultry, and seafood, it has multiple issues that a Costco logo can't erase.

First are the high prices. You won't find ordinary ground beef and chicken in the Costco online store. But you will find very expensive Japanese A5 Wagyu beef tallow, ribeye, filet mignons, and New York strip loin roast.  We're talking expensive like $500 to more than $1,000. 

And that's not the only reason: The cost is exacerbated by shipping being baked into the price tag. (Remember, shipping is never truly free.) This leads to the second big concern, which is food safety. When USDA researchers screened arrival temperatures of mail-order meats, they found nearly half of samples were at unsafe levels, according to Food Safety News. Many shipments were also missing crucial safety labeling and instructions for how to get rid of the dry ice. Ordering meat online takes a leap of faith that might not be worthwhile.

Whether you're on the go or relaxing at home, sometimes you just need a snack. One study found that up to 20% of the average American caloric intake comes from snack foods, according to Nutrients. Costco brings plenty to the table with a great selection of online-only snack foods for members and non-members.

The online pantry again acts as a nice supplement to what you'll find in a Costco club, grocery store, or convenience store. It's easy to stock up not just on popular snacks like mixed nuts, beef jerky, dried fruit, and prepackaged cookies, but also chia seeds, dates, hazelnuts, and many other less-common goodies. Along with giant tubs and bags, you'll find multi-packs and individually packaged snacks for convenience and freshness. Not to mention the very popular Dorm Room Snacks — these are large multi-piece bundles that satisfy all your student's salty and sweet cravings.

There's a solid mix of well-known and artisan brands, with Genius Gourmet, Cherry Bay Orchards, Mary Macleod's, and Prevail earning the Costco badge of approval. It's easy to stock up on snacks you love, and you'll save money. Would a huge beef jerky fan rather buy one pack for $6.99 or 10 packs for $49.99? If you eat a lot of it, the answer is clear. Other benefits of shopping for snacks online at Costco include being less stressed out and choosing what you want without impulse purchases. Plus, you never know when you'll discover an unexpected treasure.

On the surface, these might seem like good items to buy online from Costco. The warehouse has a solid selection of online-only oil and vinegar, especially olive oil and balsamic vinegar for Mediterranean cooking. The Terra Delyssa Chef's Edition olive oil pricing is good at Costco — and you can get multi-packs and gift packs for added convenience.

So, what's the problem? It's all about shipping. Many of these products come in glass bottles, metal tins, ceramic bottles, and other containers with a higher risk of shipping damage from shifting or being dropped. And if a container breaks or cracks, those liquids are going to flow all over, risking everything else in the package. 

Even if your cooking oil or vinegar is in a durable plastic bottle, research from finds that plastic is more likely to leach chemicals into the contents at higher temperatures. Considering the cargo area of a UPS truck can soar past 120 degrees Fahrenheit during a delivery run, that's undoubtedly putting your goodies at risk. I recommend buying oils and vinegar in a store, so they travel a shorter distance to your home and are in a more controlled environment.

Personal emergency kits, including meal kits, are on the rise as people face uncertainties from the rise of natural disasters and other threats. If you want to be prepared for extended power outages from extreme weather or food scarcity from a world war, Costco's online-only meal kits are a good place to start. These kits are great for minimalist camping and hiking, too.

Interestingly, emergency kits largely aren't available at Costco warehouses — my nearest location only lists one in-store meal kit for sale.. But online, you'll find dozens of instant meal kits ready to order. They range from basic eight-serving kits to make it through a few days ... to pallets that will get an entire family through months in a remote cabin.

It's not just unrecognizable sludge, either. There are pasta lover's meal kits, Asian freeze-dried meals, breakfast skillets, vegetarian packs, and more. Make your own emergency meals with containers of egg crystals and powders or get freeze-dried fruit for snacking. Pricing is comparable to, and often lower than, other large outlets and outdoor stores. With well-known brands in the emergency preparedness community such as ReadyWise and Mountain House, you're getting quality products that you can count on if you ever need them.

I love freshly made cake or batches of cookies as much as anyone. Plenty of people do, as Grand View Research predicts the global bakery products market will surpass $700 billion by 2030. But an online order from Costco probably isn't the best way to enjoy them.

Like other items on this list, the online-only cake and cookie selection is limited to premium goods. A medium-sized cake that serves 16 people can easily exceed $100. So right away, we're talking about desserts that most people would only be buying for special occasions.

The bigger question is of shipping reliability. Companies like UPS spell out very specific instructions for how to package baked goods. Even then, there are plenty of horror stories about baked goods that arrive ruined, especially if there's an unexpected shipping delay or a bad delivery driver. One Reddit user and former cake shop worker once described how, even after they told them not to, drivers "... would literally turn the box upside down/shake it 'to make sure it's secure'." You're better off buying them in person or making them yourself than ordering online through Costco.

Do you want to satisfy your sweet tooth without leaving the house to shop? Some high-end chocolates and candies from Costco will do the trick. This is one case where I'm willing to make an exception to buy a higher-priced Costo product that's only available online. Plenty of everyday brands like Hershey's and Skittles are available in store, so Costco makes its online storefront a place for people who want more gourmet treats.

This makes sense because premium products are helping drive the growth of the worldwide chocolate and candy markets. Many mass-produced brands have reduced the amount of cocoa in their recipes to keep costs down, and customers are responding by pursuing higher-quality alternatives. Costco provides these with brands such as Bouchard, Havanna, Knipschildt, and Wild West. They might not be household names, but they're well-respected by candy connoisseurs.

There is also a lot of variety. From full bars to single bites, probiotic Belgian chocolate to after-dinner mints, chocolate truffles to sea salt caramels, you can experience the full reach of international candies. Prices are attractive as premium candy goes, especially when you consider shipping is included. If you dig chic chocolate and candy, Costco's online-only warehouse is a surprisingly good place to buy it. The large quantities let you stock up or impress family and friends at gatherings.

As a current weightlifter and former long-distance runner, I know the importance of good protein, and I've shopped a lot for it. That's why I can say with confidence that, while the online-only protein selection at Costco might be okay for a casual shopper, anyone who's even semi-serious about needing more protein in their diet should take a hard pass.

When I searched the Costco website for "protein online only," I came up with 16 combined protein powders, bars, and shakes. That might seem like a lot, but in reality, 16 items are a pittance. Respected online retailers like GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe, Muscle and Strength, and Amazon have hundreds of options just for protein supplements.

With so many protein products available, you can get something elsewhere that's more in tune with your preferences and needs, and you'll often find better deals with clearance sales, holiday specials, and other discounts. Plus, you have more flexibility on sizing. Costco's protein powders only come in a few sizes while other retailers can range from small 1-pound tubs to 12-pound buckets and bags.Granted, you'll need to make sure you're buying a reputable brand, as some have been found to have lower-quality protein or dangerous metal content. But I think a few minutes of research is worth it to have so many more protein choices.

Concentrated drink mixes have many benefits, including convenience, price point, and the ability to strengthen or dilute them for a preferred flavor. The drink mix market is growing big-time, and Costco has jumped on the train with a solid assortment of mixes available online.

Although Costco offers both pre-made beverages and mixes online, I much prefer the mix options. They cost much less per serving since 1) the drink hasn't yet been mixed, and 2) the shipping weight is much lower. Drink mixes also don't have the same shipping concerns as ready-made drinks since, in most cases, there's no liquid to potentially leak.

The warehouse has a pretty good selection of mainstream and premium drink brands, including Liquid I.V., Zipfizz, Koa Mana, Optimum Nutrition, and Starbucks. You'll find many types of drinks, too. Choose basic flavored water, sports drinks, energy drink mixes, superfood drinks, herbal teas, and more. Order hot cocoa mix to enjoy a relaxing winter evening or pre-workouts to hype you up for an intense gym session.

There are even different mix forms, including large tubs, individual stick packs, and concentrate bottles. Pricing is attractive — you can get 30 Zipfizz tubes for the same price as 20 tubes from the company's official store. It adds up to an excellent personalized beverage shopping experience.

Honey is a great thing to have as part of your diet. It has an array of health benefits, including improving heart health, controlling blood sugar levels, and managing coughs — all with a distinctly sweet taste. But if you're looking to increase honey intake, online-only Costco shopping isn't the right path.

Currently, the honey products available exclusively online are raw honeycomb and manuka honey, the latter being a honey specifically from manuka plants and trees. Both are incredibly expensive — a 17.6-ounce jar of Comvita Manuka honey costs $104.99. 

Ostensibly, there are potential advantages to consuming raw honey, honeycomb, and manuka honey. Specific claims include that they contain more nutrients than filtered, processed, and pasteurized honey. Yet even that isn't definite. While some smaller studies have indicated raw honey is superior, these findings have not been replicated on a large scale.

In other words, you'd be paying a boatload of money for a promise of, "Well, maybe it's better." Do you swear by raw manuka honey? Other major online stores have the exact same honey for less than ⅓ the price.

When making this list, the first factor was selection. Does Costco have a good variety of products available in that category, both in a vacuum and compared to other online retailers? Also, were they similar to items Costco already offers in store, or something different to give people more options? I also factored in my personal experience with some of these items, such as protein powders, bars, and shakes. 

Next was price, which I approached from two angles. One was Costco's pricing versus competitors such as Amazon, Walmart, or buying direct. The second was whether the price is accessible to the average person. An online-only burger pack might cost less at Costco than elsewhere, but that only helps so much if it's four times more expensive than buying ground beef in person.

The final two considerations were quality and shipping. Do the brands Costco is offering online have a good reputation, especially if the customer is paying a premium price? As for shipping, if I found there was a legitimate chance of not receiving an item intact based on industry concerns or customer feedback, that was a major point against buying it.