Think

Costco

should've price matched? Let's find out.

Costco Australia does not offer traditional price matching against other retailers You can’t walk into a Costco and ask them to match JB Hi-Fi, Aldi, or anyone else. It’s not part of their policy.

But Costco does offer price adjustments on its own prices. That means if you buy something and the price drops at Costco within 30 days, you can request a refund for the difference.

✅ Eligibility Criteria:

• Price drop must be from Costco itself (not a competitor)
  
  
• Product must be identical (same SKU, model, variant)
  
  
• Must be requested within 30 days of purchase
  
  
• Price must be verifiable via Costco’s systems or promotions
  
  
• Channel-specific: in-store purchases can’t be adjusted based on online pricing, and vice versa
  

This is technically a price adjustment, and Costco makes it easy:

🛒 For In-Store Purchases:

1. Visit the Membership/Returns counter at your local warehouse.
   
   
2. Bring your receipt or membership card - they can look up the transaction.
   
   
3. Tell staff the same item is now cheaper at Costco (same location or nationwide deal).
   
   
4. If within 30 days, they’ll verify and refund the difference on the spot — to your card or in cash.
   
   

💻 For Online Purchases:

1. Go to your Costco account → Order History
   
   
2. Click Request a Price Adjustment or contact Member Care
   
   
3. Share your order number and new price
   
   
4. Costco will verify and typically process the refund within 5–10 business days
   
   

Pro tip: Follow up if you haven’t seen the refund within a week.

Here’s when Costco will say “no” to a price adjustment:

• ❌ Outside the 30-Day Window
  
  
• ❌ Different SKU / Variant / Colour
  
  
• ❌ Clearance / Manager Specials / End-of-line stock (e.g. .97 priced items)
  
  
• ❌ Cross-channel requests — online vs. warehouse prices don’t mix
  
  
• ❌ Item out of stock or no longer available
  
  
• ❌ Gold or investment products
  
  
• ❌ Resellers / Business Members — must buy during actual promo period
  
  
• ❌ Repeat adjustments — you generally get one shot per item
  
  

💡 Workaround: Costco’s 90-day return policy on electronics (and flexible returns on other items) means you can return the item and rebuy at the lower price — not officially encouraged, but many members use this as a fallback.