Many people are unaware that they have options beyond traditional funeral homes when purchasing a casket. One of those options is Costco, which has been selling caskets to its members for years.
However, Costco Wholesale is not the only big-box retailer that does this. Walmart does as well. It makes sense that these sorts of stores would be trying to break into the industry, given that the FTC requires that funeral homes accept caskets bought from third parties.
But buying a funeral casket from a less “traditional” outlet is not always easy. If you’ve read our Walmart caskets review, you will know we were less than impressed with them.
Did Costco fare any better?
Our Verdict – Costco Caskets
Costco sells several good-quality caskets at solid prices, but its range of options is lacking. Furthermore, while they have reasonable shipping times and clear, understandable information on their website, their customer support is inadequate. Even if you already have a Costco membership, we recommend shopping for a casket elsewhere.
Read on to discover all the essential information about caskets and coffins from Costco, and decide for yourself if they are the ideal option for your needs.
In This Article
Costco Casket Options
Like Walmart, Costco doesn’t make their own caskets; they source from a number of different manufacturers.
While the exact brands available at Costco USA have changed over the years, the current options available are Prime or Titan Casket.
At the time of writing this article, the only Titan Casket casket available on Costco’s website is the Military Select Steel Funeral Casket. We wish the variety was more extensive.
Costco’s only other brand is Prime, which is just an alternative brand name for Overnight Caskets. Costco offers more options from Prime than from Titan Casket, but not many.
Across the two brands, the range of caskets Costco offers is very limited. There are just 9 options to choose from. Once you remove the military casket, there are only 8. There are metal options made from thick 18-gauge steel and hardwood caskets made from poplar. But that’s it.
If all the above sounds dry, that’s because it honestly is. It feels like Costco selected the 8 caskets that sell the best and threw out the rest.
Their business model is based on selling the biggest, most popular options, so the lack of choice is understandable, but it’s disappointing.
If you want something unique to bury your loved one in, there are better places to shop.
Quality of Caskets from Costco
We found reports from 2013 from some funeral directors claiming that caskets from Costco often come in with “something seriously wrong” with them.
Reading the comments on that post, it seems the main concerns come primarily in relation to “The Prime Rose Casket.”
So that’s the perspective of some funeral directors when it comes to Costco caskets.
I do have a couple of comments to make on that:
- The reports are from 2013. I cannot find any more recent public criticisms from funeral directors. The industry has come a long way in the past 10 years.
- Funeral directors make a lot of money from selling caskets. They are incentivized to say bad things about any casket not bought directly from them at their ridiculous prices.
My personal opinion is that the caskets sold by Costco are of absolutely fine quality.
This is also supported by their significant number of 4 and 5-star customer reviews viewable on Costco’s website where the common theme is, effectively: These caskets are just as good as what was available in the funeral home and look even better in person than they do online.
Yes, a “Prime” casket from Costco will not be 100% identical to something you’d get from a top brand like Batesville, but it will do the job just fine.
How Much Do Costco Caskets Cost?
One of the best things about Costco Caskets and their fundamental selling points is how much (little!) they cost.
Price Range
Caskets from Costco range in price from $1,150 to $1,400.
At the lowest price point, there are six options to choose from.
The options include 18-gauge gasketed steel caskets in various styles and colors (which usually cost closer to $3,200 at funeral homes, according to our casket prices guide!) and a solid-poplar option with a cherry finish, as shown in the image below:
Now, at these sorts of price points, you will probably be giving up some of the fancier casket features, like swing bar handles. And it’s not like poplar is the most premium wood on the market.
But all you need to do is ask a funeral director for a copy of their casket price list to really appreciate the value for the money you’re getting. Minor features you wouldn’t even know were a thing unless you’re regularly buying caskets are not something you’ll miss.
At the higher end (but still way cheaper than most other options) sits the Military Casket from Titan Casket we mentioned earlier. While pricier than the Prime options, it is $300 less than what you’d be paying from Titan’s official website.
The Issue of Membership
The prices are good, but an elephant in the room needs to be addressed: To purchase a casket from Costco, you must have a Costco membership.
If you are already a Costco member, there’s naturally nothing to worry about. However, if you aren’t, membership will set you back a minimum of $60. This means that the $1,150 casket is now $1,200.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great deal. But it’s certainly less competitive when considering there are some options available on the market for as little as $1,000.
The Shopping Experience & Customer Support
One thing that sets Costco apart from other stores that sell caskets online is that you can physically go to Costco and inspect the casket you intend to buy:
But to actually place an order, you’ll have to do that online or over the phone.
Costco’s website is clean and easy to use. The lack of options is evident at first glance, but in a way, this is helpful. You can see a color you like and click through to the product page.
The product page itself tells you everything you need to know. For example, with The Hampton Casket by Prime, it’s easy to see:
- The features the casket has,
- Delivery estimates,
- The casket’s material,
- The casket’s size and dimensions (especially important if it needs to fit in a burial vault).
We tried calling Costco’s customer support line to ask a few questions about the casket we were looking at, and – they were inadequate.
They couldn’t really provide much more insight than what the product page already states. On the plus side, unlike Walmart, their instant response wasn’t to just direct us to the casket manufacturer.
It is a common theme when buying a casket online to find review sections full of so-called “jokes”.
Usually, things like “my grandma loved this until she woke up.” This is obviously unhelpful and, honestly, kind of cruel considering the sort of people that are actually likely to be reading those sorts of reviews.
Thankfully, it seems that Costco has at least some level of moderation enabled – the reviews are helpful and worth checking for any casket you’re looking at:
Shipping Options
First, Costco currently does not ship caskets to Alaska or Hawaii.
If you’re in any other state, as long as you order before 10am, Costco guarantees free three-day shipping to your funeral home.
They will liaise with your funeral home to ensure it arrives on time and in good condition. They have reliable shipping partners that work with them on this.
This is something I cannot fault them on.
Yes, free shipping is nothing special; it’s something most online casket sellers offer.
However, a 3-day guarantee is solid and more than enough lead time for most funerals.
Unlike some other casket sellers online, Costco doesn’t have a track record of promising one thing and offering something else.
I’ve looked through hundreds of Costco casket reviews, and “my casket was late, and the funeral was ruined” is just never an issue that comes up.
Returns
As mentioned above, Costco’s customer support when trying to buy a casket was… lacking.
They don’t know the products. You’d probably learn more from our guide to buying the best casket.
In terms of their return policy, Costco will accept a casket for return if it is defective or if you are sent the wrong product (screenshot below, but I also confirmed this directly).
Naturally, this is a good thing. But honestly, it’s something 99.9% of people will never use. The unfortunate reality of buying a casket online is that you don’t really have the time to return it if there is something wrong with it.
So you want a company that gets it right the first time. Thankfully, Costco does. Because the number of options they have is so slim, the caskets they offer have stood the test of time as reliable options.
Costco Casket Alternatives
As I hopefully made clear above, I would not buy a casket from Costco.
So you might be wondering what I’d recommend instead?
First, I would avoid buying from your funeral home unless you absolutely have to or they can offer an excellent price.
You should ask for a copy of their Casket Price List, but we found in our casket prices survey that funeral homes are usually marking up caskets a minimum of 30% compared to what you can find online, which is crazy.
I would also recommend avoiding Walmart. They basically offer the same thing as Costco (although with more options and higher-quality caskets), with worse service.
The natural alternatives I would consider are:
Amazon
I’m a big fan of the caskets from Overnight Caskets on Amazon.
They have very reasonable prices, favorable shipping fees, and quick delivery times across the country.
Trusted Caskets
Trusted Caskets are one of our top choices for online casket retailers.
They offer 2-day delivery with a guarantee and handle communication with funeral homes to ensure the casket is accepted (which it legally must be), and there are no problems.
Their website may look outdated, but they’re clearly investing those savings into the rest of their operation and ensuring you get a great price.
Titan Casket
Titan Casket is another solid option that sells caskets and other funeral-related products and services at reasonable prices.
They offer free shipping and guarantee shipping times to ensure you receive what you purchase on time.
Our Top Costco Caskets Alternative
Other casket retailers we typically recommend avoiding due to subpar service and value include:
- Thacker Caskets
- Best Price Caskets
- Fast Caskets
Would I Buy a Casket From Costco?
No.
And it’s not just because “eh, it’s Costco.”
There’s no shame in having a budget-friendly funeral; avoiding ridiculous funeral home prices is smart.
But Costco only offers a limited selection of caskets sourced from Prime and Titan Casket. I would instead buy from either of these brands through Amazon or from them directly.
Costco offers good prices, but their customer support is not at the level needed for making a purchase like this.
If you have any further questions about caskets from Costco or anything else beyond life, please feel free to leave a comment below or get in touch.
