Is Costco a Great Place To Buy a Casket?

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You can buy almost anything at Costco Wholesale, right? Even a casket!

In this article, we’ll take a look at how much a Costco casket costs, how long it takes to get one delivered, the store’s return policy on caskets and more.

Here’s What You Need To Know About Buying a Casket From Costco

As you probably know, Costco offers its members the benefits of lower prices through group buying power. The warehouse club chain never marks anything up to more than 15%, and the same holds true for caskets.

Table of Contents

  1. What Is the Price of a Costco Casket?
  2. How Long Does It Take To Get a Casket Delivered?
  3. Can I Get a Costco Casket Delivered to Any State?
  4. What Information Do I Need To Order?
  5. Will a Funeral Home Accept a Costco Casket?
  6. Must I Be Present at the Funeral Home To Receive the Casket?
  7. Can I Return a Costco Casket?
  8. How Can I Get More Information?
Costco caskets on Costco Wholesale website
Costco caskets on Costco Wholesale website

1. What Is the Price of a Costco Casket?

The Federal Trade Commission estimates the average cost of a casket to be just over $2,000, but prices can skyrocket to $10,000 or more.

Costco offers a selection of caskets that range in price from $899.99 to $1,499.99 — below the $2,000 average. And that price includes shipping charges.

“It lets you know how unbelievably the funeral industry marks up caskets,” money expert Clark Howard says. “Costco has been a big seller of caskets for a long time. A lot of Costco members know that’s the go-to for a casket.”

Here’s a quick look at a few of the caskets and price points as of December 2021:

Casket NamePrice
Casket Emporium Inc Casket$899.99
The President Casket by Prime$1,149.99
The Hampton Casket by Prime$1,399.99
Titan Casket Military Select Steel Funeral Casket, Army$1,499.99

2. How Long Does It Take To Get a Casket Delivered?

Costco says it can deliver a casket in three business days provided you place your order by 10 a.m. PST.

Let’s say you order on Tuesday before 10 a.m. PST. You can expect the casket to be delivered by Friday at 5 p.m. local time. But if you miss that 10 a.m. PST deadline by even a minute, Costco’s website says the delivery would be bumped to the following weekday, so you wouldn’t receive it until the following Monday.

If you’re interested in ordering, customers are urged to call before ordering to “verify availability and to confirm Shipping Delivery time and date.”

If you’re paying by credit card and there’s some kind of hold or decline, that will delay your order. Other possible unforeseen delays that can complicate delivery timelines include:

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  • Acts of God
  • Weather-related conditions
  • States of emergencies

In the interest of making the delivery process as smooth as possible, Costco recommends that customers call the funeral home to inform them of their casket order at least one business day before it is delivered.

3. Can I Get a Costco Casket Delivered to Any State?

The Federal Trade Commission has rules stating that funeral homes must accept any casket purchased from a third-party source. Costco can deliver to the majority of states in the U.S.

  1. Alabama
  2. Arizona
  3. Arkansas
  4. California
  5. Colorado
  6. Connecticut
  7. Delaware
  8. District of Columbia
  9. Florida
  10. Georgia
  11. Idaho
  12. Illinois
  13. Indiana
  14. Iowa
  15. Kansas
  16. Kentucky
  17. Louisiana
  18. Maine
  19. Maryland
  20. Massachusetts
  21. Michigan
  22. Minnesota
  23. Mississippi
  24. Missouri
  25. Montana
  26. Nebraska
  27. Nevada
  28. New Hampshire
  29. New Jersey
  30. New Mexico
  31. New York
  32. North Carolina
  33. North Dakota
  34. Ohio
  35. Oklahoma
  36. Oregon
  37. Pennsylvania
  38. Rhode Island
  39. South Carolina
  40. South Dakota
  41. Tennessee
  42. Texas
  43. Utah
  44. Vermont
  45. Virginia
  46. Washington
  47. West Virginia
  48. Wisconsin
  49. Wyoming

4. What Information Do I Need To Order?

To expedite the ordering process, Costco says you should have the following information on hand for the “Shipping Address” at checkout:

  • First and last name of the deceased
  • Name of mortuary or funeral home
  • Address of mortuary or funeral home
  • Phone number of mortuary or funeral home

Additionally, you’ll need the following information for the “Billing Address” at checkout:

  • First and last name of the paying customer
  • Company name to bill (if applicable)
  • Customer’s billing address
  • Phone number of the paying customer

5. Will a Funeral Home Accept a Costco Casket?

As stated earlier, a funeral home must accept a casket that you purchase from Costco per FTC rules.

The “What Consumers Cannot Be Required To Purchase” section of the FTC Funeral Rule expressly states that a funeral home:

“… Cannot refuse to serve a family because they do not purchase one particular item (e.g., a casket or embalming) or a combination of items or services.”

In addition, both state and federal laws bar a funeral home from charging any additional fees for your Costco casket purchase.

6. Must I Be Present at the Funeral Home To Receive the Casket?

Fortunately, you do not have to be at the funeral home when the casket is delivered. If you’re told by the funeral home that you do, push back. Costco’s website recommends you tell them any requirement for you to be there for delivery is a violation of Section 453.4(b)(1) of the FTC Funeral Rule.

However, we should note that if the casket is being delivered to somewhere other than a funeral home, you or someone else will need to be there to receive it. You can coordinate this delivery with the carrier.

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7. Can I Return a Costco Casket?

Costco is known for its generous return policy. But that policy extends to caskets in only limited circumstances. According to the website, “Costco.com will only accept a return of a casket due to freight or cosmetic damage from shipping.”

If you believe you have grounds to return a casket, don’t try to do it at your local warehouse club. Instead, call 1-800-955-2292 or email [email protected] for further instructions on the returns process for caskets.

8. How Can I Get More Information?

You can use the contact information reference above to get additional information before making your mind up about this important and sensitive end-of-life issue: 1-800-955-2292 or email [email protected].

Final Thoughts

Costco offers very affordable prices on caskets. But they’re not the only ones who give consumers a solid option for shopping away from the funeral home.

Both Walmart and Amazon have even more casket options available online than Costco does. We’ve got a look at what they offer in our article titled: You can save big money on caskets at Costco, Walmart and Amazon.

More Resources From Clark.com:

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