Costco returns: is there really no time limit?

For most of what Costco sells, the guarantee names no deadline at all. That is genuinely unusual, and it is also not the whole answer: two categories are carved out of it, and one of them cannot be returned at any point.

The general rule, and where it stops

—no deadline stated — satisfaction guarantee

The clause names no time limit. It is a guarantee of satisfaction with the product, not a counted window.

"We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell, and will refund your purchase price"

customerservice.costco.com — What is Costco's return policy? · verified 2026-08-20

90days from delivery — electronics

Electronics are carved out of the open-ended guarantee and given a counted window instead.

"Electronics: Costco will accept returns within 90 days"

customerservice.costco.com — What is Costco's return policy? · verified 2026-08-20

And where there is no return at all

Precious metals — no return at all

"Precious metals are non-refundable."

costco.com · verified 2026-08-20

What this looks like in practice

A set of pans bought three years ago, and a television bought six months ago. Which can you return?

The pans. The satisfaction guarantee names no deadline, so age alone does not close it. The television is electronics, and that carve-out ran out at 90 days from delivery — the guarantee that covers the pans does not reopen it.

Check your exact purchase

Product URL, buyer country, item condition. One verified answer, with the merchant's clause quoted and dated. We return UNKNOWN instead of guessing, and UNKNOWN is free.

Try ReturnCheck

The same card, for machines — stable id rc-card-costco-satisfaction-guaranteed · https://returncheck.m-angelmartinez-fer.workers.dev/cards/rc-card-costco-satisfaction-guaranteed.json

{
  "card_id": "rc-card-costco-satisfaction-guaranteed",
  "merchant": "costco",
  "country": "US",
  "question": "How long do I have to return a Costco purchase?",
  "answer": "conditional",
  "depends_on": [
    "product_category"
  ],
  "outcomes": [
    {
      "when": "most products — satisfaction guarantee",
      "conditions": [],
      "clause": "We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell, and will refund your purchase price"
    },
    {
      "days": 90,
      "basis": "delivery",
      "when": "electronics",
      "conditions": [],
      "clause": "Electronics: Costco will accept returns within 90 days"
    }
  ],
  "denials": [
    {
      "scope": "precious metals",
      "clause": "Precious metals are non-refundable."
    }
  ],
  "source_url": "https://customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1191/~/what-is-costcos-return-policy%3F",
  "verified_on": "2026-08-20",
  "warning": "Verified on 2026-08-20; policies may change.",
  "check_endpoint": "https://returncheck.m-angelmartinez-fer.workers.dev/v1/check"
}

Verified on 2026-08-20. Policies change — check the source before relying on this.
Every clause above is quoted from Costco's own published policy, with the page it came from and the date we read it. We do not paraphrase merchant policy, and we do not fill gaps with assumptions: where the policy does not say, we say so.
ReturnCheck is independent and not affiliated with Costco.