Generating close to $230 billion of revenue each year, Costco is one of the USA’s most loved stores.
They stock a wide variety of products including health and beauty items such as fragrances, aftershave, perfumes, and colognes.
They sell a good selection of fragrances from designer brands including Tom Ford, Versace, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Montblanc, and many more.
If you’ve purchased a fragrance from Costco but you want to make a return; perhaps it’s an unwanted gift, you’re not happy with the smell or you’ve ordered it by mistake, then you’ll be wanting to know what Costco’s return policy is.
To help you with that, we’ve considered what the returns window is, how to make a return, what to do with no receipt, what to do if it’s opened, and much more.
Let’s dive in…
Costco’s Perfume and Fragrance Return Policy in Short
In short, Costco’s returns policy allows you to return fragrances at any point as part of its 100% satisfaction guarantee policy. This means you can return your perfume in-store or by using the online returns process whenever you like.
We’ve covered the details of the policy in more detail below.
Can I Return Open or Used Perfumes and Fragrances to Costco?
On the strict wording of Costco’s policy, you can return your fragrance at any time, although this is unlikely to cover where you’ve completely emptied the bottle.
However, Costco’s returns policy is notoriously generous. There are examples of people returning all manner of items for all manner of reasons.
For example, a rib-eye steak that had been cooked and all that was remaining were bones and fat.
In another example, a lady returned a 13-year-old fish.
However, Costco’s generous returns policy does not give you free rein to make numerous and repeat returns – this is likely to get your account suspended rather quickly or worse.
To keep your account safe, we’d suggest only returning perfume and fragrances if:
- It’s an unwanted gift
- You’re not happy with the smell
- The fragrance goes bad quickly
- The order was a mistake
- The order is no longer required
In short, you can return opened and used fragrances – just don’t take the proverbial.
How to Return Perfume or Fragrances to Costco?
If you purchased your fragrance in-store, then simply return the item to the store you purchased it from or any of the other stores.
You’ll need to present your membership card when doing so.
Check out Costco’s warehouse locator if you’re wondering where the nearest store is.
You can also return a fragrance using Costco’s online process:
- Log in to your Costco account
- Go to your Orders and the returns section
- Complete any steps required
- Print off the returns label from USPS and drop your fragrance at your nearest USPS store
Is it Free to Return a Fragrance or Perfume to Costco?
Yes, the USPS label they provide when you follow the returns process provides free delivery.
Can I Return a Fragrance or Perfume to Costco With No Receipt?
Yes, returning products to Costco is usually no problem without a receipt because it’s a membership store so all of your purchases can be tracked using your membership card.
You will also be sent an invoice/receipt when you order online so your Costco fragrance order can be traced that way.
If you can’t present your membership card for whatever reason then we’d advise taking along a copy of your bank or credit card statement as proof of purchase.
Where Has the Best Returns Window for Fragrances? How Does Costco’s Stack Up?
Fragrances are the ideal gift when it comes to birthdays or the holidays but that also means they have a high return rate.
We don’t all share the same nose so not every bottle of cologne we buy for someone else is going to be a hit.
But how does Costco’s returns policy compare to its main competitors?
To help you out with that we’ve taken a look at some of Costco’s main competition.
Here’s what we found:
| Competitor | Returns Window |
| Walmart | 90 days |
| Ulta | 60 days |
| Saks | 30 days |
| CVS | 60 days |
| Ross | 30 days |
| Victoria’s Secret | 30 days |
| Macy’s | 90 days |
| Neiman Marcus | 30 days |
| Bloomingdale’s | 90 days |
| Sephora | 60 days |
| Nordstrom | Return any time |
| Amazon | 30 days |
| Fragrance.net | 30 days |
In summary, nothing beats Costco’s return policy.
I mean, how can it really?
At Costco, you can return your perfume to the store at any time, even if it’s half empty.
However, Costco’s fragrance range is fairly limited, with only about 30 bottles in stock on Costco.com as we speak so it’s not exactly the best place to source your next fragrance from.
That’s a crying shame as we love everything else about Costco!
Looking to return other things to Costco? Check out our other returns guides:
Costco Laptop Return Policy
Costco Luggage Return Policy
Costco Meat Return Policy
Final Thoughts
Costco offers an unbeatable 100% satisfaction guarantee policy so it’s the ideal place to purchase fragrances from, especially if you’re doing so for a particularly fussy friend or family member who’s got a penchant for returning things you buy them.
Unfortunately, Costco is let down by its poor selection but it does offer free returns and there are plenty of fragrances to choose from.
