Costco Speaker Return Policy: Ultimate Guide

As one of the most popular retailers in the country, Costco stocks a wide range of tech including a good selection of wireless and wired speakers from brands such as:

• Sony
• Bose
• Sonos
• JBL
• ION
• Polk and
• Apple

If you’ve recently picked up some speakers from Costco or are thinking of doing so, and you want to get up to speed with their returns policy, we’ve got you covered.

This article will cover how long you’ll get to make a return, how to return, whether you’ll need a receipt, how long your return will take, and much more.

Let’s dive in…

What is Costco’s Speaker Return Policy? The Short Answer

Costco’s return policy generally allows electronics such as speakers to be returned within 90 days of receipt (subject to the below caveat) for a full refund or exchange.

However, there is an argument that speakers should fall under the 100% satisfaction guarantee promise that Costco provides on most other goods which allows you to return items at any time.

We say this because speakers aren’t specifically mentioned under the exceptions rule which reduces the returns window for “electronics” down to 90 days.

However, there seems to be some inconsistency between Costco stores and Costco employees on this point which makes things a tad confusing and therefore it’s best to work on the basis that it is 90 days but to contact Costco if you’re beyond this window (we’ll cover more about this below when we discuss what to do if you’re beyond 90 days).

In general, you can return speakers to Costco for pretty much any reason such as:

• If you ordered by mistake
• If you’ve changed your mind
• If the speakers are defective
• If it’s a duplicate order
• If the speakers are an unwanted gift

You can even return used speakers and speakers that have been taken out of the packaging.

How to Return Your Speakers to Costco

The fastest and simplest way is to return your speakers to the Costco warehouse where you purchased them or to any of Costco’s other stores.

Simply take along the speakers you wish to return together with your members’ card and your refund should be processed there and then (or the speakers exchanged if that’s what you prefer).

The other option is to return the speakers using the online returns process which is accessed through your Costco online account.

Simply do this:

• Log in to your Costco account
• Go to orders
• Completed the steps to initiate the return
• Print off the USPS label provided
• Take your speakers to the nearest USPS drop-off point

Costco provides free returns delivery via a prepaid returns label with USPS and there is usually no restocking fee.

Do I Need a Receipt to Return the Speakers to Costco?

You will rarely need a receipt to return anything to Costco as your order can be traced through your membership card.

If you ordered online where membership isn’t necessarily required, you will have been sent an invoice for your order upon purchase. You can also trace the order within your Costco.com account under the orders section.

If you’re returning your speakers in-store but don’t have your membership card, you should present the credit or debit card you purchased on and Costco should be able to trace the order.

What About if I Don’t Have the Packaging or Accessories?

If you’re missing a box or minor packaging, Costco will normally still accept the return. They’re very good like that in our experience.

You may have more difficulty if you’re missing key accessories such as chargers, cables, wiring, or cases. If you’re missing key components we’d suggest speaking to Costco using Costco Chat (see bottom right corner).

How Long to Receive the Refund for Returned Speakers?

In our experience, it normally takes up to 7 – 10 business days for a refund if you’re returning items using the online returns process.

It can take slightly longer than that if your bank or card issuer is on the slow side.

The faster way to secure a refund is to simply return the speakers to your local Costco and your return will be processed there and then and you should receive a refund much quicker (depending on your bank).

Costco’s Speaker Returns Policy Outside 90 Days

As we touched on above, the jury is still out on whether speakers fall within Costco’s 100% satisfaction return any-time policy.

On the basis of the research we have done, some Costco employees say you must returns speakers within 90 days and others say you can return them at any time.

The confusion is in the wording of Costco’s policy which says the returns window is reduced to 90 days for “electronics” but the list doesn’t specify speakers:

It would seem that some Costco employees are under the impression that speakers are covered under the more limited 90 returns window as they are “electronics” but then others disagree and say you can return them at any time as part of the 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Given this confusion and inconsistency, our advice is to err on the side of caution and stick to 90 days (which should be enough anyway in most cases) but if you are already beyond that time then raise the above point with a Costco employee at your local store or using the Costco Chat function and explain that you purchased the speakers on the basis that you could return them any time.

If this doesn’t work but your speakers have developed a fault, you can always turn to the guarantee provided by most speakers. Here is a breakdown of the warranties provided by the main brands Costco sells:

Brand	Warranty
Apple	1 year
Bose	5 years
Sonos	2 years
JBL	5 years
Sony	5 year

Another option is to simply sell your speakers or make a claim against your home insurance policy if it will cover them.

Related Article:
Costco Headphones Returns Policy

How Does Costco’s Speaker Returns Policy Compare?

We’ve done a handy returns policy comparison if you’re thinking of buying speakers somewhere else to see how the other main companies in the space measure up:

Here is what we discovered:

Competitor	Returns Window
Walmart	30 days
Best Buy	15 days (60 for Total Tech Members)
Amazon	30 days
Target	30 days

Final Thoughts

Whether Costco agrees to apply the 100% satisfaction guarantee policy or sticks to the 90-day returns window for returning speakers, its policy is still one of the best around and beats all the other competitors we reviewed.

That plus free returns and a fairly relaxed returns policy overall makes Costco one of the best places to source your next speakers from.

It’s just a shame they don’t have a great deal or variety of speakers to choose from in their stock.