Should You Buy a Treadmill From Costco?

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Costco is a great place to find deals on lots of items, but it might not be ideal for treadmills. Here’s why. 

If you like to run but aren’t so keen on heading out into the elements, adding a treadmill to your home gym could be an excellent investment. And yes, I used the word “investment” on purpose here, because quality treadmills are not cheap.

(In my experience, a cheap treadmill is worse than no treadmill.)

Folks who are financially conscious and Costco fans might think, “Hey, I bet Costco has some good deals on treadmills!” Unfortunately, you’re only kind of right.

The prices are good — the selection is not

Those competitive prices for which we all love Costco definitely are there for the treadmills. The Costco prices were quite a bit lower than competitors on the models I researched. However.

The selection is very sparse. As of writing, Costco has three treadmill listings on Costco.com, from just two manufacturers. (Chances are good your local warehouse has fewer than that.)

To be fair, limiting your options is pretty true to Costco’s style. It’s part of how it keeps overhead costs down.

But we’re not talking about only offering two brands of almonds; almonds are pretty much almonds. Treadmills are four-figure purchases that can have hundreds of variations in features and function. You’re probably going to need to compromise some of what you want if you’re limiting yourself to a choice of three models here.

Credit card options are also limited

So, this one might be an issue more for people like me who take their rewards maximization way too seriously. But it’s a big pet peeve, so here’s my soapbox.

Unlike most other major companies, you can’t use just any old credit card at Costco. No, if you want to use a credit card in a Costco store, it has to be a Visa card. Online is a little better; there, you can also use Mastercard credit cards.

But my beloved Amex rewards cards? Nope. You can’t even use Discover credit cards.

As someone who tries to turn every big purchase into a welcome bonus opportunity, I dislike credit card restrictions. If I’m going to buy a $4,000 treadmill at Costco, it would be nice if I could use whichever credit card gives me the best return.

Delivery and installation problems seem common

Even if one of Costco’s three options is good enough to meet your needs, you still need it to get from the warehouse to your house. Then, it needs to go from being in pieces to being in one piece.

The two ProForm treadmills on Costco.com both include delivery, assembly, and package removal. Which, at first glance, sounds great.

But according to the reviews, not so much. From missing parts to incorrect assembly, many reviewers had issues with something before even using their treadmills.

Some of the issue seems to be on the manufacturer, some of it on whatever company Costco contracts with to fulfill delivery and assembly. Either way, you’re now going to have to get your money back.

Plus side: Costco’s return policy is great

Other than price, the return policy is the main reason you’d want to buy a treadmill, or other major fitness equipment, from Costco.

Essentially, you can return anything to Costco for any reason at any time. Alright, it’s not quite that broad. There are exceptions, such as for major electronics and kitchen appliances, tobacco and liquor, custom items, and so on. But treadmills don’t fall into any of those categories.

So, Costco’s regular, generous return policy applies to treadmills. And since I’ve heard stories of people returning items to Costco years after purchasing them, that policy really is a valid reason to shop there.

Whether it’s valuable enough to make up for the limited selection, annoying restrictions, and potentially frustrating delivery/assembly… well, only you can really decide that.

If you’re still undecided about buying your own treadmill, but still want to get fit, maybe joining an affordable local gym would be a better way to get started. That $1,000 you don’t spend on a home treadmill could pay for many, many years of gym membership fees.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Brittney Myers has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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