COSTCO shoppers have been shocked to discover the warehouse chain is now selling a new type of precious metal.
The retailer previously had success with gold bars, of which it sold $100 million’s worth.
Costco has surprised customers again with the addition of silver coins to its online store.
Sold in tubes of 25, the one-ounce Canada Maple Leaf Silver Coins are priced at $679.99.
Each coin is made of 99.99% pure silver – a precious metal that has historically held its value.
The pieces are from the Royal Canadian Mint and have an image of King Charles III on one side and a maple leaf on the other.
Although their face value is $5 (CAD) – each one is worth much more than that due to the silver.
As Costco is better known for its affordable groceries, homewares, and electronics, the addition of silver coins to the online store has come as a surprise to some customers.
“Forget Costco chicken, you can now buy Canadian silver coins,” one remarked on X, formerly Twitter.
Another pondered: “What if they start selling Bitcoin?”
GOING FOR GOLD
The silver coins are not Costco’s first foray into precious metals.
Last September, it launched one-ounce gold bars as an online-only item.
The unexpected product was a huge hit, selling out fast and resulting in $100 million sales for Costco.
Similar to silver, gold is seen as a financial safe-haven if the US dollar were to lose value.
CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS
However, some customers who have bought the new silver coins have shared complaints about the condition their pieces arrived in.
Numerous reviews on the Costco website have pointed to problems with the packaging or the seal of the tubes.
They say the coins appear to have been spilled during shipping.
Several wrote that the coins were scratched or damaged as a result.
Costco responded to one of the reviews on its site, telling the buyer that its customer service team could assist with “any outstanding concerns.”
Meanwhile, see which “offensively bad” food item Costco shoppers are unhappy with.
And see which repeated behavior could get your membership account flagged.