This Special Costco Site Has Big Discounts on Items Not Available in Store

A Costco membership gives you discounts on items not available in-store. It's called Costco Next. But there's a catch: You've got to go through the Costco Next website for special discounts. It's low-key like that -- most shoppers don't know about it.

Interested? Here's what you need to know.

Costco Next is members only

Only Costco members get access to non-store discounts. That's because you need a Costco card to sign into the Costco Next website. To use Costco Next, you'll need the following handy:

• Full name of Costco member
• Costco membership number

Members can find both on their regular Costco cards. Members should note that Costco will ask you for permission to transfer some of your information from Costco to the supplier when you begin to poke around. If you're uncomfortable with that, maybe stick to Costco.com.

Read more: What is Costco Next, and Should You Try It?

Costco Next offers non-Costco products

Costco shoppers can shop directly from Costco suppliers. Here's how it works: Costco vouches for hand-picked suppliers on Costco Next. You can purchase items you can't find in Costco Warehouses or on Costco.com through the website.

There are some consequences to this that should matter to you, the average Costco member. For one thing, Costco Next suppliers handle checkout, shipping, and handling. If a problem comes up, you must contact the supplier directly -- not Costco.

But in exchange, you get a broader selection of products than what Costco alone can offer. These include bikes, sheds, home installation services, and overseas skincare products. Plus, you get these products at low, low Costco prices.

Costco Next offers big discounts

Members pay for low wholesale pricing. Costco Next honors that by slashing prices on products offered through Costco Next. Products on Costconext.com may be cheaper than elsewhere.

Here are some examples of Costco Next discounts:

Some products are hard to find outside of Costco Next. Costco claims these products are good deals, but you can poke around Google to double-check. As with any brand you shop, consider how much you trust Costco to follow through on price promises.

Get more with cash back cards

You can quickly get 3%-5% refunds on Costco purchases. The best cash back credit cards offer this perk, no extra steps necessary. Just check out and go. But with credit card interest rates so high, you'll want to pay back every penny at the end of the month (credit card debt is no good).

To avoid late payments, schedule automatic payments to come out of your checking account. Or, pay with a zero-interest debit card, just to be safe. Totally up to you. Some rewards checking accounts even give cash back on debit card purchases.

Costco members can freely poke around the site. You can compare prices like you do while shopping on Amazon or Shopify websites. Do perform a quick Google search, and voila! You know you've got the lowest price possible on Costco Next.