Costco has ended this online service without notice

Costco has shut down its Costco Next online marketplace.

The service, which would let Costco members order discounted products and services directly from several dozen companies, was shuttered recently. Among the companies available through Costco Next were Anker Electronics, Priority Bicycles and Viking Culinary.

Visitors to the Costco Next page on the warehouse retailer's website are met with this message: "Access to Costco Next store fronts is no longer available. Please refer to the list below for contact information for vendors with active return policies. For eligible returns and warranty inquiries, contact the vendor directly."

The closure of the service apparently came without warning, according to media outlets and chatter on Reddit. Costco Next "suddenly shut down this week, without any announcement," reported the East Bay Times, a San Francisco Bay Area newspaper, on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Many members likely are just learning about the service amid reports of its demise. "Me learning about it on the day it disappeared might be part of the reason it's gone," posted one person in a Costco chat on Reddit.

Costco hasn't released much information about the program. But Nino Garcia, assistant general merchandise manager for Costco Next, is quoted in an article…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/money/