Gold bugs remain on a roll in early 2026, with the price of the precious yellow metal at $5,200; that’s up from $2,900 one year ago.
“This kind of increase in gold over this short of a period is unusual and has historically been followed by some period of either decline or flat price performance,” Trip Brannen, chief financial officer at Coinfully, told NTD News.
Brannen sees the primary drivers of this rapid increase as a combination of several key factors. “Investors are concerned about inflation, a weakening US dollar, and central banks around the world increasing their gold holdings where they have traditionally held US dollars or US dollar-denominated assets like US government bonds,” he noted. “As a result, they are buying more gold, and this pushes up the price.”
Costco Fills Current Consumer Gold Demand
Consumers are clamoring for gold, and one place they’re getting it is Costco, a global retail linchpin.
Costco sells 1-ounce 24-karat gold bars and coins online to store members, usually priced 1–2 percent above the spot price, but higher if the market demand warrants the markup. That’s the case in early 2026, as high consumer demand is pushing sales above the $100 million to $200 million level that Costco sells every month.
Here are a few key things Main Street consumers should know about buying Costco gold in 2026, so they can start cashing in on the current gold craze.
Current Costco Gold Prices
Right now, Costco is selling one ounce of Gold Buffalo or Gold American Eagles for $5,429.99.
“That’s about 4% over the gold spot price,” Brannen said. “This is roughly in line with where we are seeing other retailers sell these at the moment. A quick look around the market suggests it might be a little cheaper than where you will get these elsewhere.”
Typically, Costco purchases 1-ounce gold bars and coins and marks them up just enough to cover its expenses plus a small margin. “The price is updated daily to follow along with the spot price, so if you visited Costco’s website Monday morning and then again Tuesday afternoon, you will likely see a different price,” Eric Croak, a financial planner and president at Toledo, Ohio-based Croak Capital, told NTD.
Croak said gold shoppers won’t find Costco’s pricing to be as low as their local bank's exchange rate. “For a retail dealership, however, they are on the lower end of the spectrum,” he said.
Membership qualifications are a low hurdle
You’ll need a Costco membership to buy gold, but you don’t need the retailer's top-tier executive status.
“Even just the Gold Star level membership allows you to purchase gold on Costco’s website,” Croak noted.
How to buy gold at Costco
You can’t buy physical gold at a Costco location, but the purchase process is direct just the same.
“It’s an online-only purchase, and they’ll deliver the gold right to your house,” Croak said. “You can typically only buy a few units per membership. This prevents people from buying up all the gold and reselling it for a profit.”
Buyers should also know that Costco typically doesn’t price gold based on minute-to-minute gold price movements. “That means you may overpay for gold because they don’t dynamically change prices the same way a true gold bullion dealer does online, where prices often change every minute,” Jose Gomez, co-founder at Summit Metals, told NTD.
Costco offers no storage solutions for gold, and that’s something inexperienced buyers don’t realize. “You’re responsible for safekeeping your gold once it arrives,” Croak said. “That could be a home safe, bank safe deposit box, or a third -party vaulting service.”
Selling Your Costco Gold
Not only does Costco not offer storage options, it also doesn’t buy gold coins. That said, there are a number of other places where you can sell your gold coins online or in person.
“We feel the easiest option in the current environment is typically selling online,” Brannen said. “It’s easier to shop for different options before committing, and it doesn’t put you in a position of being pressured in a shop.”
Brannen recommends checking reviews and trying a few storage services.
“It’s very important to consider more than just the price when selling physical gold,” he said. “For example, there may be some places that may pay slightly higher but won’t insure your package if it gets lost in the mail, or they will not lock in your price so that you are on the hook for whatever the market does while your coins are in transit.”
Additionally, if you have decided to sell, acting quickly may be the right move.
“Shopping around for days on end to try to pick up a few more percentage points can go against you in a highly volatile market like we are in now,” Brannen said.
For example, you may take three days to find a company that pays 1 percent higher than others, but during that time, the price could drop 3 percent.
“At that point, you’re ultimately worse off than if you just sold immediately. If you’re already up 20 percent or 50 percent,” Brannen added. “It’s often better to condense your research to a day and make a move right away.”
The views and opinions expressed are those of the interviewees. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. NTD does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. NTD holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.