Honest Costco Photo Center Review 2023: Legit or Not?

Introduction to our Costco Photo Center Review

You're reading our Costco Photo Center review!

Costco has become a go-to brand in different parts of the world as it doesn’t just offer convenient shopping options and fast food, but also a range of convenient services.

The Costco Photo Center is one of them. It may seem like a throwback to an era when film cameras were the norm, but it’s a service that comes in handy for those who want to have digital photos printed for physical albums, put into frames, or used as images for a variety of event-centric memorabilia.

But how good a service is it? That’s what we intend to find out in today’s Costco Photo Center reviews.

Presentation

Whatever you do, don’t call photo printing an archaic and outdated service. For all that digital imaging technology and cloud data retention methods have given us a much easier way to access visual memories we captured through our mobile phone cameras, many people still appreciate pictures they can hold or display in frames on the family mantle.

That said, photo printing services like those offered at the Costco Photo Center are a handy thing to have as the membership shopping hub practically has one in all of its branches. However, we have to ask: is it a really good service to utilize?

What is the Costco Photo Center?

Does Costco still have Photo Center?

It is currently in the process of moving its photo services to Shutterfly. The Costco Photo Center is one of several service hubs offered at Costco Wholesale Clubs in different locations throughout the world.

Along with standard photo printing services, it also offers picture print enlargement, printing on different media, business printing, and even printing on different pieces of memorabilia.

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Features 

As a service provider, the Costco Photo Center UK offers the following to its customers:

• Standard printing services which include standard 4×6 prints, enlargements up to 20×30, as well as printed collages made with up to 30 photos at any one time. Scanning of previously printed photos is also offered, but often with mixed results;
• Business printing services, including business cards; promotional materials like banners, flyers, and brochures; corporate stationery, and signage; and
• Gift printing on a wide range of collateral, including calendars, mugs, customized photo books, and even blankets.

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How to use it?

In order to avail of the Costco Photo Center’s services, one needs to be a card-carrying member of the establishment’s parent warehouse club. If you aren’t one already, you will be directed to the website’s Sign Up  page to create a member account.

Once you’ve created your membership, you may now upload your photos into the system using the website’s own uploading facility. This may be accessed through your desktop browser or through the Costco app which you can  download to your phone.

Uploading is a drag and drop affair, but as easy as that may seem we find it cumbersome as opposed to simply using a dialog box and selecting the files from the source folder. 

Once you’ve uploaded the images, you may now choose an image manipulation/enhancement/printing service. However, especially in the case of gift printing and business printing, we don’t like the fact that you can’t save as you go. The Costco Photo Center site also has a quirk of reloading every so often as you’re working and its autosave function isn’t very reliable.

At any rate, you may choose to have the photos or collateral you’ve created printed. Simply select, pay online using your credit or debit card (alternatively, you may use a payment gateway), and schedule delivery.

Delivery is somewhat problematic where the Costco Photo Center is concerned, however. Delays of up to four weeks or more have been pointed out by our review team as well as numerous disgruntled users throughout the past few years. While the customer service team members we spoke to say that it’s mostly been due to logistics issues due to the pandemic, we feel that – especially that it’s been more than two years since COVID-19 first hit – they could be doing better by now.

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Benefits and Advantages

• It offers a convenient way to create your own custom photo merchandise;
• You can transact either in-person or through the Costco app;
• You can have photos printed for as low as $0.11 per picture;
• It enables small to medium-scale or home-based businesses to print their own corporate collateral for identity building and marketing; and
• It saves you a trip to the shop as prints are delivered to your address.

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Users' Costco Photo Center Review

“I ordered a set of prints; four weeks later, when they did not arrive, I contacted the Costco Photo Center's customer service center to check on the status of my order. The customer service representative informed me that the order had not yet been printed. I asked when they could expect my order to be processed and shipped, and the representative just kept thanking me over and over again for my ‘patience during Covid-19.' I've decided it's not worth the $30 worth of prints to sit on hold for an hour to argue with them.”

Brittany W.

“Terrible experience! I spent over eight hours trying to make a two-sided photo card. The support staff had to add the second photo. The software was also impossible to use on my own. The website doesn't save automatically: as you make your choices, you have to go back over and over. There isn't a save button on each page. Uploading your addresses to their website from a Mac is possible; however, the Costco Photo Center UK wanted the format with no periods – so each address has to be changed. Plus, although they provide a second address line for an apartment number, after I entered it that way they wanted the addresses changed to one line only.”

Jo H.

“I never received my photos. I spent a lot on making enlargements for a wedding, but they've been overdue for two weeks. When I called the Costco Photo Center, they told me they would email me back about a refund by the end of the week. – and that's what they call their expedited refund process! Help over the phone was also very poor.”

Louise P.

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Costco Photo Center Prices

Regular photo printing costs $0.11 per standard-sized photo print.

Pricing options

• Business printing services start from $20.00; and
• Collage printing service starts from $1.79.

Prices for wall decor prints and gift items are dependent on the type of printing medium used, as well as the number of items for production. So are there Costco Photo Center discounts? Yes, they usually offer Costco Photo Center coupons and Costco Photo Center promo codes, so always apply them when you can.

Money-back guarantee  

As with most purchases made through Costco, all items may be returned for a full refund. 

Where to buy?

You can access the service only though its official website.

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Conclusion to our Costco Photo Services Review

Now, to wrap up our Costco Photo Center review;

What is it best for?

In its heyday, it worked best for individual users or those printing materials for small businesses or small events.

What is it not best for?

It wasn’t a great choice for printing larger numbers of items as marketing collateral or for larger-scaled events.

Costco Photo Center Alternatives

Chain retailers like Shoppers’ Drug offer photo printing services, as well. Online, you may want to consider the shift to Shutterfly or consider our preferred services like iMemories which also offers conversion of videotapes to digital format – great for saving your home movies from the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Costco Photo Center Review Final Word

With Costco closing down the Costco Photo Center towards the end of this month, we can safely say that it did have a good run while it lasted. However, the past couple of years have not been the easiest for it, and it will be superseded by better-equipped online photo printing and delivery services. But now that it’s on the verge of closing, options like iMemories open for your consideration.

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FAQ

When is the last day that Costco Photo Center will be accepting orders?

That would be Friday, January 27, 2023.

I’m a Costco member. Do I get any perks if I make the shift to Shutterfly?

Yes, current Costco Photo Center customers get up to 51% discount on Shutterfly services in the first few weeks of the shift.

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If you've read all the way through this Costco Photo Center review, we are grateful. Hopefully, you now know the features, as well as pros and cons of this amazing product! We have a large collection of articles, guides, and comparison reviews of gadgets, consumer products, and others! Feel free to check them out;

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