5 Costco Products For Your Garage You Should Probably Avoid Buying

Over the past few decades, Costco has become one of the preeminent names in the membership-based, big-box wholesale arena. And if the outfit's current status among the consumer ranks continues to hold, it will likely continue to provide its loyal membership base with some legit bang for their proverbial buck for many years to come. The wholesaler now even offers those members an elevated membership tier called Costco Direct for those looking to buy big-ticket items.

As far as big-ticket items go, Costco has come a long way since its early days in the 1980s, and now offers its members considerably more products than just the consumables and homewares that initially stocked its shelves. Indeed, the wholesaler now carries a full line of desirable electronics, clothing, appliances, and sporting gear, as well as a range of items designed to help you out in the home garage. 

Purely in terms of price point, most of those garage items will prove enticing to Costco members in need. But those in the Costco club would be wise to do a little research before adding just any old item to their cart, as some of those garage-focused products have been found lacking by folks who have already purchased them. Here are a few items from Costco's list of garage-ready offerings that you should probably avoid bringing into your own.

Keeping the garage tidy is a constant battle for most homeowners. There are, however, some easy fixes for that conundrum, one of which is adding a shelving system to hold things like storage containers, coolers, and other loose gear. Costco now offers a few different options in the garage shelving sector, and they vary in style, size, and cost. But it certainly seems like one of the wholesaler's best-selling shelving units is one that many members may regret purchasing.

That unit is SafeRacks' Garage Shelving, which can be purchased in white or gray, and is available in three different size variants. At present, the unit — which is priced at $159.99 — has a total of 6,109 user reviews on its product page. Unfortunately, 1,561 of those reviews are 3-stars or lower, leaving the unit with a lackluster overall rating of just 4-stars. The primary complaints focus on units arriving severely damaged from shipping, which, to the chagrin of some, occurs in multiple packages. Moreover, it appears many packages arrive lacking all the parts needed for assembly.

Assembly itself is also a common point of complaint, with many — including YouTuber Praveen takur — noting it's an exceedingly difficult process. Still others describe troubling safety issues around the way the shelves attach, and one user even claims their unit failed at a structural level after assembly. Sure, there are plenty of satisfied customers in those reviews, but many of them also mention similar problems. That makes this one a Costco shelving option you maybe shouldn't buy for your garage. 

If you spend much of your free time in the garage tinkering on your everyday driver or reclamation vehicle, you've no doubt got specific opinions when it comes to floor jacks. You might even have a favorite brand among the market's more popular manufacturers. While the CAT brand has a reputation for toughness on work sites, it hasn't quite carried that rep over into the garage. And in the opinion of many Costco members, the brand's 3-in-1 4,000 lb. Floor Jack is not likely to move the needle in CAT's favor.

Despite the wave of less-than-flattering reviews, many users still applaud the jack for its innovative design, which, in theory, makes it one of those rare floor jacks that can lift cars, trucks, motorcycles, and ATVs, as well as items like transmissions and differentials. But according to the negative reviews from Costco customers, the jack does not live up to that billing, with several claiming it failed to lift or hold all of the above. Many others say it began to malfunction after light usage. Such claims have helped lower the floor jack's score to 4.1 stars from users.

Other users note that the jack — which sells for $239.99 — may also be too tall to fit underneath some vehicles, with complaints about frustratingly slow-pumping times. While other reviewers have not had those issues, according to garage pros like the YouTubers at AllTrade Goods, CAT's 3-ton Low-Profile Floor Jack may be the better option. Just FYI — you can buy that well-reviewed jack for the same price through Costco.

If you've got a tired old garage that is in dire need of a good, old-fashioned glow-up, you're probably thinking about any number of easy upgrade options, such as adding additional lighting, bringing in shelving units to help tidy up, or even giving it a fresh coat of paint or siding. But if you're really looking to change your garage space, upgrading the flooring is a pretty good place to start. There are several different ways to go about that, but if ease is at the top of your list of flooring upgrade requirements, interlocking tiles are a solid way to go.

If you're looking to make that upgrade on a budget, Shop Mats Inc.'s Supreme Garage Floor Tiles might look like a good option, with Costco selling them at $91.99 for an 8-pack. However, the 4.2-star user rating should give any prospective buyer pause, as the first-person testimonials allude to multiple potential problems with the product. The issues range from things like tiles looking dramatically different from the Costco product page when they arrive and being difficult to install, to feeling cheap and flimsy. Among the more troubling issues reported is frequent slipping on the tiles after installation out of the box. Some also note they are easily streaked by car tires, with overall durability also coming into question. 

So, it seems that these particular tiles may suffer from the same issues that some garage-dwelling pros would tell you to worry over if you opt to go the floor tile route. And such concerns might make them a hard pass for some in the Costco set. 

Whether you work in an industrial kitchen or in a private garage, odds are you regularly struggle with transporting large, heavy items from one place to another. Thus, for many, a heavy-duty push cart can be an absolutely invaluable tool that could limit those struggles and potentially even help prevent injuries while you're working. To that end, several of the major tool manufacturers make such carts, as do countless other smaller budget brands, such as Luxor. 

If you're looking for work carts through Costco, you will find a few Luxor variants available, including the 3-Shelf Heavy Duty model, which is selling for $112.99. While Luxor carts are generally well-regarded, according to this one's 4.2-star customer satisfaction rating, it's a Costco option you might want to think twice about. That rating is the result of 658 user ratings, 128 of which are 3-stars or lower. 

Among the more common complaints, users say the Luxor may not be as heavy-duty as it claims, with dozens of customers claiming theirs arrived from shipping too damaged to assemble. That alone might be enough to give you pause. Others cite poor design and low-quality parts as a problem, with some noting the shelves on their cart separated during light usage. Just FYI — potentially shoddy materials were also noted by Garage Kitchen of Science during its largely positive YouTube review. They also noted that the cart required some heavy mallet work to assemble.

We started this list with a storage option that Costco customers might want to avoid bringing into their garage, so it sort of seems fitting to end it with one too. Just for the record, this 205 Gallon Metal Storage Box from Mirador — which Costco members are using as much on decks and patios as they are in garages — is also the lowest rated item here, with the 139 users who have chimed in bestowing on it 3.5 stars out of 5.

That means roughly 1/3 of the reviews are 3-stars or lower, with multiple users claiming this $399.99 box arrived severely damaged from shipping, which looks to be a common problem for Costco when delivering larger items to its members. Apart from that issue, several noted the box was surprisingly difficult to assemble, with poorly realized instructions contributing to the overall headache. Still others complained that the metal materials were easily bent, even if the box survives shipping. Perhaps most problematic of all for those looking to put this box in their garage is that some users say the bottom of the box is not particularly durable and prone to damage with a little banging around. 

The news is not all bad here, however, as other online reviewers have raved about similar Mirador storage boxes. So this may still be a viable option for your garage storage needs, assuming you can find a way to purchase it somewhere other than Costco's online outlet. Because it really sounds like it's best to avoid the potential shipping headaches if possible. 

The purpose of this article is to provide information about a few garage-focused items currently being sold through Costco that consumers may want to think twice about purchasing. In selecting the listed items, we focused first on direct insights from actual consumers via reviews and ratings on their respective Costco product pages. Only products that featured both a low star rating and more than 100 user reviews were included. Professional reviews and product tests were also consulted when they were available to bolster or counter the consumer perspective. When appropriate, reviews from both factions were cited directly to ensure accuracy.