What happened to Costco Next? Customers stunned as access to curated marketplace is abruptly lost

Visitors to Costco Next have been met with confusion and consternation over the past several days after the wholesale giant’s curated marketplace for select third-party goods appears to have abruptly shut down without notice. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened? Earlier this week, visitors to CostcoNext.com noticed the website appeared to be offline. The website was the home of Costco Wholesale Corporation’s third-party marketplace, which has operated since 2017. With no clear explanation for why the site was unavailable, customers turned to social media for answers. Multiple Reddit threads have reported that Costco Next ceased operations over the weekend. Now, when visitors go to CostcoNext.com, they are redirected to a customer support page on Costco’s main website. That page states that “Access to Costco Next store fronts is no longer available.” The page goes on to list Costco Next vendors with active return policies, and instructs customers to contact the vendors directly with inquiries about returns and warranties. Vendors listed on the customer support page include Anker, By Sophie, Gorilla Shed, Priority Bicycles, and dozens more. Fast Company has reached out to …