Here's What Happens When You Shop at Costco.com as a Non-Member

Costco is unlike most other grocery store chains in that you need to be a member to physically shop there. To be technical, you can get in with a friend who has a membership or with a Costco Shop Card, but generally, it's fair to say that you need a membership to enter.

But while you have to show your membership card at the door to visit a Costco store, you don't need to enter your membership number prior to accessing Costco.com. The warehouse club giant's online site is accessible to non-members, and you can place an order as a non-member as well.

That said, there are certain pitfalls you might encounter if you shop at Costco.com as a non-member. Here's what you need to know.

1. You'll face a surcharge

The membership fees Costco charges help the warehouse club giant offer competitive prices to customers. If you're not paying that fee, Costco will allow you to buy items online, but you'll have a 5% surcharge tacked onto your order. So if you're buying $100 worth of goods, your non-member cost will be $105.

2. Certain items will be off limits

Some of the items that Costco sells online are members-only. This means that even if you're willing to pay a surcharge, you won't have the option to purchase items that fall into this category.

The number of members-only items on Costco.com can vary from one month to the next. You may, however, find that some of the top deals on the site are only available to members.

Right now, for example, Costco is offering $110 off of the Dyson Outsize Extra Cordless Stick Vacuum. But you can't order this item as a non-member.

You may want to give a membership a try

If you find that you're shopping on Costco.com pretty often as a non-member, you may want to consider buying a membership to open up your product pool and avoid surcharges on your orders. Right now, a basic Costco membership costs $60 a year, while an Executive membership, giving you 2% cash back on your purchases, costs $120.

The basic membership could especially make financial sense if you tend to spend a lot of money on Costco.com. Once you spend more than $1,200, the $60 basic membership pays for itself in the form of savings on surcharges. So if you're spending roughly $100 a month, every month, on Costco's website, getting a membership could pay off.

Plus, with a membership, you get access to Costco's physical stores. And if you think the chain's online prices are competitive, you should know that in-store prices tend to be even lower.

Granted, some of the items you'll see on Costco.com aren't available in stores. But products like snacks and household essentials are typically available in both formats. So buying a membership could lead to even more savings.

Plus, Costco wants customers to be satisfied with their memberships. If you buy one and it doesn't work out for you, you can cancel and get a refund. So all told, it's a pretty low-risk proposition, but it could save you a lot of money all in.