Costco Goes China: Tmall Store Now Offers American Big Box Goodies

Costco, the revered American big-box discount retailer, has launched an online store in China, and shoppers have gone nuts, literally: only three days into the launch of its online store, they had already sold three tons of Kirkland nuts and nearly 1.5 tons of dried cranberries.

It's already quite the launch for Costco, which is currently offering only a smattering of the goods they offer for sale in the US. If you don’t find your faves, stay tuned as they are adding more products over time (though some are selling out almost instantaneously).

Alas, the site is in Chinese only, so those who don't read zhongwen need to do a little deft navigating (try one of these guides) or call upon a Chinese-speaking friend to help you check out.

Kirkland’s nuts appear to be one of the hottest items on the site: Kirkland's roasted almonds were previously only available in China for approximately USD 40, whereas Costco’s China store now sells the the same container of almonds for RMB 149, or USD 25.

For an idea of what you can get on Costco's new online store and how much you'll save (or won't) compared to the price of the same item on Amazon.com, check out these deals:

Sensodyne Extra Whitening Pack of 4 6.5oz/184g, RMB 141 (RMB 178 on Amazon)

Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion 20oz/591ml, RMB 86 (RMB 97 on Amazon)

Kirkland Signature Men’s Boxerbriefs 4-Pack, RMB 105 (RMB 80 on Amazon)

Kirkland Espresso Blend 32oz/907g, RMB 95 (RMB 128 on Amazon)

Kirkland Walnuts 3lbs/1360g, RMB 159 (RMB 177 on Amazon)

Kirkland Dry Roasted Almonds 2.5lbs/1130g, RMB 129 (RMB 245 on Amazon)

Brookside Dark Chocolate Acai 2lbs/ 907g, RMB 105 (RMB 98 on Amazon)

Kirkland Signature Milk Chocolate Almonds 3lbs/1360g, RMB 119 (RMB 151 on Amazon)

Photo: toprankedrecipes.com