- Comparison Table
- How Does It Works?
- What Media Formats can Costco Digitize?
- How Much Does It Cost?
- Does Costco Offer Tape Repair?
- Is Costco Service Right For You?
- What Can You Get Back?
- Customer Reviews and Ratings
- Costco Alternative
- Conclusion
The Costco name is well-known in the video transfer industry. They offer various services, including converting old analog media to DVD or downloadable digital versions for more accessible storage and playback on your modern devices.
Editor's pick
They provide their customers with a free quote, free image enhancements, professional splices of broken films and videotapes without losing footage, and free UPS shipping.
Many of the customer reviews I've found mainly focus on the photo service, but Costco Photo Center offers much more than just photo conversion.
The Costco Photo Center is a simple and easy way to create beautiful prints and relive moments from your favorite photos and videos.
You might not know this, but Costco Photo Center sends your media to the YesVideo service to be digitized. For some people, this can be a big deal. But, don't worry, we will offer you another great digitizing service later.
Costco DVD and iMemories Comparison Table
Costco Digitizing | iMemories Editors Choice | |
 |  | |
Website Link | ||
Note | Store membership required | - |
Shipping kit (box) | No | Yes |
Free repairs (splicing) | Yes | Yes |
Enhancements | n/a | Included |
Average turnaround time | 3-4 weeks | 2-3 weeks |
Expedited turnaround time | n/a | Expedited processing available for an additional fee. |
Reviews Across Multiple Websites | Trustpilot: n/a Sitejabber: n/a Yelp: 2.5 out of 5 | Trustpilot: 4.5 out of 5 Sitejabber: 4.7 out of 5 Yelp: 3.5 out of 5 |
WHAT FORMATS THEY CONVERT | ||
Video Conversion | VHS, S-VHS, Betamax, VHS-C, S-VHS-C, Video8, Hi8, Digital 8, DV, DVCAM, MiniDV, DVC | Betamax, VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, Hi8, Digital 8, MiniDV, MicroMini |
Film Conversion | 8mm, Super 8mm, 16mm | 8mm, 16mm, Super 8 (with and without sound) |
Photo Conversion | Prints from 2" x 2" to 8" x 12" | Photos up to 12X16 Negatives (any size) Slides (any size) |
Audio Conversion | N/A | N/A |
Digital Media | N/A | DVDs and MiniDVDs |
PRICING | ||
Video Conversion Price | Starting at $19.99 | $14.99 per tape |
Film Conversion Price | Starting at $19.99 | $14.99 per 50ft. |
Photo Conversion Price | Starting at $19.99 | $0.49 per item |
Audio Conversion Price | N/A | N/A |
Digital Media Price | N/A | $14.99 per item |
How Costco Digitizing Works
If you have tapes that require digitization, bring them to the nearest Costco for a free evaluation, or if you don't have one near you, you can order online. They will evaluate your videos, films, photos, and slides and estimate how much all of them would cost to digitize.
Here is the Costco order process in 4 steps:
- Create Your Order
When you gather all your old analog media, create your order, and personalize your DVDs with titles. It's best if you title your media files with easily recognizable names.
- Send Media
To ensure a safe delivery, package your media in an appropriate box and the correct documentation. Shipping costs $5.99 for both ways, and with it, you get a UPS prepaid label, so you don't pay much more for shipping the box.
- Process Time
When you drop off your media at a UPS Store, Costco will send an email letting you know that it's been received and then another when they ship the order back to you. You can expect your order to get digitized in about 3 - 4 weeks.
- Receive Your Memories
After successfully digitizing your media, they will send it to you along with your original analog media.
When Costco receives your package, all original media is tagged with a barcode and tracked throughout the entire process. You can check how things are going on the order status page. In addition, every video or image transferred by Costco gets backed up for 90 days after completion, so there's always peace of mind when it comes down to shipping back your old analog tapes.
What Media Formats can Costco Digitize?
Costco digitizes the following analog media:
- Videotapes: VHS, S-VHS, Betamax, VHS-C, S-VHS-C, Hi-8, Digital8, Video8, DV, DVCAM, MiniDV, DVC
- Videotapes can be in NTSC or PAL formats.
- Film Reels: Regular 8 mm, Super 8 mm, 16 mm
- Photos: Sizes 2″ x 2″ to 8″ x 12″
- Slides: 35 mm, Super 35 mm, 35 mm Half Frame, 110, 126, 127, 127 Superslide, and 120/220 Medium. Slides must be in plastic or cardboard mounts.
How Much Does Costco Digitizing Cost?
The pricing for Costco digitization starts at $19.99 for all items, and that pricing is when your media is transferred to DVD. However, if you want to have it on a USB, then it's $24.99. You can also choose both DVD and USB, which costs $29.99.
The price for each additional videotape stays the same at $19.99, but it's a different story for film, photos, and slides. Film transfer starts at $19.99 for the first 150 feet; after the first 150 feet, the price is $0.13 per foot.
The photos are scanned manually and converted to JPG, making them easier to share with friends and family.
Photo and Slides start at $19.99 for the first 62 photos and slides. After that, each photo and slide is $0.32 per photo/slide. For this price, they include two DVDs. Each DVD can store approximately 500 photos depending on the quality of the images.
For all additional digital options and prices, check our table at the start of the review.
Does Costco Offer Tape Repair?
Yes, Costco does offer tape repair. They can replace broken video tape cases, repair basic ribbon damage, and clean slight mold on a videotape with all transfers. However, they will send it back if your tape has extensive ribbons damage or high levels of fungus.
Is Costco Service Right For You?
The Costco service makes it easy for you to digitize old memories captured on media formats that are no longer supported. It's a great way of keeping your photo or video collection safe without having the time or technical expertise needed to transfer on your own to the latest digital formats.
Costco's Video Transfer Service has transitioned to Costco Next, and all orders are now fulfilled through a company service known as Capture. Please note that a Costco store membership is required.
What Can You Get Back?
You can store all of your memories in a safe, digital format and enjoy them on any device available. In addition, Costco offers multiple transfer options. For example, you can get two DVDs, USB, both DVD and USB, and a USB and Digital Copy accessible from Memory Cloud.
MemoryCloud is their cloud storage for those who want to make sure they can watch their favorite show on any device. You will be able to access a Digital Copy of your transfer 90 days after signing up, and you can even order additional copies of DVDs or USBs.
Costco Customer Reviews and Ratings
We had a hard time researching for verified customer reviews, and visiting customer rating sites like TrustPilot and Sitejabber, we found no reviews at all.
Luckily we managed to find some on Yelp, and there Costco Photo Center has a rating of 1.7 out of 5 stars from 49 customer reviews.
Costco Alternative
iMemories
What we like
- Offer shipping kit with safety packaging included
- Accepts various old media formats
- Fast turnaround time
- Highly rated by customers
- Affordable service prices
- Regular email updates
- Enhancements and repairs for specific media
What we don't like
- Some customers have reported that the shipping kit provided by iMemories is small for larger orders.
iMemories is a digitizing service with years of experience and happy customers, and the best part is that all digitizing process is done in their headquarters. Also, sending your media is easier because the shipping and return of your products are both prepaid.
iMemories is the easiest digitizing solution and offers top quality, excellent customer support, and process notifications. This full-service digitizing company can handle media like videotapes, films, photos, and slides.
After you order and get a prepaid box, all you need to do is pack all items you want to digitize and send. You don't need to count and sort; everything else you leave to highly skilled iMemories staff. For example, converting old tapes costs $11.99 per tape + $10 to be put on DVD, or $19.99 if ordering on USB. For more information, read our iMemories review, where we talk about it more in-depth.
Conclusion
Reviewing Costco's photo center, we found it to be a decent enough resource for digitizing older photos and videos. However, there were some areas that could use improvement. It's not reassuring to see the lack of verified customer reviews on Costco's site and other review sites and let's not forget the low rating on Yelp.
Another Costco alternative, iMemories, is a great option for those who want top-quality digitizing and a more straightforward process. All you need to do is send your items, and they'll take care of the rest. We highly recommend reading our full iMemories review before making your decision. Thanks for reading!
Abdo is a Zoopy writer who loves spending his free time outdoors, camping, and enjoying the peace that nature brings. He also enjoys fixing things - he's particularly good with electronics. His favorite movie is I Am Legend, and he's fascinated by survival gear and safety.