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Ink Cartridge Showdown: Warehouse Clubs Go Head-To-Head
Posted by Rob Errera on 10/25/2018
Warehouse club stores offer great deals on certain products, especially if you buy in bulk, but do warehouse club stores offer true savings when it comes to ink cartridges for your printer?
Ubiquitous Ink
Inkjet users have a different experience than laser printer lovers. Options abound if you own an inkjet printer. Inkjet cartridges can be bought at a variety of brick-and-mortar locations; you can run into any large supermarket and find inkjet refills. This is where a trip to a wholesale club can turn up a few off-the-shelf bargains.
Sam’s Club had the biggest and broadest selection of inks. Both Costco and BJ’s had similarly stocked racks, with the bulk of the space devoted to HP ink cartridges.
HP was by far the most well-stocked ink, carried by all three warehouse clubs. All three also carried products by Epson and Canon. BJs had a slight edge over Costco in terms of products, but neither came close to Sam’s Club in terms of variety and selection.
The Ink Shootout
| Cartridge | Toner Buzz | CostCo | BJs | Sam's Club |
| HP 62XL blkx2 | 45 each | 67.99 | 71.99 | 68.98 |
| HP 61XL blkx2 | 42.79 each | 67.99 | 68.99 | 69.98 |
| HP 952XL blkx2 | 77.99 | 78.99 | 78.98 | |
| HP 564XL clrx3 | 20.22 each | 67.49 | 68.99 | 68.98 |
| HP 564XL blkx3 | 36.03 each | 72.99 | 76.99 | 74.98 |
| Epson 802XLb/c | 99.99 | 99.99 | ||
| Epson 252XL b/ | 59.99 | 58.99 | 66.38 | |
| Canon PGI 225 b/c | 62 | 63.99 | 67.99 | 62.98 |
| Canon PGI 210XL b/c | 62 | 59.99 | 62.99 | 59.98 |
Conclusions
If you own an HP inkjet printer, including the popular Deskjet, Officejet, or Envy All-In-One models, and you’re looking for the lowest prices on the most popular HP ink cartridges, CostCo can’t be beat. If you print on an Epson, however, BJs is a better choice. Both CostCo and BJs have a limited range of OEM inks compared to Sam’s Club, which offered the biggest variety, including HP, Brother, Canon, Epson, and Kodak, as well as remanufactured and non-OEM “Sam’s Brand” ink cartridges, (which we strongly recommend NOT using).
The most economical way to buy OEM printing supplies for laser printers is on the web. Toner Buzz is the number one online seller of OEM toners, inks, fuser kits, drums and maintenance kits. TonerBuzz.com is an independent dealer, not directly affiliated with any manufacturer, which frees us from the price restrictions imposed on other printing supply retailers.
Rob Errera
Rob Errera is an award-winning journalist embedded in the world of printers and printing supplies. Rob has nearly two decades of experience writing about cutting edge technology, business trends, and the ever-evolving industry of printing.
