A while back the Costco hearing aid manager told me how they keep their prices down. They don't decide on what level of product they want to sell and put it out for bids. Instead, they decide what price they want to sell it for then tell the manufacturers to send them the best they have that can be profitably sold at that price. The makers know that if they get the contract, they'll make money because of the huge volume so they send their very best, greatly discounted to meet Costco's price requirement. As a result, Costco can offer a much higher quality for a lower price than most hearing aid dealers. They've held their price on Kirklands to the 1400 to $1500 range on aids that sell for 1000's more elsewhere. It does reveal how much the markup is on most brands.
