Update: Amazon has very dynamic pricing, so the Amazon pricing info in this post might not be current. If you’re looking for the best deal you should check their current prices. Update 2: AZ Chia has raised their prices by ~$1/lb (table updated below). They still might be the best deal.
Update 3: There’s a killer deal on Amazon right now…. If you buy 6 pounds of chia it comes to $4/lb. (apologies if this deal is no longer available by the time you click it.)
In my previous post on chia seeds I mentioned that the cheap source I bought from on Amazon is no longer available. I’ve been searching periodically and haven’t turned up anything that’s nearly as good of a deal. The best prices on Amazon I’m finding now are ~$12/lb, or $11/lb if you buy 3 lbs. I decided to branch out my search and turned up a direct seller that has some deals if you buy in bulk. The seller is AZ Chia, and it was started by a retired professor who is a chia seed evangelist. Their price per pound is cheaper the more you buy, but their pricing is a little confusing because the shipping cost also increases as you buy more. I pulled their prices and made a quick chart to calculate the cost of various amounts per pound, including shipping. They sell chia in 1.5 pound bags. Here’s the chart for whole black chia seeds:
You’ll have to decide for yourself where your sweet spot is. Remember that these have a shelf life of at least 2 years, and likely 5 years, especially if kept cool (e.g. at the back of your fridge). If you find a cheaper source, please let me know.
Side note: I noticed recently that Trader Joe’s has started stocking 5 oz bags of chia seeds. Their prices are significantly higher than the ones mentioned here, but if you’ve never had chia seeds and want to try them out before stocking up on multiple pounds, it may be worth picking up a bag.
Cheaper on nuts.com. I purchase from them routinely.
http://www.nuts.com/search?q=chia+seeds
I took a look at nuts.com, and while they have chia seeds for $8.99/lb, that does not include shipping. The highlighted prices in my table include shipping. (I just updated it to try to make that more clear.)
When I calculate shipping at nuts.com, the cheapest is $8.92 for 1 lb, $9.75 for 3 lbs, or $10.49 for 6 lbs. So that comes to $17.91/lb for 1 lb, $12.24/lb for 3 lbs, or $10.47/lb for 6 lbs–all more expensive than AZ Chia.
By the way, nuts.com has the annoying feature of not telling you shipping cost until you input a shipping address; I hate it when websites do that!
Costco has the lowest price. They sell in 32 oz packet.
What’s their price on the 32-oz packet?
Right now, Costco is selling Mayorga USDA Certified Organic Chia Seed 2 lb. Bag 2-pack for $32.99, making it about $8.25/lb, excellent price!
Amazon currently has some even better deals: check latest prices.
If you have a Market Basket or someone that lives near one they sell 1 pound for $8.99 , so far the cheapest that I found out there.
If you have Amazon Prime, Nutiva Organic Chia seed (comes in 12oz), is $7.99, which makes per lbs cost about $10.65 incl. shipping.
Don’t buy the 2-pack of 12oz, because they’re $21.49. It’s much cheaper to buy the individual 12oz. Weird, but that’s how it is. Bulk apparently is not always cheaper.
As I mentioned at the top of the post, Amazon’s pricing changes pretty frequently, so anytime you want to compare you have to check their current prices.
And yes, it’s full of strange inconsistencies like the one you pointed out. I think they largely come from the fact that Amazon has products from many different merchants in addition to their in-house selling.
If Dr Coates information is correct, it would seem that all sources of chia seed are not equal in quality. Here is information from his website re: quality of Nutiva:
http://azchia.com/goodbadnew2.html
I and probably many others appreciate that you’ve shared this info. However, I don’t personally consider the inclusion of amaranth seeds as a fatal flaw – just a negotiable compromise for bargain-hunters.
Amaranth is itself a respected edible seed. Yes it’s a weed, but so too are many other healthy foods such as dandelion, mustard greens, and purslane to mention just a few.
Hi Adam, thanks for posting the chart. But I tried doing the math myself and got different numbers. According to your chart, 1.5 lbs costs $18.45. There are 16 oz in a lb, so 24 oz in the bag. $18.45/24 = 0.77, not 0.67. For the 3lbs, $36.80/48oz = 0.77. Am I doing something wrong or did you enter your info incorrectly?
Hi Beth, Thanks for the comment. You are absolutely correct. The cost per oz in the chart is currently wrong. As far as I can tell everything else there is OK though. What happened is that in the time since I made the chart, AZ Chia raised their prices a bit, and when I updated the chart I apparently didn’t manage to update the cost per oz column. I’ll get it fixed soon, but in the meantime you can safely refer to the cost per lb column.
edit: it should be fixed now.
Costco beats them all with 2lbs (32oz) at $14. Under $0.44 per oz.
And they sell the Nutiva brand who is actally less than 2 miles away from my house in Richmond, Ca. Wonder if they give discount for local pickup. Doesn’t
matter; Costco struck some crazy deal with them.
Still wish the prices may eventually go back down to 2011 prices of under .30/oz
That’s a pretty good price. I don’t usually shop at Costco, but I have a friend with a membership. I’ve looked for chia seeds twice at two different stores and neither store had them when I went, so it’s a bit YMMV. It seems chia prices have risen across the board, and I wonder if it’s because of increased consumer awareness/demand. I hope that farmers will start planting more chia in response, and that that will bring prices back down.
Well, I never noticed it until yesterday and we shop there monthly but don’t usually visit that isle often.
From a proximity perspective, it would make sense that my Costco may be the first to receive shipment since they could literally take a pair of binoculars and waive at each other.
I just want to raise awareness that Costco has it so they are less likely to discontinue the item and hopefully drive prices down a little.
I highly recommend that you try Nutiva — it’s organic, which matters a lot, and if you buy direct from Nutiva you have various options. They offer free shipping on orders over $30, and a 10% discount on orders over $150. their 10-lb Black Chia bag is $110.00. I prefer the white chia which doesn’t come in the larger sizes. Also, they have their Organic Crazy Deals which range from a good deal to an occasional phenomenal deal. Sign up for their newsletter to be notified of those: https://store.nutiva.com
I haven’t found good data, but I’ve read that for chia seeds the organic designation does not matter so much, as they are generally non-intensively farmed. That said, if you can afford it I can see buying organic to “be on the safe side.” I looked at Nutiva’s website when I originally made this post, and found that prices on Amazon were generally lower for the same products.
Costco is $7/lb in a 2lb nutriva pack. Costco is awesome! Been a customer since the CEO was at price club.
Did not see Tyler post above. Reading wordpress on a smartphone while in Costco can make you look dense!! 😉
I wish to inquire if it is possible for us to supply you with chia seeds. We are based in Africa(Uganda). We shaii be very grateful to hear from you soon.
Since the original post is almost 2 years, the market for Chia seeds has likely changed considerably. Has anyone ordered Chia from Chosen Foods? Found them on Amazon, but have also checked their website.
Can anyone provide an opinion of company and quality of their Chia? (their prices seem extremely reasonable IF the quality is very good).
http://chosen-foods.com/collections/chia-seed-products/products/bulk-chia-seeds-25-lbs
http://chosen-foods.com/blogs/track-my-chia
I have in fact bought Chosen Foods chia seeds through Amazon and I thought they were perfectly good.
(By the way, I’ve found that buying via Amazon lowers the shipping cost…. If you want 25 pounds, it is currently cheaper to order from Amazon.)
At Sprouts grocery stores, if you have them, chia seeds are on sale for $4.99/lb. The regular price is normally $6.99/lb.