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Looking for something to add to your聽聽cart along with the 30 rolls of toilet paper? How about a bar of gold?

While not a typical outlet for the sale of precious metals, the members-only warehouse chain has seen its 1-ounce gold bars sell out faster than discounted 170-ounce jugs of laundry detergent.

In a company聽 call last week, CFO Richard Galanti said the gold bars, sold exclusively online, are 鈥渢ypically gone within a few hours鈥� of appearing on Costco鈥檚 website 鈥� adding that there鈥檚 a two-bar limit per member. As of Wednesday, they remained sold out.

Unlike some other discount finds at the retail giant, gold bars come with hefty price tag. No prices were listed Wednesday because of the bars鈥� unavailability, but multiple media outlets reported last week that the 1-ounce gold pieces 鈥� offered in two designs 鈥� were selling for just below $2,000 each.

That鈥檚 slightly higher than the current market price of gold, which stood at about $1,835 per ounce Wednesday afternoon.

Costco did not specify how many gold bars have been sold recently, or how often it restocks them. The chain based in Issaquah, Washington, did not immediately respond to The Associated Press鈥� request for comment Wednesday.

Chances are, interest around Costco鈥檚 gold bars isn鈥檛 going away anytime soon. Although one or two ounces of gold won鈥檛 have a huge impact on diversifying one鈥檚 investment portfolio, experts note that there鈥檚 been increasing investor demand for precious metals in recent years, and that鈥檚 likely to continue.

Still, it鈥檚 important to pause and evaluate investment prospects. Here鈥檚 what some experts say.

What鈥檚 behind the demand for gold?

Interest in buying gold often stems from feelings of uncertainty, experts say.

Jonathan Rose, CEO of precious metal broker Genesis Gold Group, says that recent聽,听聽and individuals鈥� concerns about the U.S. dollar, for example, can cause some to start looking for alternative places to park their money.

鈥淚f someone鈥檚 going out to buy gold, that means they think that there鈥檚 some type of instability at the structural level of the market and/or the government itself,鈥� added David Wagner III, head of markets and equities at Aptus Capital Advisors.

Is gold worth the investment?

Rose and others say gold can diversify and balance your investment portfolio, as well as mitigate potential risks down the road.

鈥淧eople are looking for a safe haven … to protect their wealth. And gold kind of ticks all those boxes,鈥� Rose said. He added that people may see value in having something tangible 鈥� and put precious metals 鈥渋n a safety deposit box or into a retirement plan, even like an IRA or 401k … to safeguard what they have whilst they see what鈥檚 happening in the market.鈥�

But not everyone agrees. Wagner says gold is 鈥渙ne of the worst things that you can ever own.鈥� Among the downsides, he argues, is that gold isn鈥檛 the inflationary hedge many say it is, with inflation聽聽outpacing gold in recent decades, and that 鈥渢here are more efficient ways to protect against the loss of capital,鈥� such as through derivative-based investments.

The Commodity Futures Trade Commission has聽聽people to be wary of investing in gold. Precious metals can be highly volatile, the commission said, and prices rise as demand goes up 鈥� meaning 鈥渨hen economic anxiety or instability is high, the people who typically profit from precious metals are the sellers.鈥�

If you do choose to invest in gold, the commission and others add, it鈥檚 important to educate yourself on safe trading practices and be cautious of potential scams and counterfeits on the market.

Gold for December delivery聽聽by market close Wednesday. For other precious metals, silver for December delivery fell 23 cents to $21.15 an ounce and December copper fell 3 cents to $3.59 a pound.