Trader Joe’s has done it again. For the second year, the supermarket dropped a collection of mini tote bags, and the internet has gone wild. Like last year, there have been long lines and empty shelves. Amidst soaring egg prices and the effects of tariffs on grocery bills looming not too far off in the future, we didn’t expect to see a resale market with exorbitant prices–we’re talking seven-digit listings.
The recent launch–an update from the primary color collection in 2024–is an assortment of pastel shades of blue, green, purple, and pink, ideal for spring and summer. At just 13 x 11 x 6, the Mini Pastel Canvas Tote Bags are priced at $2.99 a bag–a completely reasonable price.
One member of the Delish team witnessed a line outside TJ’s, presumably for the totes. Another said they weren’t even on display at the location she went to, but at a counter manned by four employees. There’s obviously a market for this tiny tote, which TJ’s says can be used for anything from “smaller shopping trips” to “great gift bags.” And with the demand exceeding supply at some stores, it makes sense they’re being resold online.
At the time of publishing, a search on eBay for “Trader Joe’s mini pastel canvas tote bags” returned over 3,700 search results. While a majority of the listings seem to be reasonable resale prices, there are a lot of very expensive outliers. The most expensive listing is a whopping $1 million for a set of 8. That’s $125,000 per tote. Just below that, a single pastel green tote is listed for $49,890, and a set of four is going for $10,000.
Many of the listings for a set of four seem to hover in the $30 to $70 price range–roughly $7 to $17 a piece doesn’t seem too bad if you really want to get your hands on them.
What do you think about TJ’s latest tote bag drop?
As a Contributing Writer, and former Associate Editor, at Delish, Allie is a writer, reporter, and producer of features at the intersection of food and culture. Before Delish, Allie worked for publications including Apartment Therapy and Insider. She even spent time working in restaurants and breweries. Allie has dumpster-dived in NYC to expose food waste, reported on the invasive lionfish you can eat, and wrote about the growing trend of weed weddings. Her health and nutrition stories on hydration culture, bananas, and coffee have generated nearly 2M combined views. She loves traveling, running, and eating her way through new places and even has a thorough Google Maps ranking system for her favorite restaurants and bars! When not writing about food, she’s planning her next trip, lifting weights, or training for a race. Expertise: food & culture (Sustainability, Health, Travel) Education: M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, B.S. in Information Science (User Experience Design) from the University of Michigan
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