It doesn’t take long for Trader Joe’s products to be resold online, but it took less than 24 hours for the new bag, an insulated mini tote, to be listed on third-party resale sites like eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
A similar situation occurred when Trader Joe’s new mini tote bags hit store shelves in March, and they quickly sold out, according to USA Today, with scalpers cashing in on the item’s skyrocketing market value.
The mini tote bag craze has been well-documented on social media, with users showing long queues, imposing purchase limits and crowding together to grab the bags.
While the reaction to the insulated mini tote bag hasn’t been as intense, resellers are trying to make the most of TJ’s latest sale, selling the $3.99 lunchbox for nearly 20 times the price online. The mini tote bag is currently selling for between $20 and $89.99 on resale sites.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many of the insulated mini tote bags were purchased from resellers, and social media buzz and the bags’ scarcity are likely factors in TJ’s products continuing to appear on online marketplaces.
Here’s what we know:
Trader Joe’s new insulated mini tote bags will be on sale for a ‘limited time’
Company spokesperson Nakia Rohde told USA Today that the insulated mini tote bags may have sold out at some stores on Tuesday, but most Trader Joe’s locations expect to have them restocked by Wednesday.
Don’t worry if you can’t get them today, “more will be available later this summer.”
Rohde said the tote bag comes in two colors, hot magenta and cool teal, and is “perfect for carrying cold appetizers or chilled six-packs to the beach, pool party, or barbecue.”
‘[We] Trader Joe’s says it “makes every effort to prevent reselling.”
Trader Joe’s doesn’t like its products being sold by third-party resellers, saying in March 2021 that its managers were aware of the issue but that in many cases it was “taking place without our approval or authorization and outside the control of our quality-driven supply chain.”
“To be clear, we do not condone or support the resale of our products and we will do everything in our power to discourage this behavior,” the company said at the time.
The company says it puts its customers first, which is why it “continues to offer great quality products at great prices.”
“As we open each day, we are focused on customers who consider shopping at Trader Joe’s a personal experience, looking for food and drink (and a few other items) for themselves or to share with family and friends,” the statement read. “For this reason, we are only selling products in our brick-and-mortar stores.”
Rohde responded similarly, writing on Tuesday afternoon that Trader Joe’s “does not encourage the resale of our products in any location.”
Contributor: Jonathan Limehouse
