Trader Joe's Reusable Bags Are Reselling… Again

News

By RC Staff

11 June 2024

You use reusable bags, right? Because otherwise, every shopping trip is killing, like, 50 turtles. We love turtles here at Resell Calendar, and we like making money too. Today, we’ll be showing you an opportunity to both save marine life and stretch your paycheck a little further. Trader Joe’s is selling new insulated reusable totes, and shoppers are desperate to get their hands on them. We’ve seen them resell for more than five times what they retail for. Interested? Let’s get started.

Trader Joe's Insulated Reusable Totes

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time this has happened. Actually, it’s not even the second. A few months back we covered the frenzy around Trader Joe’s Mini Totes, and in December people were tripping over themselves for their “Mystery Packs“.

We’re not sure what it is about the brand that gets shoppers so worked up, but we’re not complaining. After all, if they have no issue massively overpaying for their groceries, they probably won’t balk at a reseller asking $50 for a plastic bag.

Trader Joe’s has recently begun selling a new line of reusable shopping bags. These are perfect for summer because they are insulated, and come in a wide variety of brash colors.

Bright magenta, lavender, aquamarine, yellow, and sea green. Trader Joe’s Insulated Totes measure 18″ x 7″ x 13″, and are rated for up to eight pounds of premium groceries. The zippered and thoroughly insulated bags mean your cold stuff stays cold during the two hour drive back to your McMansion.

And they’re just $8. Trader Joe’s is labelling these insulated totes as “Limited”, and along with the summer-themed branding and marketing copy, we’re guessing these won’t be around forever.

Where to find Trader Joe's Insulated Reusable Bags

Well, at Trader Joe’s. Duh? Well, maybe that’s a little harsh considering these bags are sold out pretty much everywhere.

After going up for sale earlier this month, Trader Joe’s Insulated Bags caught a lot of attention on social media. TikTok is full of shopping haul videos featuring them, some of which have amassed hundreds of thousands of views.

@astoldbymichelle

Matching TJ’s insulated bags for me and my bestie! Got to Trader Joe’s 10 minutes before opening and there was already a line of 10 people, by the time it opened there were 20-25 people waiting outside, but the manager was so great about making it a really chill process! #traderjoeshaul #giftideas #traderjoesfinds

♬ MILLION DOLLAR BABY (VHS) – Tommy Richman

As we should all know by now, attention online means empty shelves in stores. If you want to buy a Trader Joe’s Insulated Reusable Tote, you can theoretically find them at most locations. Whether or not they’ve sold out by now is up to luck.

Try checking at less popular locations. Stores in urban areas and large cities will have more shoppers passing through them, and a higher chance that someone will have cleaned them out before you get there.

Trader Joe's Insulated Reusable Bags Resell

If you do manage to find a few still for sale, we say buy them without hesitation. At just $8 a pop, these are an easy buy and an easier flip.

Right now, Trader Joe’s Insulated Reusable Bags are reselling for about $20 to $30. If you’re able to snag the whole set while you’re out shopping, expect to pocket $50 or more in profit after you’re done flipping them.

And while that’s still pretty good, you should have seen the sales after the bags first dropped. Resellers were routinely turning them around for $40, even $50 at a time. These were a straight up money printer while the TikTok iron was hot, and they’re still plenty profitable now.

Trader Joe’s has a very good refund policy too. You can bring in pretty much anything, with or without a receipt and get your money back. If the bags brick, take ’em back, and enjoy the dirty looks from the cashier when they clock you for a reseller.

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