I shop for Trader Joe's tote bags whenever I'm in the US — then sell them for nearly 10 times the price
In January, I saw that Trader Joe's canvas totes were listed on resale sites for up to $50,000.I was in Texas, so I bought three and resold two back home in Australia for about $30 each.Every US trip since has become a Trader Joe's treasure hunt for bags to resell (and one to keep).When I asked my wife, Cece, to drive me to Trader Joe's, I wasn't looking for groceries.That morning, I'd read a Wall Street Journal story about how Trader Joe's canvas tote bags had become an "international status symbol," with some resellers listing them on eBay for up to $50,000.The Journal mentioned Melbourne, where I live in Australia, as one of the cities hunting for the bags. I had never seen one, but I was in San Antonio with my in-laws for a little bit longer, and a Trader Joe's was just a short drive away.I wasn't expecting to make $50,000, but by the time we found large canvas totes with dark-green straps for $3.99 each, making a thousand bucks off of a few bags didn't seem completely unrealistic."Lucky," the Trader Joe's cashier said.
Reported by 1 outlet — Business Insider. See all sources ↓
In January, I saw that Trader Joe's canvas totes were listed on resale sites for up to $50,000.I was in Texas, so I bought three and resold two back home in Australia for about $30 each.Every US trip since has become a Trader Joe's treasure hunt for bags to resell (and one to keep).When I asked my wife, Cece, to drive me to Trader Joe's, I wasn't looking for groceries.That morning, I'd read a Wall Street Journal story about how Trader Joe's canvas tote bags had become an "international status symbol," with some resellers listing them on eBay for up to $50,000.The Journal mentioned Melbourne, where I live in Australia, as one of the cities hunting for the bags. I had never seen one, but I was in San Antonio with my in-laws for a little bit longer, and a Trader Joe's was just a short drive away.I wasn't expecting to make $50,000, but by the time we found large canvas totes with dark-green straps for $3.99 each, making a thousand bucks off of a few bags didn't seem completely unrealistic."Lucky," the Trader Joe's cashier said. "These are the last three."Once we returned to Australia, we listed our totes on eBay and Depop for about $50 each. Nothing happened for a day, so we dropped to $40.
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- What's the story?
- In January, I saw that Trader Joe's canvas totes were listed on resale sites for up to $50,000.I was in Texas, so I bought three and resold two back home in Australia for about $30 each.Every US trip since has become a Trader Joe's treasure hunt for bags to resell (and one to keep).When I asked my wife, Cece, to drive me to Trader Joe's, I wasn't looking for groceries.That morning, I'd read a Wall Street Journal story about how Trader Joe's canvas tote bags had become an "international status symbol," with some resellers listing them on eBay for up to $50,000.The Journal mentioned Melbourne, where I live in Australia, as one of the cities hunting for the bags. I had never seen one, but I was in San Antonio with my in-laws for a little bit longer, and a Trader Joe's was just a short drive away.I wasn't expecting to make $50,000, but by the time we found large canvas totes with dark-green straps for $3.99 each, making a thousand bucks off of a few bags didn't seem completely unrealistic."Lucky," the Trader Joe's cashier said.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 6m ago.
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I shop for Trader Joe's tote bags whenever I'm in the US — then sell them for nearly 10 times the price
Sources1TypeCoverageBusiness Insider