I shop for Trader Joe's viral $3 and $4 canvas bags whenever I'm in the US — then sell them for a profit back home
A traveler describes their experience buying Trader Joe's canvas tote bags in the US to resell for a profit in Australia. The piece highlights the phenomenon of these bags becoming international status symbols and the challenges of verifying authenticity in the resale market.
Why it matters
It illustrates how social media trends can create artificial scarcity and niche international resale markets for low-cost consumer goods.
In some ways, looking for Trader Joe's canvas bags to sell back home has become an international side hustle on a very small scale. Ash Jurberg 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.
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