Trader Joe’s $3.99 mini cooler bags are reselling for over $100 online (2024)

Move over,burrata and budget bananas: Trader Joe’s latest fad has nothing to do with food.

On June 4, the specialty grocer released its latest accessory, which has already proven to be a viral favorite:Mini Insulated Tote Bags. The new, limited-time product features insulated walls, a zipper top, two reinforced handles and has a 1.5 gallon capacity. At $3.99 each, the colorful totes come in two hues.

“With their vivid, summer-y shades of bright Magenta and mellow Teal, we find that they’re especially great for toting cold appetizers or chilled six-packs to the beach, a pool party, or a barbeque,” the product description page reads. “That said, they’re also perfectly sized for everyday use, like as a lunchbox for school or work.”

In the description, Trader Joe’s asked its customer base to “consider yourself fairly warned: these Totes are totally destined to become the next craze!”

This stated pronounced goal is likely owing to the grocery chain’s previous successes like itslimited-release regular-sized insulated bagsand itsMini Canvas Totes, which were so popular they were being resold for $1,000 on resale sites including eBay.

“Trader Joe’s is always looking for new products we think our customers will enjoy,” a representative TODAY.com.

Fan pages across the internet have already beenpostingexcitedlyabout the item.

Trader Joe’s also revealed another batch of these insulated toteables will be available later this summer.

Less than a week after the new minis release, some fans have reported long lines and sold-out stores —“here we go again,” one commenter wrote on Instagram.

“I want one for my daily work lunch. I called my local TJs just to find out that people line-up at 7am each morning and buy them out before 9am (they open at 8),” wrote a disappointed fan. “I’m so sad.”

“My Trader Joe’s told me they sold out in 1.5 hours and there will be 4 more cases tomorrow,” wrote one user. Another said they were “Ever elusive in the state of New Jersey 🤣.”

“Sold out everywhere,” someonewrotein the subreddit r/traderjoes.

“When trader joe’s employees hand bags out instead of everyone running for them like animals > 😍,” wrote TikToker @amflz in a video showing a line so long it wraps around the parking lot.

Some folks were able to score their bags, and they couldn’t be happier about it.

“This is the cutest f---ing thing I’ve ever seen,” said TikTok user Lucy Fastner (@lucyfastner4) in her viral video. She said her store limited purchases to two per customer.

“lol I was casually in Trader Joe’s by accident and just grabbed one because I thought it was cute. Now I feel like I won the lottery!” read one of the comments on Fastner’s video.

“You can go on a picnic with it,”saidTikToker Stefanny Alecon (@stefannyalecon) in her video.

In the few days since the item hit shelves, a few social media users reported seeing them on the resale market for more than 10 to 12 times the original price.

One listing on eBay attempts tosell a single magenta bagfor $99.00. Another enterprising resellerlisted a pairfor $155 — making each tote more than 19 times its original price — while one Mercari seller is asking for $250 fortwo.

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY here:

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