Trader Joe's totes have crossed international waters, found fans abroad

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The hype for Trader Joe's tote bags has gone global.

From "Trick-or-Treat Mini Canvas Totes" to "Micro Totes," the adorable bags have amassed a cult-like following among the store's customers and fashion-forward people. Social media has even made the bags so popular that procuring one has become next to impossible.

Despite the Black Friday-esque lines, limited quantities and third-party resellers listing the bags for exorbitant prices, the tote is considered a must-have as fans show up each time a new batchis released in-store.

Dubbed "quintessentially American," Trader Joe's totes, both inexpensive and "cute," are a display of cultural capital, said Holly Davies, an audiomaker and environmental campaigner, in an interview with the podcast "Articles of Interest" in October 2025.

"The TJ’s tote is, as far as I can tell, the 'It bag' of 2025. And not just in London − the trend has recently been reported as far away as South Korea," said Davies, who has an "unabashed and undying love" for the grocery store chain. "These bags clearly mean something."

Trader Joe's totes have found fans abroad

In addition to being placed on well-known e-commerce platforms like eBay and Mercari, a practice Trader Joe's says it "neither condones nor supports," the totes have been listed across international marketplaces like Coupang, Depop and Karrot for up to $10,000.

Because there are no Trader Joe's stores abroad, resale prices, such as those listed for American consumers, are often exorbitantly higher than the price paid in-store.

Trader Joe's bags don't typically cost more than $20, so it's easy for anyone who visits a store to purchase multiple bags and list them at any price.

Michelle Gabriel, a lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment, told The Wall Street Journalthat the bags, regardless of the size or style, "represent a limitation."

"Trader Joe’s aren’t in every city and aren’t on every corner," Gabriel told the newspaper. "That already imparts a scarcity that, in a world of easy, accessible overconsumption, can be used in service of status."

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Jordan Crucchiola, host of the podcast "Feeling Seen," was made aware of how big the totes were abroad while checking out at Trader Joe's.

"Learned about the clout of the TJs bag recently when I was checking out at one and observed to the cashier that the person behind me had no fewer than 2 dozen totes in their cart, and he was like 'Oh yeah, they’re HUGE in other countries. It’s like a status symbol or something,'" Crucchiola wrote in a Jan. 5 post on X.

One user said they beg "any and all" of their friends to who visit the States to bring back Trader Joe's tote bags.

"Can someone please explain to me why everyone in London is carrying those Trader Joe’s tote bags as their….bags?" another user wrote in a Jan. 7 X post. "It’s a grocery bag for a store that doesn’t even exist in London and I’m so confused?"

'Our buyers travel the world in search of products'

Social media chatter and think pieces aside, Trader Joe's is just #grateful for the support.

"Our buyers travel the world in search of products we believe are exceptional and will find a following among our customers," Trader Joe's said in a statement. "We appreciate that our customers connect with our products, wherever they are in the world."