Missed out on your Trader Joe's mini tote bag? Store says more are coming late summer

Trader Joe's canvas mini tote bags have been hard to find and resellers have been capitalizing off the item's skyrocketing market value, but shoppers' luck could turn around in a few months.

The $2.99 Trader Joe's tote bags − available in blue, red, green and yellow − will be back in stock by late summer, store spokesperson Nakia Rohde told USA TODAY on Monday.

The bags "sold more quickly than we anticipated," Rohde said in an email. "Before we had the opportunity to promote them in any way, customers across the country found them at their neighborhood Trader Joe’s."

Rodhe did not say if the bags coming in the summer will be the same colors or if they'll be sold at the same price.

Social media helping Trader Joe's mini tote bags' popularity

Trader Joe's fanatics have been determined to obtain the mini tote bags, and social media reaction has shown how much they care for the popular item.

TikToker @athenaspud posted an "epic trailer" showing a crowd surrounding Trader Joe's workers as they rolled out the mini tote bags. As the video continues, you see the store's workers get engulfed by the large crowd and try to find their way out of the stampede.

The 12-second video was posted on March 3 and has over 615,000 views.

A TikTok shared by user @yjw.ai on March 1 gives an overview of the mini tote bags, including price, color variations and how it compares in size to the original tote bag.

"Definitely go get them before they run out," @yjw.ai said in the 17-second clip, which has more than 812,000 views.

Those who didn't follow that advice may have to wait for the summer unless they want to pay exorbitant resale prices.

The most expensive sold listing on eBay was a set of four mini totes (all four colors) for $499.99, not including shipping. At least three other sets of four bags sold for over $100.

Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]