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Who is Gabriela Vasci? Influencer speaks out amid backlash for reselling viral Trader Joe’s tote bags for $1500 a piece
The small reusable shopping bag from Trader Joe’s, which costs customers $2.99, has sparked an online argument. Gabriela Vasci is a 27-year-old artist and content creator based in New York City. After majoring in art history at Columbia University, she started building her social media following through creative content sharing.
On TikTok and Instagram, she shares videos of her painting, styling fashion pieces, and discussing pop culture trends.
As the hype surrounding the Trader Joe's tote bag reached its peak, Vasci began designing versions of these totes herself. The hand-painted designs used striking colors, which made the items appear more like artwork than grocery carriers.
The uproar resulted from the $1,500 price tag Gabriela Vasci established for her artwork.
A TikTok video about the hand-painted tote bag triggered rapid reactions from her viewers. Netizens sent an overwhelming amount of backlash to her account as she charged $1000 for a product that originally cost only $2.99.
Gabriela Vasci spoke to PEOPLE about her artwork in an interview. She explained that the $1,500 price was not for a basic painted tote but for a one-of-a-kind, framed artwork made using the Trader Joe’s bag as a canvas. The artist pointed out that her standard custom commissions range between $250 to $500.
“The art piece of that exact tote that's in the video that someone reached out to me asking to buy is the $1,500 framed art piece.”
She added:
“And I did tell her, that price does reflect the current demand of the totes online, the market, supply and demand, It's not necessarily a stagnant price.”
The video showing Gabriela Vasci's painted tote bags on TikTok has reached 1.3 million views and received thousands of comments regarding the high cost of the items.
Gabriela Vasci: The artist behind the $1,500 Trader Joe’s tote bags
A small product launch at Trader Joe's stores blossomed into an intense nationwide demand. The grocery chain dropped its Mini Canvas Tote Bags onto the market in early 2024 at $2.99 per bag.
These simple reusable totes came in four different pastel shades, including red, blue, green, and yellow, at the stores for $2.99.
The mini tote vanished from retail stores throughout March of 2024. The handbags launched at $2.99 showed up on eBay and Mercari, leading to massive market variations that reached up to $999 for complete collections.
As of April 2025, Trader Joe’s has restocked its popular mini canvas tote bags in pastel shades of pink, blue, green, and purple.
Vasci told PEOPLE:
“There's always going to be someone that says ‘That's not worth it. I wouldn't pay that.’ But at the same time, there's always going to be someone out there that does love your work and does see the value in it and will pay that number,”
She added:
“I just think you can't make everyone happy, and that's why you should just kind of price your work as you see fit.”
Gabriela Vasci stated that the four totes for which she went viral are no longer available for sale.
“I'm definitely glad that [the bags] kind of sparked conversation about art and commissioning art, and what people are willing to pay for products and art.”
She further stated that Trader Joe's toads themselves are being seen as very valuable as plain canvases right now, in a way, which is interesting, because that itself is adding value, and it's just part of the art piece.
The creator plans to keep her framed bags as a limited series, like the “limited edition nature of the totes themselves,” sparking a conversation about art pricing in general.
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