This Family Made $30K Reselling Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel Seasoning

Trader Joe’s is a favorite shop for those who like high-quality foods at a great price. However, one family loves Trader Joe’s from a “retail arbitrage” standpoint, meaning they buy an item from Trader Joe’s and resell said item for more money, thus earning a profit. In fact, the Herbert family made a whopping $30,000 reselling a single Trader Joe’s item.

And we have to wonder, is this even legal?

Juston and Kristen Herbert wanted to ditch their 9-to-5 jobs to raise their two kids and save for future adoption fees. The Herberts turned to reselling secondhand items from thrift stores via Amazon. They then created private-label brands for yoga chairs, baby headbands, and cosmetics.

Eventually, the couple turned to wholesale. They’d buy directly from manufacturers and sell on Amazon. This is how they made $30,000 just from selling Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning — a cult favorite.

In a now-deleted YouTube video on their channel Flipping Profits, the Herberts explain why Everything But the Bagel became their cash cow. The demand is always high, Trader Joe’s is always selling it, and the seasoning always costs $1.99 in store.

The Herberts resell the seasoning, which they buy in bulk from local TJ’s locations, for $6.75 each.

Then, as Money reports, the couple individually wraps each item and sends them off in groups to Amazon. Amazon then stores them in a warehouse until orders come in.

Of course, earnings can vary based on market price and what Amazon is currently charging for packaging. However, if the Herberts buy 100 Everything But the Bagel seasonings every day for a year and sold every single one, they’d earn just under $30,o00 that year.

Since the Herbert’s Trader Joe’s video came out in December 2018, and was viewed over 100,000 times before being taken down, the market for Everything But the Bagel on Amazon has been saturated now that people are trying their hand at retail arbitrage.

Although the retailers aren’t a fan of those who are using retail arbitrage to make money, the process is legal and protected by the “first sale doctrine copyright law.”

Anyone can resell online, according to the Herbert’s media relations spokeswoman Andrea Sims, who spoke to The Kitchn.

Sims also stated that the Herberts practice “community consciousness,” meaning they don’t buy up all of a certain item in a single trip.

Favorite #Whole30 breakfast this week: baby spinach and mushroom omelette with Trader Joe's everything but the bagel seasoning. Felt like I was eating at a hotel! pic.twitter.com/RZ198kJdBd

— Stephan Hovnanian (@stephanhov) February 22, 2019

However, a spokesperson for Trader Joe’s told The Kitchn, “Our products work the best when they’re sold as part of the overall customer experience within our stores… We do not authorize the reselling of our products and cannot stand behind the quality, safety, or value of any Trader Joe’s product sold outside of our store.”

[fm_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcM3rxkFCHo"]

“A lot of my friends sell [multilevel marketing] products like Rodan + Fields, Young Living and Doterra, but I wanted to show that there are other ways to make money in your everyday shopping,” Kristen told Money.

“You’re already at Trader Joe’s. You can pick up this product while you’re there and make money for yourself.”

[fm_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfgGqXun9a0"]

“We’re trying to tell people anybody can do this. You can do it from your home, and you can make a pretty decent income just by walking into a store,” Juston added. “I guarantee you’re walking past profit every single day.”

I went to Trader Joe’s to buy three avocados and lettuce. pic.twitter.com/jyeddiIJAK

— Danny Deraney (@DannyDeraney) February 26, 2019

And it’s not just Everything But the Bagel spices that could earn you a profit.

Kristen urges her followers to think outside the box. What’s something else from Trader Joe’s that everyone loves?

Uh — like, everything.

me: 🙁

Trader Joe’s:

* * . * . * . *
. * . * . . *
* * 🌻🍎🥑🍌🥦 * .
* . * * . . *
. * . * . . *

me: 🙂

— Cool Gay Aunt (@thegaycatalyst) February 20, 2019

Of course, foods intended for resale cannot be immediately perishable. So, frozen/refrigerated foods and produce are obviously out.

But other seasonings could be a good place to start. Umami is always a good idea.

Jerky could be another great option for resale. It’s cured and ready to make you a profit.

Teas and coffee are also perfectly packaged and much loved among TJ’s fans.

I mean…

Give us all the Joe’s green tea!!

trader joe’s pomegranate green tea is elite

— markese (@bfkese) February 18, 2019

Trader Joe’s Spaghettios are better than the regular kind. So, buy them up and resell.

watching bojack, eating trader joe's brand spaghettios, and grappling with my mortality instead of studying pic.twitter.com/bofQnGmeLU

— jár (@jarodzsz) February 19, 2019

Who wouldn’t want to buy this Trader Joe’s Chocolate Salted Caramel Mug Mix with a single click? We surely would!

With retail arbitrage, you seemingly have to put in a lot to get a lot back.

But if you’re willing to commit yourself to an interesting side hustle, the Herbert family has all the info you need to get started.