Why this brand is demanded internationally
Trader Joe's is the most-requested US grocery brand on Selectido — by a wide margin. The reason is structural: Trader Joe's doesn't ship anywhere. No online store, no third-party shipping partnerships, no Instacart, no DoorDash for cross-border, no international distribution. Their entire business model is in-store-only and US-only. If you don't live near a TJ's, you're locked out completely.
That's a problem for the millions of TJ's superfans who live abroad — US expats in London, Berlin, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Dubai, Mexico City, São Paulo, Sydney, who grew up on Cookie Butter and Joe-Joe's and have no way to buy them. It's also a problem for the global cult that's developed around TJ's via TikTok and YouTube. Korean food YouTubers, UK foodies, and Aussie expats have made Trader Joe's a global brand with no global distribution.
Selectido solves this with live video shopping: a US-based Selectido shopper goes into a Twin Cities Trader Joe's, FaceTimes you, walks the floor with you for 30–60 minutes, picks up what you want, checks out, and ships internationally. It's the only way to actually shop a TJ's from outside the US.
Top variants people forward
Eight items drive most international Trader Joe's orders. All effectively unavailable outside the US:
- Speculoos Cookie Butter (TJ's #1 export — every international order asks for it)
- Joe-Joe's (TJ's Oreo equivalent — chocolate vanilla cream)
- Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (better than Reese's, says the cult)
- Everything But The Bagel Seasoning (the global obsession)
- Brookies (brownie-cookie hybrid)
- Maple Leaf Cookies (seasonal — fall favorite)
- Trader Joe's tote bag (yes, really — a gift staple)
- Mandarin Orange Chicken sauce + dry goods (frozen excluded)
Where we buy it
Where your shopper goes
We send a live shopper into a Twin Cities Trader Joe's storefront on demand. No advance ordering — your shopper walks the actual store with you on FaceTime:
- Trader Joe's Twin Cities (St. Paul / Minneapolis) — our home base, multiple storefronts
- Live FaceTime walkthrough — you direct the shop in real time
- 30–60 minute sessions typical, $75/hour
- Pre-list option — send us a list ahead and we'll shop without a video session for forwarding-only at $14.99
- Seasonal hunting — fall, winter, spring, summer rotations all covered
How we ship it
- Tell us your list. Specific flavors, quantities, and your destination. Or just a budget and we'll fill the box.
- Live shopper or forwarding. Live video shopping is $75/hr (best for limited editions). Forwarding is $14.99/package.
- Inspect + pack + photo. Every item photographed, expiry checked, climate-aware packing for hot routes.
- Ships in 3–10 days. USPS, UPS, FedEx, or DHL — your speed/price tradeoff.