Sell a small range well before you sell a big range thinly: one or two bag styles, a short list of colours and prints you can reorder, and packing that suits where the bag is sold. That approach keeps stock manageable and makes each reorder simple.
Tote bags are an easy product to start with. They need no size range, they ship flat, and a good print does most of the selling. This post looks at selling tote bags own brand, online and in shops, from the range you start with to the way you reorder.
Choosing colours and prints
The colour of the bag and the print on it decide most sales.
Bag colours
Our totes come in natural and dyed colours from the fabric options. A natural cotton canvas bag is the usual first choice: it suits almost any print, and it photographs cleanly. A darker dyed colour, such as black or navy, suits a light print and hides marks in daily use.
For a first order, two colours is a sensible starting point. You can split a style across colours within the minimum of 50 pieces, and the colour split is confirmed at quotation.
Prints
- Logo or wordmark. A clean logo on a natural bag works as a shopping bag and a brand piece.
- Design-led print. An illustration or slogan is the product itself. Test two or three designs and reorder the ones that sell.
- Both sides. A print on each side adds interest for shop display, where the bag is seen from both directions.
Screen print suits bold artwork. Heat transfer can carry finer detail or more colours. Embroidery gives a small, raised logo with a retail finish.
Selling in shops
In a shop, the bag is seen, touched and judged on the spot.
- Display. Hang a few bags with the print facing out, and keep folded stock below.
- Fabric feel. Shoppers pick bags up. Heavier canvas feels sturdier and stands up on its own; jute-cotton has a textured, natural look that suits gift and lifestyle shops.
- Hang tags. A printed tag with your brand and a price space makes the bag look like a product, not a free giveaway.
- Sewn label. A woven label in the side seam keeps your brand on the bag after the tag is removed.
Retailers also order totes as their own reusable shopping bag, printed with the store logo. That can sit alongside a design-led tote sold at the till.
Selling online and on marketplaces
Online, the photo and the listing do the work the shelf does in a shop.
- Photograph the bag in use. Show the bag carrying something, so buyers can judge the size, and show the handles on the shoulder or in the hand.
- State the size clearly. Give the width, height, gusset and handle drop in the listing, taken from your approved sample.
- Fold to fit your mailer. Bags can be folded to a set size and bagged, which keeps them clean and makes packing orders quicker.
If you sell on marketplaces such as Amazon, Etsy, Flipkart or Noon, confirm the current listing, labelling and packing requirements with the marketplace yourself. We label and pack to the specification you give us, including barcode stickers and polybags. Our page for marketplace sellers explains how we handle labelling and packing for online stock.
Planning stock and reorders
Totes are simpler to stock than clothing because there is usually one size per style. Even so, a little planning helps.
| Stage | What to do |
|---|---|
| First order | One or two styles, two colours, a few prints |
| Early sales | Note which colour and print sell, and which do not |
| Reorder | Repeat the sellers; drop or change the slow ones |
| Range growth | Add a zip tote or drawstring bag once the core tote sells |
Keep your approved artwork, label and tag files in one place, and reference the approved sample when you reorder. A reorder of the same bag, in the same fabric, colour and print, is the simplest order to quote and produce. Any change to size, fabric or artwork should be raised at quotation, and may need a new sample.
Adding to the range
Once the first tote sells, there are natural next steps:
- A zip tote with an inner pocket for buyers who carry laptops or valuables.
- A drawstring bag in cotton canvas for gym kits, merchandise packs or gift sets.
- A seasonal print on your proven bag, which keeps the build the same and changes only the artwork.
Our post on what to check on a tote bag sample is useful when a new style comes in for approval.
Next step
Choose a style from our white label tote bags range, and send us the fabric, colours, quantity, artwork, label and packing you want. If you sell online, include your packing and labelling specification so it goes into the quotation.