Complimentary Inventory: The Eco-Friendly Stuffed Animal Side Business

      Side Hustle Nation is focused on enhancing your personal profitability. We frequently collaborate with companies that align with this goal. If you sign up or make a purchase via links from our partners, we may receive compensation—at no additional cost to you. Learn more. What if your next business idea was concealed within a stack of discarded stuffed animals?

      Charlotte Liebling (@thefluffyCEO) recognized an issue while volunteering at a charity shop: donated stuffed animals were either being thrown away or sold as dog toys, despite the affection and memories they held.

      Seeing an opportunity, Charlotte established Loved Before, which she describes as a “sustainable soft toy adoption agency.” To date, it has facilitated over 10,000 sales and formed partnerships with prestigious retailers like Selfridges and Bloomingdale’s.

      Charlotte manages this while maintaining a full-time job and has grown the brand through compelling storytelling and a mission that resonated strongly, particularly during the pandemic.

      Catch Episode 679 of the Side Hustle Show to discover:

      Ways to identify profitable opportunities in waste streams

      Creative marketing tactics that incur no costs

      How to forge partnerships with luxury retail brands

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      How Loved Before Generates Revenue

      Charlotte’s business model is elegantly straightforward:

      Collect donated stuffed animals

      Provide a “spa treatment” for cleaning

      Craft individual stories for each one

      Sell them in attractive packaging

      Here’s the revenue breakdown:

      Online Sales (50% of revenue):

      Individual toys: £15-25 ($20-35) each

      Weekly adoption “drops” of 150+ toys that quickly sell out

      Inherent scarcity (only one of each toy exists)

      Retail Partnerships (50% of revenue):

      Permanent placements in 3 out of 4 Selfridges UK locations

      Bloomingdale’s in the United States

      Various other luxury retailers worldwide

      The brilliance is in the branding. These are not just “used teddy bears”—they are pre-loved toys with narratives, receiving a second chance to spread joy.

      Getting Started: From £5 to Retail Success

      Charlotte began with only £5 in her account. Her initial steps were impressively simple:

      Before making any sales, Charlotte set up a separate Instagram account to gauge whether others connected with the idea. She posted images of toys with unique personalities and stories to see if the concept resonated.

      Step 2: Address the Sourcing Challenge

      Instead of purchasing inventory, Charlotte tackled the very problem she aimed to resolve:

      Partnered with the charity shop where she volunteered

      Distributed flyers in her neighborhood

      Contacted other charity shops: “If you have anything you’re about to throw away, send it my way.”

      Step 3: Confirm with Sales

      Her first significant validation occurred at a local festival where she sold a rare bear for £350-400 ($450-500).

      “It truly provided me with a strong sense of validation,” Charlotte recalled, mentioning that people even paid up to $200 just to send their beloved toys for rehoming. The demand was genuine, and the emotional connection was profound.

      The Marketing Strategy: Zero Ad Spend, Maximum Impact

      Loved Before has grown its following to over 160,000 on Instagram and 170,000 on TikTok with no marketing expenditure. Here’s how:

      Content Strategy

      Charlotte prioritizes storytelling over selling:

      Noodle from Loved Before

      Every toy receives a unique name and backstory

      Behind-the-scenes content featuring the cleaning process

      Stories often originate from previous owners, adding emotional authenticity

      “When someone visits your profile, they should feel as if they just met their new best friend,” Charlotte explained. You must delve beyond selling into deeper human connections.

      Weekly Drops Create Urgency

      Loved Before releases over 150 toys every week at 8 p.m., turning it into an anticipated event.

      Customers eagerly await on the website prior to drops

      The inherent scarcity encourages prompt purchases

      “We sometimes have genuinely upset individuals during drop times,” she shared.

      SEO Mastery

      Loved Before ranks first for important search terms like “donate soft toys” and “donate teddy bears” through:

      Regular content creation

      Addressing a real problem that people often search for

      Establishing authority in their niche

      Entering Luxury Retail

      Getting into Selfridges started with a simple cold email. Here’s how she broke into one of the UK’s most renowned department stores:

      Identified the right contact by persistently following up on website inquiries

      Researched their sustainability goals to align Loved Before’s mission

      Came prepared with a complete proposal: design, storytelling, and space planning

      Started small with a Christmas pop-up to validate the concept

      Delivered results which led to