Scammed, Pregnant, Still Building: How Annie Stacey Rebuilt Reloved in the UAE

When Annie Stacey moved to the UAE 11 years ago, she built a stable career as a senior HR manager. Along the way, she saw a gap in how people buy and sell second-hand items. That insight led her to launch Reloved, an ecotech platform for circular shopping.

Then she lost her savings to a scam.

She was pregnant, working full-time, and suddenly had to choose between quitting and rebuilding. Reloved still launched.

This is how she rebuilt it, what changed in version two, and what she has learned about marketplaces, investors, and growth.

From HR Manager to Ecotech Founder

Annie balances two roles: a full-time job in HR and leadership of Reloved, a startup designed for people who want to save money, make extra dirhams, and avoid waste:

“Reloved is a platform where you can buy and sell your items, not just clothes, but furniture, luxury goods, accessories, baby and children items too.”

For users, that means a single, focused place to sell and shop second-hand without the noise of general classifieds.

Early in the journey, Annie lost her savings to a scam involving the development of the original product. The experience could have ended the business. Instead, it hardened her resolve.

“I think it was believing in myself. I’m a very determined person and I find it hard when people say no to me. So in this case, I think I used rejection as a force build to rebuild. And I suppose prove the scammers wrong that I can do this.”

Her mindset shifted from doubt to proof: if she could rebuild once, she could do it again, this time with more control and stricter checks.

The First 90 Days of the Rebuild

When she restarted, Annie focused her energy on three high-leverage moves in the first 90 days.

1. Careful selection of a new developer

After being burned once, she was deliberate.

“I interviewed about 10 developers. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to get scammed again. And when I brought my current developer on board, we built our MVP, the platform that you see today, and that works and that’s got all of our customers on.”

Evidence of success was simple: a live platform, real customers, and working features.

2. Rebranding to leave “bad energy” behind

The business did not keep its old name.

“We rebranded. I wanted to get rid of the old name as I felt like it came with bad energy. That’s just my own personal view.”

For users, the new brand removes any trace of the previous failure and signals a fresh, more focused start.

3. Treating mistakes as a learning curve

Annie framed the experience as data, not disaster.

“Refocusing and using my mistakes as a learning curve. And we’re a year into the business, and so, yeah, hopefully that’s kind of evidence that that’s working.”

The key here: early mistakes in tech, hiring, or branding can become a foundation if you treat them as inputs, not endpoints.

From App Vision to Lean Web Platform

The original plan was to launch as an app across iOS and Android. The scam changed what was financially possible.

“We were meant to be an application, but after the scam, I unfortunately couldn’t afford another app. So this is just an online platform that you can use on your mobile or on your laptop. And it’s not the all singing, all dancing app that I wanted. But it’s a minimum viable product that people can use to upload and sell their items, as well as making sure it’s hassle-free, people don’t bombard you with calls, and it’s trustworthy.”

For users, this means:

• A working web platform they can access from any device
• Less friction in listing and buying
• A focus on core features instead of feature-heavy complexity

For founders, it is a clear case of prioritising shipping over perfection.

Why Reloved Does Not Allow Electronics

One notable boundary in the Reloved model is the exclusion of electronics. This is a trust decision, not a missed category.

“I want this platform to be trustworthy. And I feel with electronics, I can’t, as someone who owns the platform, ever guarantee that those electronics work. I can look at photos of a sofa and I can check the condition. But electronics just didn’t sit right with me, which is why I never did that.”

That choice reduces risk and protects both buyer expectations and brand trust.

Pressure-Testing the Pitch: From Numbers to Strategy

Annie took her idea to Final Pitch, a program where founders presented to mentors and investors. Her main concern going in was one many founders share: financial questions.

“I’m really bad with numbers and finances. So I wanted to make sure that in my pitch, I wasn’t caught off guard. I spent so much time finalising the numbers, making sure I was on my A game with that.”

The feedback surprised her.

“The feedback I got asked was, am I an accountant? Because I was so fixated on the numbers and I needed to focus more on strategy and what Reloved was.”

The Investor Question That Exposed a Real Risk

One question during the process hit a core uncertainty:

“The question that kind of caught me off guard was, how am I always going to guarantee stock?”

For a user-driven marketplace, that is not an easy promise to make.

“It made me think: I can’t. This is a platform for users and for the people of Dubai. I couldn’t really answer the question. I can’t actually ever guarantee that I’m going to always have stock. But I’m confident enough to know that every single one of us always has an item that we want to get rid of or that we want to sell. So it’s not a problem that keeps me awake at night. But it’s something that’s completely out of my control.”

Some variables, like user supply, will always sit outside a founder’s direct control. Confidence comes from understanding user behaviour, not from impossible guarantees.

Launching a Two-Sided Marketplace without a Playbook

Reloved is a classic two-sided marketplace: it must attract both buyers and sellers. Many founders obsess over which side to prime first. Annie did not.

“I actually have zero marketplace experience and I completely winged the launch. I didn’t really appreciate some companies with marketplaces launched to sellers or buyers first. I’m glad that my naivety came into play here because I just launched.”

Her approach was to start with a soft launch to friends and family for testing and feedback, then tap into a small VIP list collected through social channels, and once the technology proved stable, open the platform to the general public.

Designing for Trust & Safety

Fraud shaped how Reloved operates. Trust is now embedded in how users and listings are handled.

“We approve all of our items. They all come through one of the Reloved team to make sure that they are genuine and they live up to our standards.”

User verification and payment flows are also structured for safety:

“All our users are authenticated through multi-factor approvals and things like that. We also ensure that everyone does payment through our payment gateway. So no cash is given and no transfers are done unless it’s through the platform.”

For users, that reduces risk and confusion. For the brand, it supports a clear promise: Reloved is safe, curated, and monitored.

What Works in Marketing (on a Tiny Budget)

Reloved has grown without a large marketing budget. Annie leans on channels that show clear returns.

“I actually don’t really have much of a marketing budget. I try and do everything as organic as possible, but I definitely think paid ads would be something I would keep.”

Her main performance mix:

“I would say Instagram and Google are our winning recipe. I spent money on Facebook community groups, and it never worked.”

She also uses influencer-style exposure, but without heavy spend:

“I actually haven’t ever paid an influencer. I’ve always done barter deals, and that’s helped.”

If she had to cut half her budget:

“If I had to cut something, maybe events. I feel like they don’t reach as many people as you’d want them to.”

Saying No to the Wrong Money

One of Annie’s hardest decisions was turning down an investor who offered the amount she wanted.

“I had an investor and they wanted to give me the money that I wanted. I always think I could have been in a completely different place to what I am now. But it just didn’t feel right. I listened to my gut and I turned it down.”

She still thinks about the alternative path.

“That was definitely a hard no, but it felt right. I do always think there is that ‘what if’ there, like what if I had said yes, but I suppose I won’t ever know that answer.”

What Success Looks Like for Reloved

When asked about success 24 months from now, Annie’s answer was not just about numbers.

“The success for me is definitely happiness. To be a recognised brand, to be trusted, and to be people’s go-to for selling and buying their second-hand pieces in the UAE.”

For users, that vision translates into a simple promise:

• A trusted, familiar place to sell what you no longer need
• A reliable way to buy quality second-hand items
• A platform that feels stable and human, built by a founder who has already rebuilt it once

Reloved is not just a marketplace; it is the result of a founder choosing to rebuild after loss, refine her model in public, and stay close to her values. From losing her savings to a scam to launching a lean MVP, from “winging” a two-sided marketplace to saying no to the wrong investor, Annie Stacey has built Reloved around trust, discipline, and a clear sense of purpose.

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