We received a question from a customer whether the baby carrier of a well-known brand that we sell was just as comfortable as the version she had bought via Ali-Express. It turned out that she had not realized at first that it was a counterfeit baby carrier and she was now worried about the quality. Reason for us to take a closer look.
The range of baby carriers
We went looking for baby carriers on Ali-Express. It turns out that there are quite a few for sale, all for prices between 15 and 45 euros.
There are also baby carriers that look a lot like baby carriers from well-known brands with prices that are actually "too good to be true". We decided to take a closer look at a baby carrier from the brand Egobaby (note, without an r). The model looks a lot like the Omni 360 from Ergobaby (the well-known brand, with an r). At first glance, we didn't even notice the difference in logo and name. The information on Ali-Express about the baby carrier in question is brief and has to be taken from blurry photos of a manual. Comments from other customers lead to more suspicion, for example there was a comment from a buyer " not quite the real thing".
We decide to order one for the real comparison.
Real or fake baby carrier, can you spot the difference?
Three weeks later, the baby carrier has arrived! What is immediately noticeable is that the baby carrier feels different, limp and less filled. Furthermore, there are no instructions for use with the baby carrier, which is common with most baby carriers, especially when you have different carrying positions. There is one card with a little explanation about one of the carrying positions.
The most surprising thing was that the baby carrier had the logo and the name Ergobaby, we had ordered one from Egobaby (without r). The baby carrier also has a warranty card, on which stickers are stuck with the article code of the Ergobaby Omni 360 Cool Mesh Oxford Blue. Let's have that in stock now. We put this next to the version from Ali-Express.
Time for a What's app quiz round with the babywearing consultants we work with: Who recognizes the real one? Actually, all of them react quickly and are right. These were the first comments:
And what does our Ergobaby distributor think?
We also asked our Tula and Ergobaby distributor Babymatters for a response. They gave the following advice
"In a digital world where you can buy almost anything on the internet, it is sometimes difficult to see the forest for the trees. Where do you best buy your baby essentials, such as a good, ergonomic baby carrier? We can be clear: in the (web) shop of an authorized Ergobaby or Tula dealer. The importance of shopping at such an authorized retailer is sometimes underestimated, but they sell the real Ergobaby and Tula products.
Every successful brand will sooner or later have to deal with it: copycats. The world wide web is also teeming with fake baby carriers and imitation carrying systems. But beware, they all claim to be reliable. And to be honest: in photos, these imitation carriers often look very real. Fraudsters copy logos and manipulate images. Distinguishing original from fake becomes very difficult if you only have a photo. Advertisements for dirt-cheap fake baby carriers are also often spread quickly and frequently on social media.
Tip: if you see an Ergobaby or Tula baby carrier for sale online for a very low price, almost too good to be true... then it is often just too good to be true. Safety, quality, comfort and top material have their price. And it is justified, you feel that immediately when you use an Ergobaby or Tula baby carrier."
Our conclusion about these baby carriers
We see more and more webshops popping up that sell these baby carriers, under the name of Ergobaby. They simply order the baby carrier from Ali Express for you. These webshops are often offline again within a week because they sell unapproved counterfeit items. Unfortunately, they then pop up again later under a different name. They are often unapproved baby carriers, which is why we advise: don't do it! The risk for your little one is simply too great.
Here you will find all our baby carriers, ergonomic, provided with quality marks and from recognized brands!
