Counterfeit Carriers

There are many quality baby carriers on the market but unfortunately there are some counterfeit carriers as well that you need to be careful of. Ergobaby carriers have long been knocked off and so if purchasing one it is important that you go through a trusted retailer. The hard part is these counterfeit carriers look so close to the genuine carrier. 

Here is a counterfeit carrier that we have seen a few times now, the Ergobaby Omni 360 carrier (now known as the Ergobaby Omni Classic carrier). They look legitimate and even come in the box with tags on BUT they are counterfeit knock offs. They are usually purchased through Marketplace or TradeMe and are sold as brand new carriers, or they are being sold as "they were gifted two". 

Here are some photos showing the difference between a legitimate Ergobaby Omni 360 carrier (grey) and a counterfeit Ergobaby Omni 360 carrier (navy). The differences are only noticeable if you know what to look for but you often won't know unless you have a real version to compare it to. 

Here are some of the noticeable and not so noticeable differences: 

  • The shape is slightly different of the velcro area with more black space around the sides with more rounded corners. On some counterfeit carriers the lines are also a different colour

ergobaby-counterfeit-waistband-velcro.jpg 

  • The length of the shoulder straps, especially the adjustability of the height of the chest clip section is shorter on the counterfeit version 

ergobaby-shoulderstrap-length.jpg 

  • The buckles that clip are almost identical are slightly different in shape. These are the chest clip male clips. Notice that the counterfeit buckle triange is wider

ergobaby-buckles.jpg 

  • The logo is slightly different. The circles in the logo on the genuine carrier are round, whereas they are more of an oval shape on the counterfeit carrier. This is the same on the little bag. 

ergobaby-logo.jpg 

  • The holes in the mesh on the carrier are a different shape. With the counterfeit carrier the mesh on the front of the panel is circular, on the legitimate version it is oval. Then this is the opposite way around on the shoulder straps.
    The mesh on the counterfeit carrier is also more transparent and you can see through to the table, but cannot with the genuine carrier. 

 

  • The webbing on the shoulder straps is slightly harrower on the counterfeit carrier and has a more jagged edge. The webbing is also not as easy to pull through the buckle as the genuine webbing. 

Ergobaby Webbing 

  • The padding on the waistband is slightly shorter on the Counterfeit carrier.

Ergobaby Waistband Length difference 2 

  • On the product label on the counterfeit carrier there is a small grammatical error with the word ‘COOL AIR’ being written as ‘COOLAIR’ with no gap between the words.

Ergobaby label

  • The shape of the slider for the chest clip is slightly different. It is rounder on the counterfeit carrier. 

  • The padding on the shoulder straps on the counterfeit carrier are thinner. The webbing holding the chest clip is loose, where as it is snug on the genuine carrier. 

chestclip

  • The counterfeit carrier is lighter in weight than the legitimate Ergobaby carrier.  

So what is wrong with a counterfeit carrier, they do the same job right? 

They have not been safety tested, the dyes have not been tested to be safe, the buckles are not safety tested. Basically NOTHING about them has been tested to ensure that they are safe for your baby. There is a chance that they are fine and you might have no issues with it, BUT would you really want to risk it?

If you have bought an Ergobaby Carrier through Marketplace I encourage you to compare it to our photos and then make your own decision from there if you still wish to use it. You can contact Ergobaby directly and they can confirm for you whether or not it is a genuine Ergobaby carrier. 

How do you avoid buying a counterfeit carrier?

Buy through a trusted business. If buying second hand ask where they purchased it from and ask for proof of purchase. While it is in our nature to try and find the best price for something, sometimes it is best to save that bit longer to get something better quality and that is legitimate.

Where can I buy a genuine Ergobaby carrier? 

  • ergobaby.co.nz
  • The Sleep Store 
  • Nelly Boo
  • Baby On The Move
  • Hyphen Kids
  • Dimples
  • Baby Depot Raw
  • Babies NZ
  • Parnell Baby Boutique
  • Pug Yeah Style Limited
  • MumMum Albany
  • Baby City 
  • Baby Factory 
  • Baby Bunting