Melbourne manufacturers misleading Hungarian Goose down products.
Nothing has changed almost 4 years on.
All the information below is as relevant today as it was when we first published this blog almost 4 years ago.
We are still frustrated with sellers on eBay and more specifically a Melbourne Manufacturer that wont supply correct documentation to prove the product the claim to sell is what they actually sell.
Its easy for them to say they have controls in place, they're an IDFB member, sell class 1 fillings or say they sell Hungarian Goose down and Polish Goose down with ridiculous fill power ratings. We say prove it! They cant, they havent and they never will, they just keep getting away with it each time someone purchases from them.
Danish Eiderdowns proudly show their IDFB membership. This membership is a bit like having a gym membership, just because you have one doesnt mean you are going to the gym.
The IDFB and IDFL membership has no direct relevance to what they claim to sell, the only document that ahs any relevance and claim to supporting evidence is the Vet Health Certificate. They dont show this, again they never have, they cant and never will. They rely on customers trusting them, but customers should not trust them at all.
At one point they said they would provide a Vet Health Certificate. However the one they provided us with on a secret purchase we made from them was NOT a document that can be used for Australian customs clearance. It had no Australian address, it does not have the sterilisation details, it does not state the details of the downs other than to say it was "Hungarian Goose feather and down". It is not stamped or signed by the Veterinarian nor did it have the address of the Veterinarian. All essential required details. What this all suggests is that the downs were actually imported into China for processing.
They still claim they are not Chinese downs but they still are.
What the Certificate shows is that 15000 kg was in the container. Now we know when we import a 40 foot container we cant get much more than 1000 kg of down into it. 15000 kg suggests it was compressed. There is no processing facility in Australia so it could only have gone to China or it is a fake Vet Health Certificate and therefore a falsely claimed document. This has been suggested and supported in Germany and a customs handling office here in Australia.
From past history we know the Melbourne seller imports the feather and downs compressed, once compress they are damaged and lose fill power. The fill power ratings they claim are false, they are USA rated not European rated, there is a big difference approximately 10% difference. When they say the fill power is 800 it is the equivalent of around 700 European rated fill power. Now if you claim to be using "European downs" and "European quality" why use the USA fill power rating that China uses and not the European fill power rating? Of course they don't mention any of this purely to mislead you.
Back to the Chinese processing. What happens during the processing in China is this, the Goose downs will have duck down added to it, upto 30% of the content will be duck down! More disappointing is they are legally allowed to do this and still say it is Goose down?? So you see if you get a "Hungarian Goose down" quilt off eBay made in China or Danish Eiderdowns in Melbourne its not entirely what you might have expected.
Of course the downs processed in China can't be processed to the European standards for a number of reasons. Downs processed in China are washed usually between 3-4 times in water that is at Chinese standards. Our European standards will have the downs washed 8 or 9 times! Also due to the downs being exported to China for processing they are left unprocessed for the duration of the journey from Europe to China, during this time bacteria builds, this bacteria causes a strong smell, this smell will not come out no matter how much it is washed. So if you want a smelly Hungarian goose down quilt or pillow with a lower fill power than claimed which has 30% duck down it is then this is what you will get from them.
Supreme Quilts supply the most current Vet Health Certificate with every single product purchased from us. If you purchase Polish Goose down you get Polish Goose down, if you purchase Hungarian Goose down you get Hungarian Goose down.
Supreme Quilts buy downs direct from the factory in Germany, this factory buys downs from various farms in various countries in Europe. The Hungarian Goose down we sell in our quilts is 100% Hungarian Goose down NOT a cheap inferior blend. All downs are processed in Germany. Our downs are not compressed so the fill power is retained when it arrives to us in Australia. This gives you the highest quality down 2nd to none. Our downs are supplied from a Downpass and DIN CERTCO certified supplier. Our downs come with the European standard EN12934, they are traumpass certified, all traceable, all meeting the IDFL standards, are not collected from live plucking and all meet the responsible downs standards with the highest farming practices.
Lastly if you do check out eBay please only consider our eBay stores if you want a trusted brand. Our 2 eBay stores are "bargainquilts" for all of our boxed quilts and "supremequilts" for all of our channel (and now some boxed) quilts. We have no affiliation with any other manufacturer in Adelaide or anywhere else in Australia. We know that Danish Eiderdowns is passing off Adelaide and Bright as the location of their items, this is not us, it is a Melbourne based company. A PO Box is hardly an item location is it? Danish Edierdowns also goes under the names Alpinedownquiltsandpillow and downquiltsandpillows on eBay, they also go by the name Feather Factory and links to The Bedspread Shop.
Information correct as of 5th of September 2021.
