Ring Sling - trademe

Could be, as long as it's not a bag sling - look at the Slingbabies site for some tips. As long as the shoulder part is somehow fanned/gathered/pleated so the fabric spreads out across your shoulder/back, and as long as the rings are nice and strong (IMO metal rings, as long as they are properly tested etc, are strongest), and the fabric is a decent weight etc, there's nothing wrong with a 'no brand' (or homemade) sling. Do you have a linky (or auction number) for us to look at for you?

Hmmmm. Neither of those are bad, but it's hard to tell from the photos how the shoulder has been done. The first one just looks kinda gathered, the second looks like they've tapered it instead - I'd be concerned it wouldn't spread the weight very effectively and could dig in/give you a sore shoulder after a little while. No doubt either of them would work, and I'm sure they'd be fine for baby. Rings look fine in both too. You could probably do better (get something more comfortable, that you can get more wear out of because you'll be able to wear it when baby's bigger) by spending $10-20 more though

I love Oyako ring slings, for example - see how the shoulder part is pleated? And $55 is very reasonable for how much work is in them. I've also heard great things about Keoni slings although they're slightly more expensive.