Surprisingly my Maitai insert arrived to me (Canada) quite quickly. The insert was packaged nicely with those plastic air bags and the insert was inside its own dustbag. Inside the insert was a nicely rolled up tissue paper "sausage" to hold the shape of the insert.
I have the 2.0 version so it's supposed to be the sturdier/stiffer version of the two. However at first glance/touch... It's pretty flimsy in my opinion. So I'm not sure how much flimsier was the first version.
As for fit, I think it fits quite nicely without pushing into the bag or lots of extra space between the insert and the bag.
For reference, my insert is in the colour Bleu Marine/Natural for the Birkin 35. I usually would have gone for the Gris colour but decided against it as I think the colour contrast between Bleu Marine/Natural and my Rouge Granet would be nice.
I store my Birkin standing up with the insert and the "sausage" inside. It doesn't appear to be overstuffed. The "sausage" adds extra support for the bag.
Even though the Maitai is a much more affordable insert than the 7rp insert... It's still not a very cheap insert in price. I believe I paid approximately $150 CAD (shipping included) At this price point I still would have expected a tad better in quality. The first thing I did was put my cellphone in one of the pockets and instantly the pocket flopped down. I did also try with a card holder wallet and that seemed to be a bit better. The middle portion was completely empty when I tried this and perhaps the cellphone might have held up better if I had a few items in the middle portion to act as a "wall".
The maitai insert can only be dry cleaned whereas the 7rp can be washed in the machine. Honestly I don't think I would bother with dry cleaning even if it got dirty. I don't think I would spend that kind of money to get it dry cleaned every time it got dirty. However if the Maitai insert could be washed at home in the machine... Washing it everytime it got dirty would not be a problem.
Overall, the Maitai insert is quite nice. I really like the quilted look. The material feels a bit rough but it's not bad. However for its price, I would have preferred it to be a tad bit sturdier. (perhaps this will be done in 3.0 version) I think the Maitai insert works well if you're just looking to protect the inside of your bag.
I see why others have said to just purchase a 7rp from the start and not to bother with other brands. Other brands just doesn't meet expectations. Perhaps one day I can justify the price of a and purchase one.