Second-hand advertising blimps turn up regularly. Some are a genuine bargain and some are somebody else’s problem. Here is how to tell.
Ask what it is made of, first
If it is PVC, walk away unless it is nearly free. PVC stiffens with age, keeps every crease from folding and goes brittle under ultraviolet light. A used PVC balloon has already spent its life doing exactly that.
Polyurethane ages far better. A used polyurethane balloon that has been stored properly can have most of its life left, which is why we hear from people still flying the same one after fourteen years.
Look at the fold lines, not the surface
Ask for photographs of it folded and unfolded, and look specifically at the creases.
Surface fading is cosmetic. Hard, whitened or cracked fold lines are structural, and they are where a balloon fails. If the seller cannot or will not photograph it inflated, assume there is a reason.
The lettering is the catch
A used blimp comes with somebody else’s name on it. Printing happens on the panels during manufacture, so it cannot be stripped and redone.
That leaves you a blank-value item at best. Compare the asking price against a **new blank** blimp from us: 10 ft $684, 13 ft $975, 15 ft $1,258. If the used one with the wrong name costs more than a new blank, the arithmetic is easy.
What we would rather you did
Buy a new blank and add lettering later, or buy the smallest new size that works.
A 10-foot blimp at $684 blank is a real product with a full life ahead of it. That is usually a better buy than a tired 18-footer with a dead business printed on the side.
We will say that even though the blank sale is smaller for us.
Ask for a quote. Call 1-800-791-1445 or email sales@arizonaballoon.com and tell us the size and whether you want it printed.
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