All my balloons are BRAND NEW deluxe helium quality from the manufacturer. They are not inflated, you can inflate at your local store, or rent a helium tank from your local party store or welding company. Many times a welding company will be much cheaper (often 1/2 the price of party stores)-look under welding in your yellow pages. You can also air fill it and tape to the wall or attach balloon sticks.
I try to send the balloons in the manufacturers sealed packaging (for larger balloons only), but sometimes they are only available bulk and unwrapped, so you are aware, but be assured they are Brand NEW. I like to buy the 18" mylar balloons in bulk, this allows me to inspect the balloon for flaws, and also reduces waste. When I purchase balloons in sealed outer packages, it costs more (then I would have to charge more), and postage woud be more, so save the environment (you only throw the outer packaging away anyways), and save money!
I ship balloons in safe mailing envelopes, so no damage will occur to the balloon in mailing. I place all latex in ziploc bags and mylar are placed dierectly in the mailing envelope. When you receive your balloon, please open the package carefully to avoid damage to the balloons, especially if opening the envelope with scissors. Please dont be concerned with minor small dot imperfections on the surface of the balloon. Due to the nature of mylar, it scratches sometimes and does not affect the balloon. Please note that mylar and latex may have wrinkles and imperfections on the surface of the balloon, but once filled the wrinkles will smooth out.
Mylar Balloons...
Please note that mylar balloons should last 1-2 weeks in a best case situation. Temperature and other conditions will increase or decrease these times. One nice feature of mylar is that once deflated you can always refill again, no need to have all the helium out of the balloon, when the balloon looks deflated a bit, just inflate again. Avoid placing filled balloons near a heat source, direct sunlight, or very cold area. If used outside please realize that float time may decrease especially in direct sunlight. If you are filling balloons in a cold area and they are going in a warm area (ex. filling in the garage on a cold day, or filling inside an air conditioned house and they are going to a warm heated house, or hot outside) the balloons will enlarge when in the heat and may burst if you have overinflated them. And if you are filling balloons in a warm area and they are going in a cold area (filling outside on a hot day and they are going inside an air conditioned room), be sure to overinflate a bit, when they go from warm to cold the balloons will deflate a little. It is best to inflate the balloons at the same temperature as where they will be displayed. Rememer the gas laws from chemistry! Mylar are self sealing so no need to tie them after filling, then you can attach a ribbon or weight as you choose.
Latex Balloons...
Latex balloons will only last between 8-24 hours. It is best to inflate those right before the party. Please note, latex do not do very well in direct sunlight so if outside be sure to inflate right before the party and expect some "popping" of the balloons if displayed on an extremely sunny day, best to place those in the shade. Latex are not self sealing so you can attach a balloon clip (which I carry) to seal easily or tie off manually. Many party stores carry HI-Float which will increase the float time. It is a sticky liquid that you insert into the balloons before filling, which will increase the float time to around 1-4 weeks. I do not carry this in my ebay store as it is a very heavy container and the postage would be high, if interested, I can place an order for you. Prices for Hi-Float are 16oz for $10.50 + shipping, which will treat about 100 latex balloons.
Balloon Inflation Hints...
When inflating balloons use extreme care. When renting your own tank or if getting them filled at a store, florist or party store, be sure to follow the guidelines below. Many times small stores and florists are not used to filling larger balloons and care must be taken as follows.Insert the helium inflating needle carefully in the neck of the balloon, especially when using larger size needles, avoiding tearing of the Mylar in the neck of the balloon. If the inflating needle will not insert into the neck of the balloon to avoid tearing insert a drinking straw carefully into the opening of the balloon. Due to the self sealing qualities of mylar balloons, many times the neck may look sealed shut, but inserting a straw will open it up enough for filling. Sometimes you will notice a tear or mar at the neck under the inflation hole, this is normal, as it will not affect the filling of the balloon. When attaching ribbons be sure to tie at the very end of the balloon stem DO NOT tie the ribbon over the seal that was used to inflate the ballon, doing this will cause the balloon to have a small leak.
During inflation of the balloon inflate very SLOWLY. The larger balloons have many sections or areas to fill and when one section fills then it will fill another section, etc. If too much air pressure is used and you fill too quickly, one section may fill too fast and burst before the next section is filled. Or if filling too fast you may burst the top of the balloon, this is NOT a defect in the balloon. If you fill latex and small mylar balloons too fast it will result in small holes on the surface of the balloons, this is not a defect, this is a result of filling too fast.
SO...ALWAYS use SLOW even filling pressure-the slower the better, giving all sections of the balloon a chance to fill.
I can NOT be responsible for balloons which burst when filling! Filling too fast or overfilling results in the balloon bursting at the top or sides and the burst part will have an uneven star like pattern, generally at the seam, this is NOT a defect in the balloon, it is because the balloon was filled TOO fast. Please do not ask for a refund in those cases as it was not a manufacturing flaw. I fill many balloons and seldom see (maybe 1-2 out of 500), any real manufacturing defects.
In cases of a manufacturing defect of the balloon I will need to have the balloon returned to me to determine if the balloon was filled too fast or if it is an actual defect. With defects you will see a smooth tear or rip at the seams, or on the surface of the balloon before filling. In these cases let me know.
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