Frequently asked questions

Our large order (greater than £75) security protocol

Please note we take security and customer satisfaction very seriously. Therefore we reserve the right on orders with a value of £75 and above to undertake additional security and order confirmation measures via communication with the customer prior to shipping. If the requested customer confirmation is not received by us and / or security checks are not satisfactorily passed the order may be cancelled by us. Please note that this process may delay shipment of qualifying orders where the customer does not respond in a timely manner.
Any customer order considered by us to be high risk and / or fraudulent will be cancelled immediately.
Where orders are cancelled by us all monies paid will be refunded in full to the customer using the original payment method.
This does not affect your statutory rights.

What free balloons will I receive?

Free balloons are added to all orders regardless of order size / value.
Sometimes the free balloons are listed as part of our promotions. When we do not have specific free balloon promotions the free balloons are chosen by us at random.
Free balloons can not be specified by customers.

I am not in the UK, can I still buy balloons from Balloon Ace?

Please note our prices are listed in GBP - £. International customers will pay in local currency per the currency exchange rate as handled by our payment providers Shopify and PayPal. Please note we do not have any control over the exchange rates.
We do ship internationally. However, please note there are some locations where we do not currently ship to due to associated costs and / or courier reliability issues.
A full list of where we ship to can be found on our shipping policy page.
We do not profit from our shipping costs. We have undertaken extensive research of international shipping courier costs and believe our current provider (Royal Mail, with local partner mail company making final delivery) to be the most cost effective and reliable option available to us.
Please note that non-UK customers may be required to pay import duties and / or import taxes upon delivery. It is the customer's responsibility to understand what their local import duties and / or import taxes are. Balloon Ace are not responsible for paying any import duties and / or import taxes on behalf of the customer. Failure to pay any import duties and / or import taxes may result in you not receiving your order. Please refer to our refund policy regarding the customer's refusal to pay any required import duties and / or import taxes on our refund policy page.

Will you ship my order discreetly?

We will ship your order in discreet packaging as we appreciate our balloons may be being purchased for a surprise for someone. For deliveries outside of the U.K., we are required by law to fill out a customs declaration form and attach it to the outside of the package.

Where the package shipping weight is less than 2kg the customs declaration with list the contents as "Toy Craft Kit" which has the same import / export HS code as balloons.
Where the package shipping weight exceeds 2kg the customs declaration will list the contents as "Balloons" on a commercial invoice. The commercial invoice will be placed in a document wallet and typically be folded such that the contents can only be seen when the document wallet is opened.
Falsifying package contents for import / export is a criminal offence, please don't ask us to do so.

Please note that you will be responsible for any import duty required by customs on your order. Please note that we state the full goods value on the customs documentation as required by international import / export laws and to ensure that the package is insured for the correct value during shipping.

Intentionally indicating lower values on the import / export customs documentation is considered fraud and tax evasion, please don't ask us to do so.

The sender's name on the shipping label is "B Ace". The name Balloon Ace does not appear anywhere on the outside of the packaging.
The discreet packaging means that it would be impossible for anybody to determine the contents without opening the packaging first.
Please note that your telephone number and email address may be shown on the package address label to assist the mail services with delivery and / or for customs import / export processing.

Do you ship to packing stations, PO boxes or post offices?

To help prevent payment fraud we will only ship to the shipping address provided at the time of ordering.
Please note that if your order is heavier than 2kg we may not be able to ship to this address if it is a packing station, PO Box etc... due to courier restrictions.

How long will it take for my order to arrive?

We endeavour to ship all orders within 24 hours of being placed with the exception of weekends where shipment will be delayed until the following working day. If you place your order before the 'cut off time listed on our shipping policy page (Monday to Friday) we aim to ship your order on the same day. However, sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances we may need to ship your order the following working day. Order shipping may also be delayed where payment has been flagged as potentially fraudulent by our payment portal until additional security checks have been completed.
We ship all orders first class / international standard to give the quickest delivery time to our customers. Please refer to our shipping policy page for further details.
95% of our UK customers who order before our listed 'cut off' time report receiving their order the next working day. However, as we rely on Royal Mail to deliver our orders we can not guarantee that all UK orders will be received the next working day. Royal Mail advertise their UK service as taking between 1 and 3 working days so please bear this in mind when you order.
The time it takes to receive international orders varies upon the destination. Full details of estimated delivery timescales can be found on Royal Mail's website (https://www.royalmail.com). Please note this timescale will be from receipt of the fulfilment email from us. Additionally, please note these timescales are estimates and can be shorter or longer than stated due to factors outside of Royal Mail's control.
We do not offer the facility of expedited delivery currently.
We regret that we are unable to make additions to orders. If orders are placed as two or more orders they will be dispatched individually so please bear this in mind when you order.

Can I personally pick up my order at your warehouse?

We run Balloon Ace as an only web store with no public or business access. We do not allow for collection in person of any orders.

Can I make change to my current order if it has not been dispatched?

Please note that at this moment in time we do not allow for changes to orders already placed which are not dispatched. If you have accidentally ordered the incorrect products and your order had not yet been dispatched we will need to cancel the order and you will need to place a new order. Please note that the cancellation will trigger a refund request which may take a few days to appear on your account.
Please note that multiple orders can not be combined into one consignment. All orders are shipped separately.

What do the colour / finish descriptions mean?

Our balloons are manufactured from natural latex. Different colour pigments are added to balloons to create the following finishes:

Jewel / crystal - semi-transparent balloons with radiant jewel like colours
Soap crystal - transparent (almost clear) balloons with slight colour tint
Standard / pastel - opaque or semi opaque balloons with radiant colours
Pearl - opaque soft metallic effect with radiant rich colours
Metallic - opaque metallic effect with radiant rich colours
Chrome - opaque ultra shiny metallic effect with radiant rich colours

Colours / finishes as represented on this website are provided directly from the manufacturers. Due to limitations of their imaging process, digital artefacts and the way in which computer / electronic devices render colours there may be slight variations in the colours of the physical balloons. We apologies that any slight colour deviations are outside of our control.

How do I inflate my balloons?

Balloons shall always be inflated under the supervision of a responsible person and not by anyone unsupervised under the age of 8 years. To prevent injury from a bursting balloon always inflate balloons using a pump whilst holding the balloon away from the face and eyes.
Do not purposefully over-inflate balloons.
To make inflating the balloons easier to inflate it is suggested to rub / stretch the balloons in your hand prior to inflating.

Why do my balloons feel stiff / rigid?

Balloons are made from natural latex rubber which is susceptible to changes in ambient temperature. Extreme cold temperatures can make balloons feel stiff / rigid. This is nothing to worry about although you should give your balloons time to naturally warm to room temperature before inflating. Rubbing the balloons between warm hands will speed up the warming process.
Cold balloons may burst upon inflating due to their rigidity. Always make sure that balloons have been sufficiently warmed up so that they are soft and supple prior to inflating.

How do I make my balloons float?

Balloons need inflating with a gas which is 'lighter than air' to enable them to float. Typically helium is used because it is non-flammable. Helium needs to be purchased separately as we do not supply helium with our balloons. For safety reasons we do not recommend inflating balloons with any gasses other than air or helium.

How are balloons sized?

The balloon sizes indicated are the diameter of the inflated balloon at its widest point. This measurement is taken across the balloon when the inflating nozzle is facing up or down. Please note due to the colour pigments added to the balloon latex that colour / finish affects its inflated size. Jewel tones inflate largest and pearl / metallic balloons inflate smallest despite being rated the same diameter. Standard colours inflate similar in size to jewel tone balloons.
The balloon sizes stated on this website are the balloon manufacturers' rated sizes. The actual sizes of the inflated balloons can vary slightly across each manufacturer and finish. Some balloons inflate larger than their rated size and some balloons inflate slightly smaller than their rated size. If in doubt please email us for assistance.

How do I store my balloons and how long do they last?

Our balloons are made from natural latex which can degrade over time if not stored correctly. We recommend you always to store your balloons at room temperature, dry and protected from light. UV radiation and oxygen accelerate the aging process. The best way to keep your balloons safe is to store them in an air tight container. Typically balloons have a shelf life of around two years (though this varies across brands) if stored correctly.
Balloons may be stored in a stand-alone freezer or in the freezer section of the fridge. Freezing works to preserve balloons and if stored this way may last beyond five years. However, please note that you should not allow too many temperature changes to the balloons. Balloons may also be stored in the fridge. If your balloons have been stored in the fridge or freezer you should give your balloons time to naturally warm to room temperature before inflating. Cold balloons may burst upon inflating due to their rigidity.

Are little windows or thin spots a danger for the balloon?

Little windows or thin spots in the balloon’s latex skin do not usually have any negative effects on the quality of the balloon. Smaller irregularities such as air pockets in the latex skin or light folds can just come up and are not a defect. This simply is a part of the production and storage process.
If you detect significant and bigger windows or weak spots in uninflated condition, please contact us as soon as possible, and we will provide you with advice and assistance.
The nozzle of the balloon may show signs of drips, folds and / or bubbles. These are not a defect. This simply is a part of the production and storage process.

Can I return burst / defective balloons?

We only stock premium balloons which means that all of our balloons are more durable and less prone to defects than economy balloons. As part of our quality assurance process all balloons are inspected upon order packing. However, occasionally defective balloons do find their way into our customer's orders.
Balloons by design are easy to determine if they are defective. A balloon with a hole which will not inflate is considered to be defective.
Visual artefacts on the latex skin such as small windows, thin spots, light folds, air pockets, visible ripples / lines, surface blobs, localised thickening, drips etc.. are not considered to be defects and are considered to be within 'factory specifications'.
All balloons burst at some point in time, it is an unfortunate consequence of the way in which balloons are designed to function. Balloons can and will burst for a variety of reasons such as puncture from sharp objects, over-inflation, being rough handled or other environmental factors.
Industry guidelines indicate that a burstage rate of 10% of balloons (1 in 10 balloons) is within acceptable tolerances and is completely within 'factory specifications'. If you need a specific number of balloons for an occasion please bear this in mind when ordering.
Any customers who feel that a balloon has been, or is, defective, should contact Balloon Ace, within 48 hours of your order being delivered, and we will determine how to proceed.

Can you print balloons with my own custom design?

We are are able to provide custom printed Belbal balloons for our customers. Please note the costs associated with custom printing can be quite high due to the need for preparing a custom printing screen and additional time required for manufacturing custom printed balloons. Please note there is a minimum order size for custom printed balloons dependent upon the balloon size, colour, finish, print design, print colour, print direction and print configuration. It is more cost effective to purchase custom printed balloons in bulk to offset the screen costs. Please contact us directly for further details.

Abandoned checkouts

If you have entered your details at checkout and decide to abandon your order we will usually send you a recovery email within 24 hours so that you can complete you order without the need to re-enter you order and address details. Shopping carts can be recovered provided that the items are still in stock.
Please note that carts abandoned when promotions or discounts are being offered many not be able to benefit from the same if the cart recovery is attempted after the promotion or discount has expired.
Please note that we do not send discount codes with any cart recovery emails.
This does not affect your statutory rights.

Why is my bank or credit card showing a pending charge for one or several declined transactions?

The most common reason for the declined transaction is that both the billing address and the post / zip code entered do not match the billing address on file with the bank that issued your debit / credit card. Our payment portal's Address Verification System (AVS) security measures will reject any transaction for a billing address mismatch.
If a debit card or check card is used to make a payment, and the purchase was not accepted for any reason (failed AVS or CCV verification), please be aware that many banks will hold the authorised funds (counting against your available balance until the authorisation clears). This is even if your order was rejected by our payment portal's security measures. Such authorisations are temporary pending charges, and funds will not be transferred because the charge attempt failed and the order was not completed.
We do not have the capability nor the obligation to release your bank's temporary hold on pending authorised funds. Since we do not have the capability to release your bank’s temporary hold, we can not be held responsible for the policies of the your bank regarding the holding of pending authorised funds nor the impact this may temporarily have on your available balance.
Please note that authorisation fund holds can last for varying periods, depending on the issuing bank’s policy. In most cases, you do not need to do anything as the pending charges will drop off of your statement within a few business days.
If you have any queries pertaining to your bank’s authorisation fund holding policy we recommend that you contact your bank directly.