You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

[LondonLarry]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

I was wondering if you would pass along the contact info for the sales lady you spoke to from Qualatex?

Errr NO.

OK. Crowdfunding, that won't happen. Let me explain. First off I don't consider myself any better or any worse than anyone using this forum. Lets be honest, unless you have the cash in the bank lets not entertain contacting Qulaltex.

You contact them, verifying what I've told you, there is still no order, not a sniff of an order, you are window shopping with no cash.

You set up a crowd funding page. Qualatex WILL find out about this. They will make there way back to this site, obvious enough, Google search or someone will mention it.

Some stern middle aged frumpy woman from Qualatex clicks on our beloved forum and is met with :-

Sex with a Balloon (i.e. Penis in a balloon) Question
Popping balloons with your Penis
Daddy sitpops a Balloon

She is going to sit open mouthed in horror, especially as 'Daddy' insinuates child connotation to the extreme. I know that is not how it is meant but nevertheless.

Then there are all the post from the less mature people on the site, to me they sound strange/pointless but to someone not in our niche they seem down right weird.

Balloon manufactureers are aware of our 'thing' tolerate it (just), but this crowdfunding malarky would kill the batch run off. You'd get an email stating that 'upon second thoughts' logistically it's not possible.

/thread

[SAF]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

Way too many uptight people here. Money is money to companies. Do they really care what you do with the items they sold as long as it's not illegal or immoral?

If you have the cash go for it. Just don't be a creeper when you call them.

[Will blown]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

I hear you and though I agree on some points I don’t agree on them all. There are plenty of fetishes, sex toys and things most people find strange a best horrifying at worse. Have a look on kickstarter to see any number of items that would get the reaction you suggest.

Perhaps your concerns are very valuable. Perhaps screaming Qualatex 24 is not such a great idea. Perhaps we relabel it the L24.

One thing is for sure and that is that there are a lot of people who really love this balloon and will really be saddened when it is gone. We can either just give up because we assume a reaction or we find a solution. I know others are developing prototypes but let’s be honest any commercial balloon will have to be certified. A homemade solution sounds nice but isn’t practical.

I for one am not ready to give up yet. Nor am I going to assume the worst or hide because I have a thing for balloons. Worse case scenario is we try, they freak out and withdraw offer and everyone gets their money back. We lose time and effort perhaps a small amount of cash but we go down knowing we came together and gave it a shot.

My question to you would be if we did make a deal, if we did set this up, would you put +100 euro on the table if you would get a reasonable amount of q24. And if we had to choose a color what would your top four choices be?

[Will blown]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

Way too many uptight people here. Money is money to companies. Do they really care what you do with the items they sold as long as it's not illegal or immoral?

It’s all about the money. It’s not as if they have to present the product to a room full of looners.

This community is pretty good at staying out of the spotlight surely it’s worth serious consideration.

[LondonLarry]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

Way too many uptight people here. Money is money to companies. Do they really care what you do with the items they sold as long as it's not illegal or immoral?

Loads do. Prince Andrew is an absolute social outcast now. Before all the recent media kicked off, he could sell anything because of the HRH monica. Now people will go out of their way to avoid.

Fivver was another, you could pay girls to pop balloons on there, all fine and dandy until someone mentioned the word fetish, no more balloon offferings on fivver now.

[BalloonBoyUK]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

Nothing to see here

[LondonLarry]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

BalloonBoyUK, well put. Excellent, you explained that better than I could of. I think the Q24 was an excellent balloon, maybe the Cattex 32" long neck could be a replacement but it's the cost.

I can buy 17" Tuf Tex and 24" Tuf Tex but they are not as good.

BelBal 24" maybe. again cost.

[SAF]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

Name me a conservative-corporation that would turn down a profit? Money is money. What does Qualtex care if you want to get naked and run though a room filled with 24" balloons and have sex in them. Fun is fun and balloons and sex are fun! You paid them and they made a profit.

Now what would creep out Qualtex would be some creeper mouth breather trying to get the lady on the phone to sell them a bag. 1) you are going to creep out the person on the other end. You know they type I am talking about. And 2) its a waste of their time.

Funny you bring up Prince Andrew. First off he is a creeper... second is he spent time on Jeffery Epstein's (who did not hang himself) island where it has been said that its a pedophile playground. Sorry but that is immoral and illegal. I really don't think you will find anybody who would associate with a pedophile.

[LondonLarry]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

I really don't think you will find anybody who would associate with a pedophile.

Oh really.....




Brought to you via the one and only

[Will blown]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

Right, for what it's worth, I have to agree with LondonLarry here, and here's why.

Qualatex cares about its worldwide reputation, and - simply put - they WILL care who is buying their products and what their products might then be used for. Any hint of impropriety that could, or might damage that reputation, is likely to be a cost they will NOT want to deal with.

I don't know of any balloon fetish online balloon store that isn't selling Qualatex. Judging by the average spend per year per looner we make up an interesting niche market for them.

I am pretty sure the large amounts these stores are ordering puts them under their scrutiny yet they continue to ship to them.

You could be right but you could also be dead wrong and again, I am not going to "move on" or give up at this point. Where there is a will there is a way even if that means a knockoff manufactured by a balloon manufacturer that is fully aware of our fetish and does not have a problem with our community.

Perhaps you are right about a "private buyer". I really don't see how that would make much difference but that might be the "looking the other way" they may need. I believe the issue is not what we do with their balloons simply that they produce millions of balloons a week and the volume to warrant production of the Q24 just wasn't there. 20,000 may sound like a lot to me but to them it is really barely worth the effort. They didn't discontinue the Q24 because we love it. They discontinued it because it was not commercially viable.

We are one of many fetishes out there and I have never heard of a company banning, pulling buying rights away or discouraging sales because their product was being used as a sex toy. Damn near every thing out there is being used as a sex toy by someone. As a fetish, we are pretty tame in comparison.

Let's put aside our assumptions for the moment about their political or moral views. If they would allow this, give a crowd funding their blessing, would you consider investing in a stock of Q24s for yourself?

I really as not looking at the reaction of Qualatex, I am researching whether or not it would be worth the effort based on the demands of our community. Could we actually move 20,000? Are we a viable market? In a perfect world.

[BalloonBoyUK]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

I'm sorry, but I'm afraid there are dozens of companies who have, and would, turn-down money/profit, if they weren't happy with where or who it comes from, SAF. You can disagree with me, but you try speaking to any company, and asking them whether they would happily take money, if they weren't 100% satisfied with where or who it was coming from. No sensible, intelligent company would do that! It would be insanity to risk doing so.

As for this...

I think you are more uptight than any "conservative-organizations".

... are you really going to go there?! Wow!



To then say:

Fun is fun and balloons and sex are fun! You paid them and they made a profit.

No one is disputing that fun is fun, and balloons and sex are fun. Nor am I disputing whether they make a profit or not. What I am disputing is whether Qualatex - or any other brand, with the notable exception of Rifco - would want to knowingly endanger their company's reputation for a quick buck. That's the ONLY issue that you and I are in disagreement on.

As for Prince Andrew, the reason he was brought up, was specifically to refute the point being made that people will put profit ahead of other motivations. The fact that once Andrew became dishonoured after he became entwined with Epstein, is the exact point that numerous charities and other companies started dropping all association with Andrew, and his money. Some even returned funds they'd already been given, because of his "reputation". He became persona non grata.

The whole point is, no company is going to risk being tainted by someone or something with a crummy reputation, and especially if that crummy reputation is to do with sex, slease, and in that instance, paedophilia.

So, like it or not, whether Qualatex knows about looners, or not, and irrespective of whether we buy balloons from them or not, and also irrespective of whether they tolerate us or not, the simple fact remains, that they will NOT be keen on doing business to remanufacture the Q24, for a sum of money, without doing some due diligence, and that means they will want to know who wants the balloons, what they intend to do with them, and why.

Simply put, the Q24, whether we like it or not, is not going to be coming back anytime soon, and as much as that may disappoint, annoy, or sadden you or anyone else, there's nothing we can do (or should do, for that matter) about it. Qualatex's reputation doesn't need us, and to be honest, they are not going to risk tainting that reputation, over one order - no matter what.

In business, your reputation is everything. No amount of brand recognition, great customer service, quality of product, or super, low prices, can makeup for damage to your reputation.


Will blown, you said:

I don't know of any balloon fetish online balloon store that isn't selling Qualatex.

Most of the outlets are balloon stores, not balloon fetish stores. That's a tiny but significant difference. None of them advertise themselves as fetish stores. Almost all will promote themselves as balloon sellers and balloon stores only. That's why shops that sell pornography don't generally call themselves "Pornography Shop". The name and what you do, can mean the difference between staying afloat, or not - no pun intended.

Judging by the average spend per year per looner we make up an interesting niche market for them.

Indeed, but niche is the keyword there. We are so niche, the amount looners spend is probably a fraction of one percentage of who Qualatex does business with. So, I doubt that what we spend on their products counts as noticeable, compared to florists, wedding decorators, and professional balloon sellers/users, in the grand scheme of things.

I am pretty sure the large amounts these stores are ordering puts them under their scrutiny yet they continue to ship to them.

That may be the case, but they would be risking their reputation if that knowledge got out. As I said in my original post, Qualatex knowing of us, and Qualatex tolerating and accepting us, are two very different things.

I am not going to "move on" or give up at this point. Where there is a will there is a way even if that means a knockoff manufactured by a balloon manufacturer that is fully aware of our fetish and does not have a problem with our community.

That's your choice, but the problem with that kind of mindset, is if your actions then backfire on everyone else in the community. I don't think that's a risk I would want to take. I don't think it's worth frustrating everyone, for one person's own needs and desires. Also, a "knockoff" wouldn't be as good as the Q24, and it would defeat the purpose of looking for someone to manufacture it. If you can find a balloon manufacturer, who is happy with looners, and is willing to make a 24" balloon, that's fine, and I have no quarrel with you over that. Just don't get angry if you (or anyone else) gets a lot of knockbacks, rejections, or ignored e-mail requests.

I believe the issue is not what we do with their balloons simply that they produce millions of balloons a week and the volume to warrant production of the Q24 just wasn't there. 20,000 may sound like a lot to me but to them it is really barely worth the effort. They didn't discontinue the Q24 because we love it. They discontinued it because it was not commercially viable.

And on that, I completely agree with you.

If they would allow this, give a crowd funding their blessing, would you consider investing in a stock of Q24s for yourself?

If I'm honest, my answer would be "no", purely and only because whilst I loved that balloon a lot, I am not addicted to it, nor do I miss it to the point of thinking it's the only balloon that will satisfy my looning needs. For me, it was nice whilst it existed, but now it's no more, I have moved on. I know that's probably going to annoy many, but you asked for my answer, so there it is.

The price that would be required for me to invest for that balloon, would probably be too high as well. I've seen people sell/ask for upto £10 for a single Qualatex 24" balloon, which - in my opinion only - is an insanely high price, even if that is the "going rate". I wouldn't pay £10 for one balloon, unless it was at least 4ft in size. I love my balloons, but I also am a realist with a below-average wage, and would only pay a sensible/reasonable price. £10, or £5 or even £3 for one, single Q24, isn't sensible to me, when they originally cost £5 for two Q24's.


Anyway, I've said enough in this post.

As looners, we need to understand that sometimes we can't have what we want in life. It's no different to me, whether I want the Q24 back or not. The only thing that matters, is the reputation of Qualatex. I have contacts at Qualatex: friends I care deeply about, who know I love my balloons, and buy from them regularly. But the one thing they don't need to know is why I buy so many. They don't need to know, it's because it's a sexual fetish. It's not for them to know that info. And no company, no matter how much I love them or their products, are worth burning bridges over, in my opinion.

If the Q24 came back, I'd be very happy. But if it remains a product of its time, that will never come back, so be it. I can live without it, and still be happy with the other balloons I can still get.

[TheMole]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

I wish there was enough trust here to pool a bunch of money from everyone to have a whole run made. I’d throw in.

[john1bl]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

OK Balloon Boy UK please stop projecting YOUR values to other people or organizations. The Pioneer Balloon Co don't care about there reputation to the general public, because nobody knows who they are!! Just go ask any 10 people off the street if they have heard of Pioneer.

The reason the Q24 was discontinued is because of lack of sells. Did you know that they had not produced the Q24 for two years before announcement of discontinuance!

If you have the cash for a short run of the Q24 they will make it for you, but there will be a cost. There are cost to setup the line and run a new lot of balloons.

Pioneer loose control of the balloons as it leaves the factory! the balloons go to a wholesaler like Mayflower then are sold to retailers. Pioneer see's the wholesaler as the customer. The marketing for the QBN is to add sales of there balloons to the wholesalers.

Do they know about the balloon fetish....probable... do they care....NO. We are a such a small amount of sales that we are not on the radar!!

One good thing about the Q24 being killed is that the other balloon companies are making there versions of a 24 inch balloon now

As for public issues with balloons I think they have bigger fish to fry on that one, like the cost of Helium, overzealous nuts wanting to ban balloons for various reasons and conflate Mylar and latex.

The one thing you need to remember is that balloon are just a party favors and the sexual thing don't exist to John Q public.

[AuroraFox]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

Here we go again, BalloonBoyUK projecting his views onto everyone else. That sure didn’t take long, who would’ve guessed the apology thread was a total joke?

Here’s the bottom line - You are not the owner or employee of Qualatex, or presumably any business for that matter. You have zero right to speak for them or guess at what their views, policies, or thoughts are regarding this fetish. This is a pretty simple concept: A business’ bottom line is profit, and they have a product that wasn’t a big seller, so it was nixed from production. It happens every day, and unfortunately this time around it was the Q24, which was a favorite of only a small group of buyers. If someone here wants to pony up the cash for a minimum production run, then by all means I’m sure they would have no problem doing it, as it’s just another sale. Nobody is issuing background checks or doing interviews to purchase balloons, nor is there any sort of conspiracy that balloon manufacturing companies want to keep products away from looners, for Christ sake.

[hijack966]

Re: You can purchase new Qualtex 24"

for sale here: http://www.ebay.de/itm/184142222255