To Buy or Rent a Bounce House
Every year we have a few people who call us debating whether or not to buy a bounce house of their own rather than rent one from Astro Jump. I always find it a little amusing that they would call us, a moon bounce rental company, but then again they usually do because they have rented from us in the past and know that we will have an answer for them on where to buy it. We welcome their calls and in some cases buying one yourself is a better option than renting one. I approach this conversation in three ways.
One, they can continue to rent their bounce houses from companies like Astro Jump of Metro DC. This way has substantial benefits. Yes, a moon bounce rental is not cheap, but to look at it only from the raw dollar viewpoint is a mistake because it misses many elements of the service. For the price a customer pays to rent a basic moon bounce we will deliver it to you, set it up, and pick it up once your party is over. A standard bounce house weighs at least 200 pounds with most of them weighing substantially more. Our drivers have experience on how to properly handle equipment of this size so that they do not hurt themselves. Other than just moving the moon bounce, setting up the piece can also be a challenge, especially if you have any stairs or hills in between the inflatable and where you want it set up. When we unroll it you receive a professionally cleaned inflatable rather than one that has been collecting mold and dust in your garage for a few months. This means that the inflatable is in a better condition for your children and their guests. After the birthday party is over, we come back to properly roll the inflatable and remove it from your yard so that you don’t have to think about it again for a few months. Do you want a pulled back? It reminds me of the Staples Easy Button, “Wow, that was easy.”
The second option rather than paying us for the bounce house service is to buy one at a large discount retailer like Target or Wal Mart. These inflatables seem inexpensive and many cost the same price as one rental from Astro Jump. They come in many shapes and sizes and in many different colors. Of all three options (getting to the third one soon), this is in my opinion the worst. We regularly hear reports from customers who have purchased one of these in past that they do not last. Most of the time we hear that the vinyl (or many times plastic) tears after only a few, even one, use. While you can certainly take it back should this happen, that certainly doesn’t make you child any happier when their birthday party becomes a bust, not to mention the hassle of taking it back. The inflatables tend to be substantially smaller than professional grade inflatables and can not fit nearly as many children at a time. Just remember that you get what you pay for.
The last option I discuss with people debating over whether to buy or rent a bounce house is either chalking up the money for a new industrial grade inflatable like we rent at Astro Jump of Metro DC or buying a used one from a rental company. If you insist on owning your own bounce house, either of these options is better than buying one from a discount retailer in my opinion. A new industrial grade moon bounce of at least decent quality costs at the very least $1,000 before shipping. This is a good option if you can afford it, plan on using it regularly, have space to store it, don’t mind moving it around, and plan to clean it after each use. By not cleaning it and storing it incorrectly, you risk opening it up one day and finding it covered in mold. This is not what you want to find after investing that much money in an inflatable. A proper storing place for a bounce house or any inflatable is a dry area with a relatively constant temperature. Most people decide that this inconvenience, the lack of storage space and the cost of buying a new basic bounce house is reason enough to rent. If you don’t mind the upkeep of a piece and can’t afford a new bounce house, you can always buy used equipment from rental companies like Astro Jump. We make sure that we have new and nice equipment to rent, so we are always selling something that is a little older in order to make room for something completely new. If there is anything wrong with the equipment, we will tell you before you buy it. I always tell anyone who asks me that everything I own is for sale, so just make an offer and we’ll take it from there. If I insisted on owning my own moon bounce, this is probably the route I would go.
These are the considerations you should go through when deciding whether or not to rent or buy a basic bounce house. Anything larger than a standard bounce house is very expensive and very heavy. If you have any questions or would like to buy one, call us, we are happy to help!