Hi Jeff,
It could be something as simple as a little particulate matter ( dust or dirt ) in the inflation valve. It could also be a seam leak or a pin hole in the bladder. It's tough to say from behind a keyboard and tough to check for without a pump, time, water, etc.
You could easily clean out the valve and think you've licked the problem, just to find out down the road that there is more than one source for the pressure loss.
Yet of all the customers who brought back float tubes and pontoon boats to us over the years, to send back to the manufacturers for service. The vast majority were taken care of on the spot by cleaning out the inflation valve. A lot of casual pontoon and float tube users are terrible about keeping their valves closed and / or covered when not in use, the result is dust accumulation on / and around the valve seals or seats which often manifests itself as a slow leak
Pump the thing up to full pressure, position the unit so that the valve opening is facing up and then fill the sealed valve opening with a little water, If you see bubbles, you've probably found the source of the problem. That might tell you all you need to know.
Problem is, you'll have shown the seller the same thing, which might change his mind about the price or his willingness to sell. I mean we're talking Craigslist here, not FAOL, you get my drift.
Why not contact the units manufacturer first and ask about the cost of a replacement bladder. If the cost of a new bladder still makes the tube seam like a deal to you, then go for it. Personally, I'm not a big fan of buying other folks defective stuff, especially where it's performance might have an impact on my longevity.
Best of luck, Dave
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