I found an awesome portable compressor online from a Chinese Company. 150psi, 12V, comes with a carrying case, flex hose, car-battery clamp cables, fittings and all. http://www.allaircompressor.com/mini...ssor_next7.htm

I E-mailed about it and a girl named Emily at the company responded!
The price of the unit is only $40 US Dollars! Awesome! They sent me some Bank Of China information for me to send my $$, but they want $75 for the shipping, bringing the total cost to $115. Not a bargain anymore.
So I'm bummed. I thought I'd found an awesome deal on some overseas schwag, but the shipping stuck it to me.

 

I thought this was going to be a funny photo
I'm dissapointed.

 

Alright then Scofco, I'll see if I can come up with something. LOL

 

So, after e-mailing the company for some shipping info, I let it go. A few weeks went by, and "emily" e-mailed me again. She's the PR girl at this Chinese company, and barely knows English. She's very polite and almost desperately friendly. Here's what she said:
Sorry for disturbing you .Hope that you and your business are well.
Pls help me to advise the status of item.
We need your comment to know the customer's thought and to improve ourself.
If you need further information.pls do not hesitate to contact me.
Look forward to hearing from you soon .
Best Regards
Emily
So I responded that I couldn't afford the shipping charges. She e-mailed me back again, polite as ever, in horribly broken English:Dear Jeremy:
Thanks for your reply.
Since the air compressor areso heavy that if you want to receive by expressor,
Of course the freight cost is high.
In one word, if you want to purchase air compressor in near future.
Pls do not hesitate to contact me.
Best Regards
Emily

I think I'm in love.

 

given that many of us got a $50 unit thats similar in specs, that price is horrible. just find a local place and pay the extra 10 or $20

 

Sorry Bob, but that's a bargain at $40. Try finding an MV50 for less than $70 these days. The shipping charges make this unit impractical, however. Check the link I just added in the first post. And then tell me where I can find a similar one with all the goodies for $50, and I'll buy it tomorrow. Thanks!

 

Pep Boy's local in San Diego had the one Bob mentioned for around $60.
Kragen's local in Orange County had the same for about the same price.

Why get one at $40 + $$ shipping vs. one at even $70 (I haven't seen them for that much) that has been proven by this group to be a good buy?

 

well, a bargain is all in the eyes of the beholder. if your buying straight from the chinese manufacturer, i beg to differ.

i'm in the import/export business, btw.

bob

 

So then you realize that a lot of the branded products (air compressors) we see in the US are probably subject to huge markups, expensive distribution channels, and excessive packaging, all unnecessary costs? Half of the compressors on the market are probably Chinese made, including all the major 4X4 brands. I looked around and found some affordable air compressors in the $50 range, but some of them were not rated highly by 4WDTO, like the 300psi Truck Air, available @ JCWhitney. Others just looked like toys.

I wasn't suggesting buying the Chinese one. Like I said, the shipping made it impractical. I suppose the overall humor of the thread was lost on everybody? C'mon. I thought I was sharing an insightful and comedic cultural exchange. Forget it.
I'm in the automotive aftermarket parts business, by the way, and I don't mean as a counterperson.
Oh, and TacomaDude, Bob didn't mention one specifically, though I asked. All arguments aside, I'm still eager to find one of these. I didn't find one that fit the bill at Lowe's, Northern Tool, WalMart, Harbor Freight, Checker/Schucks/Kragen, CARQUEST, NAPA, Advanced or Autozone. Help me out here, I want in on this supposed bargain!

 

not trying to pick a fight here at all. its good conversation.

now since you are in the auto parts business (and not just the counter person), aren't you in a position to getting a good discount from your distributors or your own company?

yes, i realize that the majority of these compressors are made overseas and subject to *necessary* US duties levied by our government that keep the playing field as level as possible. our duties are nowhere near excessive as our so-called foreign trading partners. the excessive cost that you speak are mainly within the value chain...thinks like ocean and inland freight costs and of course, the company's own channel costs in marketing, sales, distribution, etc.

bob

 

right. It's frustrating that I can't get around the bs. Even at my jobbers I can't find what I'm looking for. They would have to source it from another wholesaler, and then we'd have another step of markup in the distribution channel, which would likely negate any good bargain for me. There just doesn't seem to be much of a market for the mini air compressor with the battery clamps. CSK really never replaced the MV50 with anything as capable. I'm really thinking of biting the bullet on this one and opting for the (apparently) superior engineering and performance of a high cost Viair unit. But for now, I took my buddy's advice and bought two cheap little ones at a local farm/ranch store. Once again, the chain is trying to work them out of their distribution system with repeated markdowns, just like Checker did with MV50s. This one war marked down all the way to $7.50, so I bought their last two. It's slow, but with two of them it should be adequate. Lol.

 

That does look like a sweet compressor, kind of like 2 MV50s put together. Maybe if you buy a whole sea container full, the shipping per unit would be cheap.

 

she sounds like what my mom probably sounded like about 33 years ago...