[tpowell]

I thought I was Chicken Little buying my first masks (P100 respirators) in January 2020. I bought a couple more fancy ones in Feb. Days later, decent masks disappeared—those had to last me the rest of 2020. Around November(?), Powecom masks became FDA approved and I've bought plenty through https://bonafidemasks.com. There are coupons floating around (try slickdeals). The headband style ones are a little more $, but provide a better seal. I also like that they have black as an option. FYI I use a BYD surgical masks ($8 for 50 at Costco) on top of these and really try to keep those to single use. Don't forget to use germ-x or whatever after touching the outside of your mask—static electricity is supposed to help particles stick to the outside (hence a fresh surgical for the outside layer).

[LUmBULtERA]

I just received an order of their KN95 masks with headbands -- I agree about the headband style. It seems a bit easier to get a seal with, and easier on the ears. I'm pleased with them. FYI, 2021 is a 10% off coupon code atm. I received my package 6 business days after ordering.

That said, was I aware of these smaller USA n95 sellers, I might have purchased from them. But at slightly less than $1/mask delivered for these KN95s, it's still a good choice.

[pulse7]

Just ordered 100x Powecom KN95 FDA Authorized masks on this website based on your comment! Found a valid coupon code (DEAL22). For $95.56 including shipping to Europe this is less than a dollar for a KN95 mask! Thank you!

EDIT: Note the N95 / KN95 difference: N95 is the US standard, KN95 is the China standard.

[blub]

Foreign governments (ahem, government) bought the masks from underneath the US's nose. The USG should have insta-blocked exports.

[AlbertoGP]

Not just the government directly, but also a big established network of their citizens: “Who stole all the masks?” (2020-04-03) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImmRjT74i-c

That’s the practice known as “Daigou” (代购): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daigou

A pre-pandemic article about the practice, specifically in Australia: “The daigou channel — how a handful of Chinese shoppers turned into a billion-dollar industry” (2019-07-31) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-31/chinese-daigou-changi...