The EE is a lousy place to find deals.
I picked up a Miroku SA-22 for $275 about 3 years ago at an online auction. If you're patient and keep your eyes open, you can generally find a deal. If you need something RIGHT NOW! it will end up costing more.
Sure, that may be almost double what the Norinco costs, but still not a high price for a decent quality gun that you don't have to mess with just to get it to work reliably. $159 is a terrible price for a gun that doesn't work out of the box. Even at minimum wage, your time is worth more than the price difference in time you'll put into screwing with the thing to get it to work right.