To be fair, the only deck of bikes I bought in Australia was a pack of Guardians, but it was an absolute bargain. Some Bikes sell upwards of 15 AUD (12.96 USD). However, T11 shipping is cheap-ish, and I got 8 packs of cards for 50 AUD or so.
I pang a little on the inside when I see local magicians throw their bikes into the audience. I feel for their wallets, heh. However, I think to myself - hey, if magicians feel that using bikes or otherwise makes their trick more surefire, why not. It is their money and their personal judgement. The judgements we make about expense are largely dependent on our incomes, the cost of product and what we like. Also, these guys probably buy them in bulk and can write them off their tax as work equipment.
There are poker-size cards made right here in Australia. They feel like crap. They're stiff to handle, will fan when brand new but lose their finish quickly, have boring geometric backs and ugly colour scheme for the face cards, etc. But they do the job for some tricks, are familiar, easier for some clumsy laymen to handle because of their finish and cost little. So it is not the case that the only way for me to get suitable cards is to order them from the US. However, bridge cards are by far the most common. I use them to briefly entertain people with self-working tricks, or to practice making gimmicks. Although I can't resist looking around on eBay for new decks, even if they're just pretty-looking bikes. There are pricier passtimes than magic.
edit: Actually, I have to agree that standard bikes are not the special-est of special. Hoping here that these handsome mystery cards come with quality to match the pretty.
