I don't think there's much the Arduino guys can do if they want to use a courier. I've seen this a lot with small companies who don't have the volume to cut a good deal. It can be a killer for a startup company. I've seen prices of $50 or even $75 for a single (small) bolt.
I think element14 are Arduino resellers so they should have some soon I would guess and they used to have free shipping in Aus although I'm not sure if that's still the case.
Rob