I have a colleague who regularly tYPES LIKE THis because he accidentally hits the caps lock on his basic Dell or whatever OEM keyboard. I would like to give him a better wired USB keyboard. I know $30 ain't much, but what isn't terrible in that price range? I don't suppose there'd be any new mechanical keyboards out there at that price?
Mech keyboard sale
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/145242
and $69 Coolermaster Mech keyboard at PCCG
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/143382
No, you can't get a mechanical for $30. $30 gets you a very mainstream keyboard, nothing special in terms of features and will most likely perform very much like an ordinary membrane type keyboard. You could probably purchase a used IBM-era Model M keyboard which has true mechanical switches, but they'd be very old and would require cleaning to make it look new.
Everyone has different preferences on keyboards, so I suggest that he goes shopping and 'try before you buy' to get a feel of what works best for him. There's no point in buying a keyboard that doesn't suit a person's prefs.