From the lik Kathi posted, the cheap plastic rope I was referring to is the "Licorice PVC Rope". It's so cheap that you can't really go wrong with it and will give you the same workout as more expensive ropes.

The Buddy Lee rope looks fine too. I haven't tried it, but the way the handles are attached to the rope looks fine for tricks. Generally for a beginner there is no need to achieve maximum speed.