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The reason being is that it is in fact much cheaper to buy factory 9mm than reloading it: like 20% cheaper!!
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Perhaps the economics of reloading supplies like powder and primers are different where you are compared to factory rounds. But also keep in mind that even the richest IPSC shooters reload, or at least have custom loads made for them. The game here is to make a load with the least felt recoil with the most accuracy in
your gun that consistently and safely meets the power factor for your division. Commercial loads are about as opposite as you can get to meeting these goals. For that reason plus economics, I honestly don't know anyone in the sport past their first year shooting 9mm who doesn't reload.
My material cost for 9mm reloading includes $32 per 1,000 Winchester primers and $34 per pound of Vihtavuori N320 (the expensive stuff). The Vit N320 allows me to reload about 2,100 rounds, so we'll say $17 per thousand. I cast my bullets with free lead. This makes my rounds about 5 cents each, or $5.00 per hundred. I also shoot fully plated match bullets for winter indoor use that cost me $100 per 1,000. So that's .15 cents a round or $15 per 100. Here in Canada, the Winchester 9mm 100 white box is selling for $30 locally. Even with the match winter bullets, I'm saving half the money.
My wife and I do IPSC practice at least once per week (often twice per week in non-winter months), and we shoot about 300 to 500 rounds each per outing. Very conservatively, we average a minimum of 4000 9mm rounds shot per month between the two of us. That would cost us at least $1,200 + 13% tax per month in commercial ammo if I wasn't reloading. My reloads on the other hand cost me about $200 per month. I couldn't afford for us to be in this sport without reloading. And I couldn't afford the time to reload without a progressive press.