Starting out anyway, I'd stick with aluminum. You can get them at any archery shop, and they will be the same regarless if you get them in NY or TX. Wood arrows have their own particulars, and you need to get your shooting established without having to wonder if it's you or your arrows. If you do get wood, get them from a reputable vendor. You will pay more for good shafts, but you can get them hand spined and weighed, avoiding having to invest more time and money checking the spine and weight yourself. Buying in bulk, and from some vendors, will get you arrows that are electronically spined. This machine spines the arrows however they happen to land in the chute. Getting the true spine requires the arrow grain be aligned right, and the same, for every arrow. If you rather go with wood, you don't have to break the bank getting a lot of equipment--cap dips, cresting, etc. look really nice but won't make the arrows shoot better. You can improvise cap dips with paint, and use a wipe-on finish that doesn't require dip tubes. The best, and most durable finish I've ever used or seen, is an epoxy wipe-on finish. I can get you the recipie for it if you want. It's not as fast as dipping, but much, much better than any dipped finish I've used.

You can save yourself some money fletching, cutting, and installing inserts on your own, and it doesn't require a lot of equipment. You can get a tube cutter type, or invest a bit in an arrow saw--if you plan to do a lot, get a cut-off saw. Fletch tape is great for aluminum, will save you a lot of time, and you won't need anything more than a good single fletcher. You can use a torch, alchohol burner, or a candle for installing inserts--I like the alchohol burner--cheap for the burner, cheap fuel, does a great job, and lasts (unless you drop it).

I shoot wood, and prefer wood, but starting out aluminum will eliminate some variables.

Chad