You say you are a
novice so would defiantly suggest looking at second hand one initially. When I changed the
rigging on my
boat I used very
cheap S/H head-sails to try out the new sail plan and make sure I liked it. Hanked head-sails can go for $1-200 so you don't have to worry if you mess up!
Delivery in the
Caribbean is a pain but for US stuff if you get to the US Virgin Island Fed ex will deliver at reasonable costs. If you want better quality look out for sails that are built as storm sails or heavy
weather sail. If you can find one that fits these are often in very good condition as they get little use. Mains and roller reefing sails are hard to find as they are the ones used every day! Wen you are ready to know what you want and look after it upgrade to something better. For the trans-Atlantic I replaced working sails by getting a kit from Sail-right plus a
sewing machine (you need a proper one). Total cost including machine was half the price of equivelent sails. This is particularly true for long range cruising or ocean sails. If you want durable sails triple stitching and hand finish including leather and heavyweight reinforcing makes a real difference but this is where the
money goes up. Basically the difference in sail prices is down to labour costs. Making sails is not as hard a it seams but does take time and is a very useful skill for any sailor.
Have fun