Answer:
Creating an online product catalog is really very easy - even for beginners.
If you are just starting out, and have very little cash flow, I recommend using an open source solution like Zen Cart or OSCommerce. If you are using Joomla CMS as your website backbone, there is a great component add on called Virtue Mart.
Most of these solutions should be 1 or 2 click installs using Fantasico, if your web host has it in the control panel. I have very successfully used Joomla with Virtue Mart for a large scale, high end software sales site. It is very secure, has excellent support and is extremely customizable. I have also heard very good things about Zen Cart and OSCommerce.
Yahoo Small Business is another excellent choice for a small start up commerce site. Yahoo does charge for their service, however, you are also listed in the Yahoo Directory, which helps jumpstart traffic to the site.