I can throw a reccomendation for the Cactus V2 S available from a few retailers. I got mine out of Hong Kong for 35 bucks. It comes with an on-camera hotshoe transmitter and 1 flash reciever. I'm not sure of the range, but for just starting out (and at a price that isn't that much different from longer or high-end cables) you can be playing with off-flash with a rather reliable solution in no time.
http://www.gadgetinfinity.com/home.php/
Cheers
Craig