You can't really hit a wooden dummy like you can a bag. Although it is good strike conditioning.
I would even say buying something like this is a good deal
http://www.everythingwingchun.com/Ev...22-v3-cnvs.htm
Then fill it with rice, rice is probably not as hard as beans and you can get rice cheaply in bulk usually Walmart has big bags or shop through amazon etc. Then as you progress you can change the filling material. I think a normal striking bag for boxing or such might be a little tougher than if you filled this with rice, not sure. So it might give you an easier adjustment to starting out. Also you can change the material where as a normal bag you cannot. I have an indentation starting on my bag from where I punch it with this I don't think that would happen, with loose material after all.