Goldfish are not an ideal beginner fish, they take a lot more care than most people think. You will need a decent sized tank/ aquarium, a filter that filters at least double (if not triple) the ammount of water per hour, gravel for the bottom if you like, some live plants, an air pump with airline and an air srone to help with oxygen levels, water conditoners (tap water will kill fish pretty quickly).

You will also need to cycle the tank for a good few weeks before adding any fish. If you dont want to get your own water test kits then take a sample to a local fish store and get them to test for PH, Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, Hardness etc.

Never do a full water change or clean your filter sponges under clean tap water (use the water taken from your tank). A syphon cleaner will make cleaning the gravel much easier, it will get rid of the waste with out taking too much water out.

Coldwater fish are awesome, real characters, and they are realy quite smart .