New to pipes and this forum, but I can tell you this. A person is either a spender or not. I've been in to/out of/stayed in more hobbies than I care to admit, and as many as my wife can stand. I've bought nice humidors on Craigslist and used an igloo cooler as a humidor. The worst cigar I ever had was a Cohiba - worst $12 I ever spent - others love those I'm sure. I seem to like the COA variants, etc. But, I also found a $2 stick that I liked nearly as much, and makes a great golf cigar. I could never tolerate scotch, until a customer bought me a glass of Macallan 18 - that spoiled me for anything less and I can't really afford that!
You can get into to pipe smoking on a budget, just like any other hobby. Or, as a newbie, you could be uncomfortable with estate purchases, find new old stock pipes on an auction site, pull the trigger for more money than you have business spending on your limited knowledge, and simply dive right in - not that I know anyone like that... If I did, I bet that person would start an account on a pipe forum, and start threads to ask questions like, did I just waste money on these pipes, what other accessories do I need, what brand/types are good tobaccos to start with. Probably questions like that.
EDIT: I just realized I'm a time traveler! I signed up on November 30th, but my profile says December!