I have bought a couple of "lots" of used material on other sites. I can tell you from experience, you are better off slowly acquiring material a couple patterns at a time, as was said by others. I bought a lot of hooks for $20, it wasn't a bad deal, but there were maybe 3 styles that were useful. The other 2000 hooks were not. Same with a hackle lot. Many of the usable feathers had been plucked, leaving me with less than ideal sized feathers. Buy new material, be deliberate with your purchase. This will help you tie better quality flies. Compromises in fly-tying are a slippery slope, a couple on any particular pattern, and it is no longer the same pattern--which can be good--but not what you want every time. If you see something that you know is something you will use, it can be a great deal, but those deals are often too good to be true. Remember, if you are tying flies with poor material, you are not only wasting money, but you are wasting time. Also, you won't learn as quickly with bad material as you would with material that behaves and performs as it should. If you are getting serious about tying, you probably have realized, or soon will, that it won't save you money most of the time. If it does, it won't be for a while. It will, however; help you be better prepared, give you a better understanding of the sport, and a greater satisfaction with each fish caught.