Wow, lots of great suggestions. BTW, great to see you interested in getting started!
I recommend you play with an Army that you really like. When you read the books and the movies, what faction do you like the most? I think that will go a long way in informing what kind of Army you should start with and your collecting habits. Of course, over time, you'll just want to collect anything
.
If you don't have anything, to include rules, I'd recommend you get a copy of the rules and a warband book (free peoples, mordor etc) first. Read over stuff, ask some questions before spending your money on a bunch of stuff. Is there any way you can borrow/play with someone's stuff so you can get a feel for the type of Army you'd like to play with? Perhaps watch some GBHL batreps and DCHL youtube videos to get a sense of the Armies and what you'd like.
Paul
DCHL