Craigslist can be epic for some deals, yes.
At least this is going to be a collection you get to "keep" as I'm assuming you didn't keep your "spent" cigars.
However, (and I am the last person who should be saying this) you don't need to collect them "all" this isn't a Pokeman game, also you can proceed at a less rapid pace. If it were me (I already spent all my vape money for the year, last year) I might focus more on DIY eliquids and rebuildale tank atomizers, as that is a way to vape that is self sufficient and will decrease costs overall.
Not in the beginning, for me, but I do see my costs decreasing steadily. And, I have enough nicotine frozen to last me a lifetime, a ton of flavors, and a lot of vape gear I am pretty attached to, and most of it is solid, well built stuff that will hold up. The drop in coils I use I have a large stash of, and I save the spent ones (and videos on how to rebuild them if needed) in case vape Armageddon comes for us all.
I regret nothing, LOL. I did not "value" cigarettes, I viewed them as consumables, something I was addicted to, nothing less, nothing more . I don't feel that way about my vape gear.
IMO, my "spending more" in the beginning was useful. I tried a lot of different things, learned a ton, and it kept my mind off smoking.
You may be doomed when it comes to vaping, but it's better than the doom of dying of a smoking related illness.
If you enter the shinyitis thread, be prepared .As in, "ask your dog to hide your wallet from you" type of prepared. LOL. They're busy talking high end mechs and safety at the moment. Also, half the group is going to want to try to convert you to squonking if you haven't started yet. LOL.
Anna