I'd suggest looking for used flashes on ebay...but I wouldn't necessarily recommend buying other items (like light stands/umbrellas/etc) off of ebay. Alot of accessories like that for sale on ebay are very cheaply made and don't hold up as well as the more well-known brands. MPEX's house brand, LumoPro, is a good choice for a budget brand. I probably have a dozen LumoPro items and have been happy with all of them. The LumoPro LP606 is probably the best lightstand you can get for the money. They sent me two of them by mistake (I had ordered the LP604), but I loved them so much I kept them. I ordered a third one a few months ago. They see much more use than my Manfrotto 5001b nano lightstand, which costs substantially more.