If you're going to start on a whistle first, try to make it a low D, if you can afford it, which will let you practise piper fingering (fingers straight, covering the holes with the flat undersides,rather than with the tips). And whether it's a low D or anything else, try to get used to playing with an uninterupted airflow. which is pretty well what you're stuck with on the pipes. Dispensing with your tongue as a weapon in the armoury forces you to break up repeated notes with ornamentation.

But wherever/however you start, it's definitely best to have learnt the tunes first on any other instrument. Learning the pipes is bad enough without having to learn the tunes at the same time.

I agree with what most other people have said here, but keep in mind that buying second-hand will get rid of the wait. Hunt the web and you'll find a few sets on the market. And Seth may be good, but there are plenty of good sets around that were made long before he arrived on the scene. Alphonus Kennedy of Cork (the dad, not the son!) made truly concert-standard sets for instance, as played by Finbar Furey among others. If you buy second-hand, I'd be inclined to go for a full set first off, as it sounds like you could afford to. That way you know everything fits together OK. You'll always find another buyer if the pipes defeat you.

It will be a big advantage if you can get some tuition in maintaining the reeds, or better still, live near an expert. Otherwise a reed failing can put you out of commission for a while.