Anyways, I have been checking Craigslist every few days for gear, and everything seems very high end or very low end- nothing in between.
I'd be very cautious buying gear from CL. You can get good deals, but if you aren't familiar with the gear, who knows what you are going to get. Fins, weights, etc. is one thing, but not sure I'd buy anything more advanced unless it was a smoking deal once I factored in the cost of service.
There is a shop that offers free OW class and certification with purchase of a scuba gear package. Now, I know that I would end up paying for the class one way or the other, but at least this way I can pick each element to fit me and also have the peace of mind that everything is from the same store, with warranties, and I would be learning on gear that I will dive with.
That sounds like it could be a good deal. As long as they aren't inflating the prices to cover the cost of the class, then it's definitely worth a look.
There is a benefit to learning on gear that you are going to use. There's also a benefit to understanding what you want before shelling out a good chunk of change for gear.
Honestly, with a lot of gear it's tough to go wrong. You could spend too much, but as long as you don't buy the cheapest out there, you are probably going to be getting decent gear. Key is that you want to get gear that you can get serviced. Since this shop sells it, most likely they can service it. A couple things to consider:
Regulators: Regardless of the type or brand, you want a balanced regulator set. If diving in cold or silty water, you may want to look at environmental sealing. Avoid the bottom end from just about every brand. No need to shell out $2K for some top of the line models.
BCDs: This could be tough to pick the right one without actually diving. See if they might let you try out different styles. Some like jacket style, some like back inflate, and some like backplate & wing. Unless you are doing tech diving, there isn't really a wrong choice. It's just personal preference.
Computers: You don't need to shell out a ton on a top of the line computer. Pretty much everything out today will do for a recreational diver. Also, since this is an electronic device, it may not last as long as some of the other parts of gear. IMO, more buttons the better. It's tough to navigate single button computers, and I won't own one of those. 2 buttons is better, and 3 even moreso...
Post up some of the components you are considering, and I'm sure someone on here could comment on that particular piece of gear.