you should find most of the information to get you started over here:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/index.php?showtopic=18560908&f=272you can find good stuff with any character, there are several nice advices and starter guides in the link above.
basically, you increase your chances to find something if you play much and kill monsters fast.
with every killed monster, welled or muted item you increase your chances a little.
there is no profit without investing into this at first ( fg and time ) because you are unable to kill fast with crap gear.
usually people keep investing because they like the game and will never reach any profit, so think twice why you want to start this game
you can play this game without putting fg into it, but it will take a quite long time till you reach the higher levels
or improve your gear to be able to kill fast. if you have a decent gear to start with, this makes it much easier.
many people made it from zero to hero, but it takes a lot of time and effort. patience and endurance are essential.