Best price & place to buy Pimsleur CD?

[Stefani]

Where is the best place & price to buy Pimsleur CD?

I am interested in brand new vs. used that I can get from ebay.

TIA.

Stefani.

[flameproof]

I bought brand new on ebay a few years ago. I think most sets sold on eBay are new.

[woliveri]

I downloaded all three levels from the net and frankly, I'm glad I did because I don't think the quality/expansiveness of the content was NOT that great. Seems like level 3 wasn't that far of a departure from level 1. I haven't even used them after I reviewed them and having reviewed them I wouldn't buy them.

I think you can get better results from:

http://www.chinesepod.com

and

http://imandarinpod.com/hoola/

[Stefani]

Thank you for your replies.

I'll get it from Ebay or from pimsleurmarketplace then.

Pimsleurmarketplace will buy a used Comprehensive Set, too, so if anyone has any to sell.

Just using Pimsleur itself will not get me fluent, but I like the fact that I can play it in my car's CD player. I am supplementing it with Chinesepod and a local class. It will be nice if I can do a more intensive study of it, but at the moment, with work and family, I just have to do what I can.

Xie xie!

Stefani.

[thph2006]

Here's a reference point for you - I just sold the 3-level set (used) for $300. A quick scan of ebay suggests the going price is around $150-170 per level and $450+ for all three together.

Regarding new vs. used I wouldn't even consider new if the used price was substantially lower. These are cds after all and will sound exactly the same whether new or used.

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Some slightly off-topic extra information

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Regarding the effectiveness/completeness of the course - If you're just starting out it will be an excellent way for you to "cut your teeth". The emphasis on getting pronunciation right is invaluable and although you won't have a 1000 word vocabulary when you're done you'll have been exposed to the important basic structural aspects of the language. Try using it as a supplement to other material like the free FSI Mandarin course, downloadable here: http://fsi-language-courses.com/Chinese.aspx or Integrated Chinese, found here: http://www.cheng-tsui.com/series.cfm?sid=43819556I42003120607002H1180814424799M75J36J198J217K46314930X607&s=8, I wasn't really crazy about IC when I first tried it but eventually came to recognize the value of the structure it offers. There is also a tremendous amount of support material for the IC course online.

Another thing I found really helpful for comprehension after getting a little mandarin under my belt was a 2-cd set called Making Connections, found here: http://www.cheng-tsui.com/product.cfm?sid=43819556I42003120607002H1180814424799M75J36J198J217K46314930X607&p=324&c=0 . It's recordings of natural speed conversations between two people using pretty basic vocabulary. I found by listening to it over and over I picked up more and more of the meaning but even more importantly I found I was getting much better at comprehending naturally spoken speech on the TV, Radio, etc.

I guess I'm not a fan of ChinesePod as a learning system. At first I found the podcasts interesting but quickly concluded that the lessons had no real connection to each other or direction. Although the quality of the recordings is very good I get the impression CPod is learning how to teach mandarin as they go. iMandarinPod on the other hand is set up to be a learning supplement and not a learning system and I think for learners with some mandarin already under their belt it's useful. Actually, if you view CPod in that same way, their podcasts also make a very useful supplement.

[flameproof]

I have all 3 as original. If you are interested contact me.

[OneEye]

thph2006,

I actually wasn't impressed by the "emphasis on...pronunciation" in Pimsleur. My pronunciation was awful (and I didn't even realize it) and it wasn't until I started using FSI that it got better. I do like the Pimsleur approach as an introduction to the spoken language, though.

[Prodigal Son]

free, the internet

[Stefani]

free, the internet

Really? Where?

Xie xie,

Stefani.

[woliveri]

Really? Where?

There are plenty of resources out there for downloading illegal copies of software, music, etc. However, I think it's against this forum's rules and regulations to trade that information here.

Ask your friends and neighbors.

Anyway, there are much better "Free" resources for learning Chinese as I already mentioned (Chinesepod and iMandarinpod).

[Shadowdh]

http://fsi-language-courses.com/Chinese.aspx for the FSI series... and there are tons of other resources as well for listening and speaking and reading Chinese...