Pimsleur, the linguistic method designed by Dr. Paul Pimsleur and now published by Simon and Schuster, is one of the most requested language tools by independent language learners. It is also known to be quite expensive. If you paid Pimsleur Comprehensive’s 3-tier retail price, it would cost you over $1000. But with a few little tricks, you can reduce that cost by a significant amount and still get one of the best language methods around.
Shopping around. Pimsleur prices can vary wildly. If you’re willing to spend the time, you can probably find a more competitive price. There is no shortage of merchants selling Pimsleur language learning products on the Internet.
BuyUsed. There are many opportunities to buy used things. Don’t worry that if you’re buying used, you’re somehow not going to get a product that’s as good as new. As long as it works, that’s all you really need.
libraries Public libraries often stock many language products. In addition to books, they will also sometimes have audio, video, and software products, including Pimsleur. Additionally, libraries can sometimes request a requested product from another library or may purchase it from the publisher. I’ve heard of some cases where people could access audio products and software from their home computer.
eBay. If you’re comfortable using eBay, you can easily find Pimsleur products for sale, but the price can vary considerably. You can use eBay to buy new or used Pimsleur products, but make sure you know what you’re buying. I have purchased Pimsleur products on eBay before with no issues.
Resell. If you so choose, you can sell a product after use to recoup at least part of its initial cost. You’re also helping someone else get a quality Pimsleur product at a better price, so you get some extra karma points for that!
Borrow or barter. If you know someone who has the Pimsleur set you’re looking for, you may be able to borrow or trade it, in whole or in part. You can save money for both of you.
Share the cost. If you can group with other people learning the same language, you can share the cost of Pimsleur. There are other benefits of learning a language with another person, such as talking and practicing with each other, comparing notes and vocabulary, etc.
There is no doubt that Pimsleurs’ conversational focus and focus on pronunciation can be of great benefit to someone learning a language. But it shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to do so. You would be better off with a private tutor. If you can use one or a few of these ideas to help lower the cost for you, you can reap the benefits of learning a language with Pimsleur without putting yourself in poverty.
