The Energon Pub

Happy New Year Seibertronians!

How was your TF haul this season?
We hope you got all the TFs on your Xmas list. If you are still craving that TF you didn’t get or are starting to collect a new series, check out some of the latest listings on Crave . The sellers on Crave offer vintage Transformers from Hasbro & Takara as well as some newer ones that can be harder to find in stores.

Ramping up the eBay alternative that is designed for fans like you
In case you missed our first newsletter Introducing Our Transformers Marketplace in December, Crave is a new Tranformers-dedicated marketplace where fans can buy & sell with each other. We’re here to serve the fan community and make it easier to find what’s on your want list.

A few of the things we do differently than the other marketplaces today:

- Fan-created catalog & checklists of every Transformer released by Hasbro & Takara
- Easy to buy and sell
- Secure for buyers & sellers because Crave is in the middle of the transaction
- Selling is free!

Bonus -- If what you want isn’t currently for sale, add it to your want list on Crave & we’ll notify you when it gets put up for sale.

Here’s what some of our 50,000 fans are saying:

"My first purchase on Crave was great! I really like the safeguard methods in place to protect buyers, so I was 100% confident when I placed my purchase. I will definitely be using Crave again in the future." - Hugo Flores (anubis20)

"I can't think of any improvements I'd make. I've made 2 purchases already and was an easy & reliable process. I've got my eye on my next purchase already."-Joseph Shivak

“Selling on Crave is the easiest online transaction I've ever done. They pay close attention to every sale and purchase, track the shipments to ensure timely delivery, and make sure that both parties are completely satisfied with each transaction. The money transfer is smooth and secure. What more can you ask for?” –Brandt Gibson

“On Crave I know there is a market for the items I want to sell; it takes the best elements of eBay and improves upon them which I thought was almost impossible! Plus it doesn't cost anything to use it.” –Jason Pacenski


January marks the end of our 2nd month with the marketplace live!
The Crave community began developing the catalog back in June, but we just launched the marketplace in November. Thanks to fan like you, listings are growing each day, so check out the wide selection of Transformers that Crave sellers have to offer.
A sample of series for sale on Crave:
1.Generation 1
2.Classics
3.Animated
4.Generations
5.Takara Henkei
6.Takara Binaltech
7.Takara Label Series
8.Takara Encore
9.Beast Era

And many more! If you have TFs to sell, come see how easy it is on Crave: click here for seller info.

A sampling of current listings on Crave


Hosehead
For sale by Jason Pacenski
Series: Generation 1, G1 1988
Condition: Loose – Complete
Quality: Near Mint
Price: $65.00 (includes shipping)


Bumblebee
For sale by Craig Chappell
Series: Classics, Deluxe
Condition: Loose – Complete
Quality: Fine
Price: $14.99


Hardhead
For sale by David Walton
Series: Classics 2.0 - Universe
Condition: Packaged - Sealed
Quality: Mint
Price: $45.00


Grimlock
For sale by Michael Dworkis
Series: Animated, Voyager
Condition: Packaged - Sealed
Quality: Mint
Price: $25.00


Masterpiece Grimlock
For sale by Tom Jones
Series: Generation 1, Masterpiece
Condition: Packaged - Opened - Complete
Quality: Mint
Price: $140.00 (includes shipping)


Terradive
For sale by Joey Wagh
Series: Unicron Trilogy, Energon
Condition: Packaged - Sealed
Quality: Mint
Price: $20.00


We got lots of helpful feedback on our first post, so please keep it coming. Visit our Feedback tab on the site or email us (info@crave.com) with your suggestions.

You can also join 50,000 fellow Transformers fans where you can speak your mind on our Facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/cravetransformers
Join today and you’ll be entered to win one of our Transformers giveaways.

Happy New Year!
Erin & Kabe, Crave founders

this will never get off the ground.

ridiculous prices.

wfc bumblebee for 20 dollars on the front page. a figure you can find anywhere for half the price.

i will keep using ebay if i need to .

Oh wow this was the announcement that Crave was talking about?

Actually griftimus they have gotten off the ground ,A few of my FB friends have already used this

It's weird to see Erin's picture on these boards

When you see some of these prices you just wanna reach out and slap sombody and be like "are you really serious" ??? When they say $140 bucks for MP Grimlock, are they refering to the 75 dollar TRU version ???

griftimus prime wrote:this will never get off the ground.

ridiculous prices.

wfc bumblebee for 20 dollars on the front page. a figure you can find anywhere for half the price.

i will keep using ebay if i need to .

Because people don't post ridiculous prices on eBay? What?

Crave is a way for people to list their own items and set their prices. It seems like a decent idea honestly.

I will say that I've had a script crash on each of my visits though. That needs to be fixed.

griftimus prime wrote:
this will never get off the ground.

ridiculous prices.

wfc bumblebee for 20 dollars on the front page. a figure you can find anywhere for half the price.

i will keep using ebay if i need to .

Because people don't post ridiculous prices on eBay? What?

Crave is a way for people to list their own items and set their prices. It seems like a decent idea honestly.

I will say that I've had a script crash on each of my visits though. That needs to be fixed.

dont get me started on this topic thanks for sharing ill be crave first what i dont find on there i go on ebay fortress maximus, scorponk, trypticon, or any g1 combiners is example for ebay prices to rocket up in price when item itself is incomplete, or broken

I've heard about people getting pretty decent deals. Have not found any myself. You get outrages prices for Transformers no matter where you look. Whether it be ebay, amazon, or anywhere else where somebody thinks they can get an extra buck.

I'd like to do that but I don't want to join Facebook to do it. That's the sucky part of Crave- you have to join Facebook cuz that's the login and password it asks for. Well, it did for me anyways.

Addressing Rated X's concern, it appears that the names of the toys are stock photos, but when you click on the actual listings, the sale photos are there. The MP Grimlock for $140 is the Japanese version, even though the stock photo is Hasbro. There's a hasbro version for $70 within that listing which is a little much, but the price will come down if nobody is willing to pay it.

I would like to know more details. Is this a Facebook service? How does this site make the transaction safer than eBay?

I will say that I've had a script crash on each of my visits though. That needs to be fixed.

Hi Counterpunch, thanks for reporting your bug. Please message me with the details of your browser/OS and the steps that lead to the script crash so we can reproduce the issue and see what's causing it.

Hi Stormrider,
Crave (www.crave.com) is a TF marketplace website integrated with Facebook. That means that members sign-in using their Facebook accounts. We set it up this way because it promotes trust when you are dealing with a real person and can see if you have friends in common or who have purchased from them.
The site is more secure because Crave is in the middle of the transaction, similar to Amazon. The buyer pays Crave at purchase, then the seller delivers the item with shipping tracking (required). There is a two day period for the buyer to notify us if the item is not 'as described' then the transaction closes and the seller gets paid by Crave.
Let me know if you have more questions.

Red Convoy wrote:Hi Stormrider,
Crave (http://www.crave.com) is a TF marketplace website integrated with Facebook. That means that members sign-in using their Facebook accounts. We set it up this way because it promotes trust when you are dealing with a real person and can see if you have friends in common or who have purchased from them.
The site is more secure because Crave is in the middle of the transaction, similar to Amazon. The buyer pays Crave at purchase, then the seller delivers the item with shipping tracking (required). There is a two day period for the buyer to notify us if the item is not 'as described' then the transaction closes and the seller gets paid by Crave.
Let me know if you have more questions.

OK I can see a Japanese version of MP Grimlock going for $140. (Even though the TRU version is virtually the same thing without the corny apron)

On to my next question :

Whats up with this facebook crap ??? What does facebook have to do with buying transformers ??? Why do they force you to join a social network to buy stuff ??? And in my opinion, facebook sucks anyway. I prefer myspace any day.

I am very interested in this service, but my TF addiction is not something that I want advertised to all my FB friends. Can I still use Crave without linking to Facebook?

Red Convoy wrote:Hi Stormrider,
Crave (http://www.crave.com) is a TF marketplace website integrated with Facebook. That means that members sign-in using their Facebook accounts. We set it up this way because it promotes trust when you are dealing with a real person and can see if you have friends in common or who have purchased from them.
The site is more secure because Crave is in the middle of the transaction, similar to Amazon. The buyer pays Crave at purchase, then the seller delivers the item with shipping tracking (required). There is a two day period for the buyer to notify us if the item is not 'as described' then the transaction closes and the seller gets paid by Crave.
Let me know if you have more questions.

Thanks for the info.