sliBuy vs Windy City Electronics
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
sliBuy
Participate in daily online auctions for store-returned merchandise from major retailers. Bid on a wide variety of items, with auction rates starting at just US $1 and no minimums or reserves. The highest bidder wins and can claim their item through their dashboard.
- Daily online auctions
- Store-returned merchandise
- Wide variety of items
- Bidding starts at $1
- No minimums or reserves
- Highest bidder wins
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Slibuy features online daily auctions of various store returned merchandise from major retailers. The auctions are held every week of the month that includes a wide variety of items such as tools, furniture, large & small appliances, electronics, home improvement items, apparel, toys, lighting, apparel, plumbing, seasonal items, and many more. Auction rate starts from a price of US $1 on each item with no minimums or reserves. Once the item is opened for bidding, users can quote their amount. The bidding for the item once closed will be awarded to the highest bidder. The winner can view the product details from the "Won Tab" of their dashboard and can claim the same from the tab anytime.
Windy City Electronics
This app helps Chicago-area residents quickly get a quote for their used phones. It guides you through selecting your device's details to determine its value and outlines the process for local meetups and payment.
- Get instant phone quotes
- Accepts locked phones
- Cracked screens accepted
- Local meetups in Buffalo Grove
- Same-day payment (Cash/Zelle)
- Select phone model, storage, and condition
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Windy City Electronics is a local electronics buyer serving sellers in Chicago and Chicagoland. Check offers for iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Mac mini, Mac Studio, PS5 and Xbox consoles, and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Choose your model and details to see an estimated offer, or request a personal quote by text when a used device needs review. The app prepares a text message with your device details. New consoles and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses must be brand new, factory sealed and never used. We are not buying used items in those categories right now. For used iPads and used Mac desktops, send photos and the serial number to ask for today's price. We serve Chicago-area sellers who can meet us in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Meetups take place in public locations. Payment is by cash or Zelle after we check the exact model, condition and seal. Any offer shown in the app is preliminary until inspection. Mail-in service is not available in this version. Carrier-locked phones and phones with cracked screens may be accepted. We do not buy devices that are iCloud-locked or passcode-locked.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Windy City Electronics at 5.0 against sliBuy's 2.3. Windy City Electronics also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks) and device support (3 vs 1). sliBuy's advantage is ratings volume (181 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Windy City Electronics holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: sliBuy has 181 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
sliBuy ships an update every 6 weeks, Windy City Electronics every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | sliBuy | Windy City Electronics |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.3 (181 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 11.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 181 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SHOREWOOD LIQUIDATORS INC | Daniyel Achio |
Customer experience
sliBuy
Windy City Electronics
Bugs and requests
sliBuy
Reported bugs
15 issues- App refreshes and returns to top of list when viewing item details
- Saved favorites/wishlist saves incorrect items
- PayPal payment integration crashes frequently
- Search field text invisible (black text on black background)
- App crashes when exiting item photos
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- Login functionality broken or account access issues
- Email notifications not sent after purchase
- Ask questions button non-functional
- Auction countdown timer disappears
- App language switches to Spanish without user action
- Bidding prevention messages appear incorrectly
- App becomes unusable after updates
- Cannot load app after download
- Bid placement fails near auction end
- Inconsistent app performance and stability
Requested features
12 requests- Better product photo quality and multiple detailed angles
- Ability to filter items by location (local pickup vs shipping)
- Improved search functionality with partial word matching
- Dark mode option for app
- Better app navigation that remembers scroll position
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Refund or return policy for defective items
- Functional 'ask questions' feature for seller communication
- Category filtering for new vs used vs shelf pull items
- Ability to make or change pickup appointments in app
- More transparent shipping cost calculation
- Quality inspection verification before listing items
- Detailed item condition descriptions with visible defects
Windy City Electronics
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
sliBuy
No in-app purchases
Windy City Electronics
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is sliBuy free?
Is Windy City Electronics free?
Which has better reviews, sliBuy or Windy City Electronics?
Do sliBuy or Windy City Electronics have ads?
Which is updated more often, sliBuy or Windy City Electronics?
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