I would return the case and pay for shipping. I can't imagine keeping the case after the seller refunded your money. Then I would go to a store and look at camera cases and buy one. That way you know exactly what you are getting.
Oh, and could stitching scratch the viewing screen? I'm not sure.

I would return it, too. And go to WalMart and get a case, or Best Buy, where you can see them, touch them. BTW, the lens shouldn't ever get scratched in the case, because it would either be retracted or have a lens cap on it.
JoanMN

Would you return the case to the seller and just eat it on the return shipping cost?

If unhappy with the case, YES. That seems fair and is completely in line with other online, TV, or catalog sales policies.

I too would return the case then go shopping in real life for something I would be happy/secure with.

lori

It could be that all of his cases are like that which is why he refunded the money, it would have been nice though if he responded first to give you the option.

You can telephone him - check the seller details - if you want to discuss it further. Otherwise, just return the case, unless you wanted another one.

Good luck.

I would PayPal her the money back and keep the case. I would also put a piece of flannel or lens-cloth over the rough stitching area. A couple of dabs of glue would hold it in place. Simple fix. I imagine all the cases are exactly the same and instead of telling you that, she just refunded your money.

Also, there's a product called Fray Check sold in sewing depts, a drop of that will keep thread from unravelling if you decide to trim off the sharp thread.

I'd return it and head to Wal-Mart (I actually jut bought a handy little camera case at Big Lots for under $5) or return the money and keep the case.

I'd look at a case in a local store to see if all are sewn like that. If so, I'd send him his money back and keep the case because he did not sell you a defective item. Otherwise, return the case and pay for the return shipping.

But, if the case is a good fit for your camera it seems as though the viewing screen would be in the area between the stitching, rather than touching those rough spots.

Can the camera be flipped so the closed shutter is facing the rough spots and the viewing screen is facing the covered, smooth side?

Get out the seam ripper and pull out those threads! You don't need the "name" on the case.
Kathy G in MI

What Flamingo said. Paypal him the refund back, keep the case and just cover the rough spots.

I do appreciate the time that all of you have taken to respond. However, with all due respect, it is obvious that some of you just didn't pay attention to what I wrote.

I am not going to just take a seam ripper and pull out the threads. Yes, I know I don't need the brand name on the case, but the brand name isn't causing the problem. The interior of the case where the brand name is, is the area that has the additional fabric on the inside, covering any possible roughness. The rough areas are where the belt loop and D-ring are attached to the case. I don't care about the belt loop, but I do need/want the D-ring for the strap. So there's no way I'm going to rip out that thread. And not all thread is soft and pliable. This thread isn't.

Yes, the camera lens does have an automatic "cover" that protects it. However, the viewing screen/monitor thingy on the back of the camera does not. My little Nikon Coolpix 5400 has a rotating view screen, so when it's not being used it's closed and totally protected. The camera for which this case is intended does not have a cover for the monitor - it's simply exposed. I don't even want fingerprints on it, much less scratches. And this case just fits the camera with the camera facing one way. I've already tried putting the camera in "upside down/backwards" but it doesn't fit well.

While I totally understand and accept the concept of not keeping merchandise when my money has been refunded, it should not be ignored that I didn't ask for a refund. The seller wanted clarification as to what I referred when I mentioned the rough spots and asked for photos. I provided the photos, and the seller, unannounced and without discussion, simply refunded my money and asked for me to return the case at my expense. Yes, I know that if I choose not to keep an item, whether purchased in person or online, the onus to pay for the return is on me. But I have never had to pay to return a defective item, and I'm not going to start now.

I can't just go to Walmart, or Best Buy, or wherever, and look at or buy another one of these cases. I have not seen them anywhere locally, I have not found them online anywhere except on eBay. I like the dang case, I just don't like the sharp thread.

The seller now has another auction going, with many of these cases ("20 available" or something like that), and the buy-it-now price is $3 less per case than what I paid. So I'm inclined to go into PayPal and send him his money, less $3, with a note that I'm keeping the case.

The way I see it is that you're not happy with the case you bought. That could be classified as "buyer's remorse" because the case doesn't seem to be defective. Most buyers would kill to have a seller willing to return the purchase money without having to go through the hassle of a dispute and because your complaint has nothing to do with the fact that the merchandise is flawed it shouldn't be the seller's responsibility to pay for return shipping.

Once you sent the photos he probably realized all of the cases had interior stitching like you were concerned about and assumed you wouldn't want to keep the case. Honestly, as a seller, that's the same conclusion I would have drawn from your initial communication and I would have issued a refund as well. It just sounded like you weren't going to be happy with this case and he wanted to make you happy.

If your concerns about scratching the viewing screen are still there, why would you want to keep the case anyway?

And if you do keep the case I think you should return the full amount of the refund to the seller. Your purchase price was not determined by his future pricing of the same item. You were willing to pay his asking price and you did. And you owe him the full sale price, IMHO.

With all due respect, read your own post again.

You asked:
What would you do? Would you return the case to the seller and just eat it on the return shipping cost?

7 out of 10 said YES, and some people made suggestions for other options you could consider.

Perhaps when you posed the question, you should have told us the answer you wanted to hear. We could have just "cut and pasted" it.
:-)

FWIW, I'm still not sure what answer you're looking for...

Of course, return the case. I find it odd that the only place you can find a camera case is on EBay. There's tons of different styles out there.

Ok, you want an honest answer... I think the seller may have thought that you were just being picky, that there was really nothing wrong with the product, but that there would be no real way to "win" or to please you, and he didn't want to argue the point, so he just went ahead and refunded your money.

I'm not saying you're wrong; just guessing what may have been going through his mind especially if he has sold a lot of the cases and never heard the complaint before.

What would I do?

Well, it's pretty obvious you're unhappy with the case, and it's equally obvious by the sellers actions that he/she isn't giving you many options. So...based on that, I'd send the case back, eat the cost of shipping and move on. If you really can't find a case locally (I can't imagine why), find another one on ebay.

If you insist on keeping the case, I'd stop worrying about it and cover up the stitching and paypal the seller his/her money back.

I wanted to add that I think it's pretty unlikely some thread is going to scratch the hard surface screen on your camera, but you can buy a protective film that just sticks to the screen to protect it. I have it on my cameras. I got a pack of around 20 sheets from Best Buy. You just cut them to size, peel off the back and stick it to the surface you want to protect.

I totally agree with all the replies. Monablair & Okwriter explained it quite well.

What you're hoping for is that the vendor would pay for the return shipping as well. Like it or not, that would be unfair since the product didn't seemed to be defected. It was simply a poorly designed item which is different than being a defective item.

It is a risk that many of us take as we purchase items online and/or on eBay. Basically, take it or leave it.

I think the vendor was curteous enough just to give you the refund before even receiving the item back. A couple of times, after the item was returned and received, I had to send the vendor a reminder or even had to fight for the refund. Not only I still had to pay for the shipping but I paid for signature proof as insurance.

Consider being lucky than most of us and just adhere one of the above advise.

1) I did not say that I am unhappy with the case. I said that I am concerned about the monitor getting scratched.

2) I did not say to the seller that I wanted to send the item back and get a refund.

3) I asked the seller if all of the cases were like this on the inside; since there is a distinct possibility that they are not. There is an additional protective piece of fabric over the spot where the brand name is affixed to the case, so it is not illogical to think that perhaps there is supposed to be similar additional protective pieces of fabric over the spots where the D-ring and belt loop are affixed to the case.

4) If there are supposed to be additional protective pieces of fabric over the places where the D-ring and belt loop are affixed to the case but they are missing from my case, that would make my case defective, not poorly designed.

5) I did not say that the only place I can find a camera case is on eBay. I said that eBay is the only place where I have found this particular design, and I happen to like this design.

6) I do not have "buyer's remorse." "Buyer's remorse" is when a buyer regrets or feels guilty about spending money for something that they really didn't need or really can't afford. It's when a buyer feels that perhaps they acted too soon -- they should have waited to see if something better might come along, etc. None of those definitions apply to me. I need a case for this camera, and I can well afford it. I have been looking, daily, at and for cases for about 6 weeks; and determined that this particular design is what I want. There are several eBay sellers that offer this exact same case, but eBay is the only place that I have found this particular design.

7) If I send this case back to this seller, it will mean that I will purchase another case of the same design from a different seller. If this rough interior thread is a design flaw it would mean that every case I would buy, no matter if I buy one or one hundred, would have the same rough interior thread. I would certainly hope that you could see how futile that would be. If, on the other hand, the case I have is defective, I would be more than eager and happy to send it back and purchase a new case and receive a great product.

8) It would have been decent of the seller to at least say something like, "every case I have in stock has an identical area inside, so if you wish, I will refund your money and you can return the case." Upon finding out that every case is like this, I would have said, "No, no refund. I'll keep the case, get some soft fabric and cover those spots." I take umbrage at the seller's "no choice" attitude.

9) I have been an eBay member since 2001. I have never sold anything on eBay - I am strictly a buyer. I have 654 positive feedback, ZERO neutral feedback, and ZERO negative feedback. Not exactly the stats of an unreasonable buyer.

Send the case back to the seller and chalk the whole thing up as bad communication. If you don't send the case back (or reimburse his money) the seller will have every right to leave bad feedback for you. I'm sure you can find a suitable case for your camera somewhere else. That's what I'd do.

I understand what you are saying, but I think the seller just assumed that the transaction would ultimately result with an unhappy buyer, so took it upon himself (yes, he should have discussed it with you) to give you a refund.

Could be if he is a powerseller who deals with so many transactions on a daily basis, that he thought he had communicated with you. Not right on his part, but could be an honest mistake.