You paid less than $3 with free shipping from this seller from Hong Kong. What level of quality did you expect for $3?
You already left negative follow-up to your original feedback. That makes it difficult for a seller to provide a "goodwill" refund.
"I would end up giving them negative feedback if they did not refund my money, however..."
The buyer already left positive feedback. Then added a negative follow-up.
@femmefan1946 wrote:And in some cases they will cover their proverbial butts with a return negative follow-up.
Which will promptly be removed. Sellers can only leave positive feedback or no feedback. Responses are different. Either party can leave a Response to any feedback, seller's or buyer's, and it is not required to be positive.
That a large proportion of consumer goods is made in China is not in question. But most of those, including the cell phone covers that cost $20 at the mall, are made to a Western importer's standards. If they don't meet that standard, they are not accepted and not imported.
(Covers? Plural? Do the cheap covers you buy from China wear out quickly? Or do you need to make multiple purchases to find one that actually works?)
Oh you know some people, have to have a cover for each outfit, or mood. lol 
I have compared my cases to those in the stores. They are exactly the same. Out of the drawerful I own, I have had one break. And that doesnt include ones I have given my partner. I will say though that you can sometimes get knock-offs that are not the quality of the higher end ones (ie. Chanel, Juicy Couture etc). But they are fine. And we all know that they are knock offs.
In the bigger picture I think China is learning slowly that North Americans will not buy direct online unless they have some type of adequate quality.
Example: I frequently buy clothes online and the sizes, at first, were Asian oriented and sized accordingly. Especially the "one size fits all". Actually one size fits about a size 6 woman.
I learned this lesson the hard way by ordering several coats in my size. What I got was vastly different than what I was expecting. I couldn't even do them up. Rather than sending them back, which would have taken a small fortune, I've consigned them. But I also have been working with these companies to make them more tuned in to actual North American bodies (wider back, bigger arms etc). I even wrote a Guide regarding "One size fits all". For most clothes in that category now you will usually see, "One size fits most".
On another site that I use, there was even a description that a dress was for "fat" ladies. I politely wrote her and told her that that term was rather derogatory in the english language. She was so apologetic and now her descriptions are more politic and others at that site have caught on.
So I guess my point is, is that the majority of cases I have bought are comparable to the ones in the Malls.
@mater721 wrote:"Because thats how these companies work. And do not mistake them for not being companies, they are."
My "Why" was questioning why the buyer initially left positive feedback. Makes no sense.
Wait until transaction complete, then if it went bad, leave (factual) negative feedback. Period.
For whatever reason, I suspect that since their turnover and volume of shipments is so high they just automatically do it prior to full completion of sale. It happens to me all the time here on ebay. But not so much on other sites.
Or perhaps they figure that if they leave positive feedback, the Buyer will too? 
