You can use one of those things, Evan, or - even better IMHO - you can use a small penknife (Swiss army type thing will do, you must have one of those surely martle? ), and the best way to avoid scratching the case is to slice along the front of the case parallel to the left-hand spine, directly above the gap between the bit that doesn't move and the bit that does move when you open the case, if you see what I mean (this seems to be a very long explanation for a very simply process!).

Of course, the new-fangled digipack ones don't have that nice little gap where you can cut without damaging the case, so with them you generally have to slice along the right-hand side of the CD, just where the case folds open.

You can tell I worked in a CD shop for 5 years, can't you!

The celo is often folded (like you would fold wrapping paper when wrapping a parcel) at the corners on the opening edge.  Stick scissors in here and draw along the opening edge.

Then just scrabble at bits of torn celo, cursing at the top of your voice.   

Tommo

Er, thanks, Tommo.

Didn't you hear I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue last week? 

You've put it all more concisely than I did, Bryn! Same technique though - as you say, it's easy when you know how.

Bad luck re the Marketplace trader. I'm on the opposite end of a similar dispute at the moment (except I'm not going to bother arguing). I list CDs on Amazon Marketplace for work. A guy in Portugal emailed this week to say that the CD we sent him a month ago still hadn't arrived and threatening to file a claim under the A-to-Z Guarantee if I didn't refund him immediately. Funnily enough, although I post out on average 2-3 CDs a day I very rarely get things lost in post, and happened to remember the last time this happened - back in November, also to a Portuguese customer who'd worded his email about it in the same slightly combative terms. When I checked back he had a different Christian name but the same surname, same delivery address, and an uncannily similar email address. (I'd actually have been less suspicious if they were 100% identical, because then it wouldn't look as if he was hoping I wouldn't spot it was him again.)

Anyway, I mentioned casually that he seemed to live in an area with a particularly unreliable postal service and he denied there was anyone else at his address who could ever have ordered from us before. I just gave him his refund and made a mental note to watch he doesn't pull the same trick in another 6 months' time.

Just supposing we do get as far as getting the damn thing out using finger-nail, blade, end of ballpoint pen, scissors, teeth, Swiss Army knife, silver toothpick, kitchen knife, scalpel, winkle picker, box cutter and circular saw, any tips on how to remove and replace the liner notes without getting them snagged, torn and crumpled up on those horrid little stubby things that clamp them in place?