I've had mine since just after Memorial Day and it's showing no signs of wear at all. The front and back are a satin finish (except white, which is smooth like CS) and the Air has a silver band which is smooth. I slide my red one all over my desk and there are no scratches. Candyshells seem to scratch just by breathing on them. If you pick one up from Target, you have 90 days to return it. My Target people opened the box and put it on my phone so I could see it first hand, even though I told them I wanted red and was ordering it somewhere else. The only thing I was concerned about was the top piece because I saw a YouTube video where someone pinched it too hard while removing it and it cracked. It doesn't require that much effort, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Questions are what forums are for, btw!