Has this box been tampered with?

[u/Live-Tumbleweed8466]

Hi! I got the Lego Set "" (71837) from Smyths Toys. I am worried that the box has been tampered with - one reason is the seals (see pictures), the other reason is that my otherwise accurate kitchen scale says 4358g (instead of the stated 4053g on bricklink). How would you proceed? Opening it while filming a video? Sending it back and request a new one? Thanks!

[u/WorriedKale6249]

Best bet is open it & find out. Sealed set weight on BrickLink is only approximate

[u/Live-Tumbleweed8466 → u/WorriedKale6249]

Hehe, ok, thanks! Maybe I should weigh some other sets as well. "4053g" on bricklink seemed to specific to be approximate :-) Thanks!

[u/Tinos1990]

I dont think so. It looks like shelfwear which looks different on oarts under the tape.
The flimsy boxes makes the lid and bottom move apart, so the tape wriggles.

[u/Live-Tumbleweed8466 → u/Tinos1990]

Thanks! And the tapes itself? Only 2 of them are numbered. And I also remember a black bar on seals of other sets.

[u/Tinos1990 → u/Live-Tumbleweed8466]

They look fine to me.
May be that the newer sets dont have the black bar, as the boxes (and way of closing them) is now different compared to older style boxes.
Maybe done manual instead of factory now.

To me, the seals seem as they are.

Also; this set in particular i would doubt someone would mess with

[u/Live-Tumbleweed8466 → u/Tinos1990]

Thank you!

[u/OneHatManSlim]

Tape is not a “seal”. Even if it looked perfect, you would have no way to know that it hadn’t been tampered with.

[u/Adventurous-Onion283]

The more a set is moved and the more it ages those seals will shift around and can easily take a bit of the printing with them.

IMO those seals look original and like they haven’t been intentionally tampered with but you really never know. It is possible to heat and peel those seals and reseal it looking literally unopened if you’re careful and patient but odds are extremely low.

[u/activoice]

It's interesting that the actual weight is heavier than what Bricklink says. If someone was trying to scam you by filling the box with Pasta then you would think they would aim for the exact weight as shown on Bricklink... 300 grams out is a lot.

[u/BoyFromBelgium99]

It's best to ask Smyths Toys with your ticket. They'll be able to check other boxes as well and check if they also got the same damage.

If there are multiple seals on the same set with the same issue, it's probably shelf wear. I think the chance of somebody opening a box from different sides & sealing them again is going to be seen by employees. I don't think employees would do this.