You're sure they didn't send you an "open box" item? Agree, that's poor.

Who did you order from?

Ordered from two different places. One from HD and one from build.com . Both arrived that way.

chips in the brass

There is a chip in this knob right where the camera lens reflection is. I sent this one back and kept the other.

I just ordered the same type of Delta items that you did - although my rough-in R22000 valve was purchased separately from my valve trim kits. I ordered one 17T valve trim kit that included an integrated diverter, and two 17T valve trim kits without diverters (plus separate compatible rough-in valves).

All of my items were purchased from Delta directly. I have to say that I was a little surprised about the way the items were packaged also. The components were packaged separately- and did not have any scratches/dents. However, they were packed without any type of packaging material inside the box in order to ”hold” the items in place. Each of my items were packaged neatly in either a foam protective envelope (looks like what you have in your photos) OR in clear plastic sealed envelopes. Maybe Delta has cut down on packaging in order to be more environmentally friendly.

It seems like they looked more organized than the contents of your box in the first photo above. I still have one valve trim kit which I have not yet opened. It’s late now - I will open the remaining box in the morning and post a photo of what it looks like immediately upon opening.

The materials look very nice. I planned on ordering Grohe/Hansgrohe/Moen but my contractor highly recommended using Delta. He said that they have outstanding customer service, and a great lifetime warranty. He said the biggest advantage was due to the design of the rough-in valves/trim kits. Delta includes their cartridges as part of the trim kit instead of the rough-in valve. This allows the homeowner to upgrade trim kits to a new style on his/her own.

I would be disappointed if mine arrived with scratches/dents straight out of the box. I do wonder if you received a returned item.

I’ll post the photo tomorrow. If it looks like yours may have been an ”open box” item, they should replace them immediately.

The mistake is thinking of Delta as high end. It is not even close. It’s low end to middle of the road.

@HU-290654264 - It seems pretty clear that the OP was being a bit sarcastic - that’s why the words “high end” were placed in quotes . . .

The mixing valve trim kit is part of the high end of Delta’s products - there is a pretty big range in quality/price in every line of shower fixtures.

Regardless, when people label products as low end (or low to middle of the road), they typically are referring the “builder’s grade“ products sold through a box box store. I would guess that HD and Lowe’s have very few mixing valves that cost over $500. Remember - the $550 is ONLY for the mixing valve kit - no rough-in valve, no shower head, no shower arm, no handheld shower head/jets/rainfall shower head/etc.

Based upon my recent research while shopping for shower fixtures for four bathrooms, Moen/Grohe/Handsgrohe/Koehler/Brizo/Toto - all have mixing valve trims above and BELOW $550 - in fact, $500 was about the mid-range price point for these brands (Hansgrohe may have been higher). The foregoing brands are the ones regularly recommended here on Houzz for a nice shower fixtures (except for those who are installing high end systems).

Brizo and Delta are manufactured by the same company (also, owns Hansgrohe) - and I was told by a plumbing expert over on the John Bridge Forum that they use the same valves. The Delta thermostatic universal rough-in valve is required for a trim kit like the OP’s has been consistently rated #1 by many experts/professionals in this industry (Terry Love‘s forum recommends Delta all the time because of their customer service and valves). That’s why my contractor recommended the Delta mixing valve trim kits I purchased for two of my bathrooms (I did go with a different one for my master bathroom because I wanted a specific shower system I saw here on Houzz).

diydude - I opened my other trim kit - while there wasn’t a bunch of inside packaging, it was neatly stacked securely inside the box. I wonder if somehow you received an open box item from a previous return?

thanks for the comments. Remember I fought two of these from two different places and both were poorly packed. The overall It is the best set I have seen. Nice finish, heavy and solid. Except for a plastic temp knob and no deal on the transfer valve neck I love it. It’s just packaged like crap. I’ll all a rubber seal to the transfer valve and pray the temp knob lasts and I am sure I’ll be happy.

HU-290654264. Hence the quotes.