TLDR: A Switch 2 game sold as brand new to me has scratches on it’s pins, indicating use (seen in photo). Can anyone here confirm if brand new games are supposed to come like this? Or, if you have any unwrapped brand new games that have never been inserted in a console, could you please check for me if the pins have any scratches on them?

I’m pretty annoyed because I just bought a “Brand New” copy of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition from EB Games in Australia, and it appears to have been used. It has scratches on the gold pins. You can see them in the photo, but it’s very hard to tell from the picture, you have to zoom in and look really closely for a faint line going down every pin. I’ve not inserted it in my Switch at all yet. Now, I personally know that these scratches are completely normal for Switch 1 & 2 games (even DS & 3DS). They are not generally a reason for concern. Every single Switch game you own should have these scratches if you’ve ever used them - they’re normal. But this is supposed to be brand new. This to me indicates EB Games sold me a used copy. Also, as usual in Australia, like seemingly every store here, they annoyingly don’t sell ANY brand new games with the original plastic wrap on them, meaning issues like this can in theory easily occur.

Other then it not having plastic on it, the game case itself is perfect looking condition on the outside - it appears to be brand new. The only thing off about the case was that when I got home and opened it, it had a very tiny white hair sitting inside it that looks like it came from a short-haired dog. It also had just a few very tiny flake-like white specks the size of dust inside it too.

Really, everything seems to point to that they sold me a used game as a brand-new one. But I’m not 100% sure yet. The only reason I’m slightly skeptical is because I’m wondering if the games possibly come with those scratches when it comes from the factory or if they’re tested before arriving in stores (I doubt it, but it’s just a thought). Does anyone here have any unwrapped brand new Switch games, or, ideally, Switch 2 games that you’ve never played that you can check for scratches for me? It has to be a cartridge that has NEVER been inserted into the console even once, otherwise it’s almost certain it will have these scratches. If I can prove brand new games aren’t supposed to have these scratches, I can know for certain that they sold a used game to me. I have a couple of wrapped Switch 1 games, but I was hoping to save them for when I do an unboxing video of them, which I was going to do when I get around to playing them.

Update: Okay, to save you some reading time, from what people are telling me in the replies below, this seems to be almost certainly a normal thing, even for brand new games. Apparently the games do get tested before being sent out, and the pins get scratched in the process. I’m not sure about the hair that was in it, though. I’d still appreciate if anyone check a copy of their own unused cartridges for these scratches. I’m a collector like many of you, so I get it if you don’t want to open any games that are still wrapped until you want to play it; I’m the same. I was just wondering if anyone who has an already-unwrapped copy might be able to check.