So, I had some gear stolen a few years ago, and I’ve been working on replacing it. First, I bought a new camera body (Nikon D7500) and one lens (Nikkor 18-300mm; f 3.5-6.3) to start to rebuild my kit (not the ideal lens for most people, perhaps, but I do a lot of backpacking and try to have just one versatile lens on most trips).

Now that I have started volunteering to take pictures for my son’s school for their band/choir concerts, I needed something that would work better for low-light situations in an auditorium. So, I ordered the Sigma 18-35mm, f 1.8 from an online company I’ve seen people here recommend in the past when buying online (not sure if I should say which one). They sent it in a (in my mind, overly large) 20x11x15" cardboard box with two strips of air bags (12 air pockets total) and a few other very small, mostly flat, items, all loose in the box. There was plenty of extra space for things to move around (like, when I picked up the box and tilted it, the weight noticeably shifted). I’m considering just trying to send it back for refund and buy it from a more careful seller, but I’m not sure if I’m being unreasonable in being hesitant to accept the lens.

My question is this: Is there any way for me to be sure the lens wasn’t damaged? I’m sure I would notice physical damage to the outside, but would I even notice if there was something slightly off about the lens due to experiencing something like shocks in transit? The lens did come in its own small box (7x4.5x5"), and within the small box it was in one of those very lightly padded zipper containers. But since the small box was just rolling around in the larger box, and with no indication on the outside of the box that it contained anything fragile, I’m still concerned. Any thoughts, or ways to test the lens for issues beyond just taking pictures with it and looking at them?