HomePod HomePod Mini came in plain cardboard box?

[PhoenixDown]

I picked up a HomePod Mini at Costco today and it came in a gray cardboard box. It looks fully sealed and has a sticker with the part & serial #. It doesn’t have the usually white Apple product box / cover. Could this be a returned unit? I

 

[Itinj24]

I picked up a HomePod Mini at Costco today and it came in a gray cardboard box. It looks fully sealed and has a sticker with the part & serial #. It doesn’t have the usually white Apple product box / cover. Could this be a returned unit? I

Sounds like how a refurbished unit would ship. I’m not familiar with purchasing at Costco. Do they have a refurbished program that you may have accidentally used to purchase? If you paid full price, I’d return it and get a new one. No other reason for it to be repackaged from how Apple ships it. I don’t think Costco would repackage a returned unit in generic packaging and sell as new.

 

[waw74]

check the model number in the home app once it's added to your system.

supposedly...
Starts with M: Factory new

Starts with N: Service replacement

Starts with F: Factory Refurb

 

[robotica]

mine came like that but inside that box was another nice apple box.

 

[malcky77]

2 of my full size HomePods came in a brown box with serial number stickers and other info too, but inside that box was the usual retail looking box.
I guess some retails take them out of the brown boxes and some do not.

 

[Itinj24]

Now I’m confused… was there a genuine sealed HomePod Mini retail box from Apple inside of the gray cardboard box?

 

[PhoenixDown]

mine came like that but inside that box was another nice apple box.

So that appears to be the case here too. Once I opened the cardboard box there was the genuine apple mini box in celaphane wrap inside. Mystery solved!