Glossary term
Concealed Damage
Damage to goods inside packaging that appeared sound on delivery, discovered only when the packaging is opened.
Damage not visible when the goods were received, because the outer packaging was intact. It surfaces on unpacking, potentially days later.
It is difficult to claim precisely because the carrier signed for the goods in apparent good order: proving the damage occurred in transit rather than afterwards falls to the claimant. Notice periods are short, and photographing the packaging before discarding it is usually what decides the claim.