There were smudge/scuff marks on the shoe and in some spots it appear as if an attempt to clean was made. However, that wasn't the part that really got me, although bad enough. The front of the boot are lumped. Instead of a crease in the top there is a distint lump across the toe part. When looking close it is visible BUT definitely noticeable to the touch and when I tried them on. I have owned many, many timberland boots in the past 30+ years, and these have disappointed me. I doubt very seriously if the shoes are made this way, it makes me wonder if the shoes were worn/used or poorly stored. However, I always make sure to order NEW and never USED. This was a big disappointment as I had plans with these boots. I ordered 3 pair of timberland boots between footlocker, dillards and Timberland, all withing a day or two of ordering these through Amazon. All 3 other pair are great, no issues. The only reason I ordered these through Amazon was because I could not find them on the other websites or my size wasn't available. These were a major fail.