Wear versus a defect

A defect was there when the table reached you. Wear is what use adds. If you're unsure, send a photo — that settles it faster than a description.

The useful test isn't how bad something looks. It's when it started.

> A defect is a flaw in materials or workmanship that existed when you received the table. > Wear is what use adds afterwards.

That distinction decides which path a problem takes, and it's why we ask for photos early — a mark that was there on day one and a mark that appeared in month eight look identical in isolation.

Usually a defect

A panel that never sat flush, from the first assembly
Magnets misaligned or missing, so blocks won't seat correctly
Hardware that won't thread, or arrived bent
A finish flaw present before the table was used
A component that doesn't match its published dimensions

Usually wear

Scratches, dents, and marks accumulated through use
Imprinting from dice, miniatures, or writing on the surface
Fading from sunlight
Wear on the play surface, mat, or armrest materials
Loosening hardware that retightens fine

Wear isn't a judgement about how you've treated the table — it's what furniture does. It's excluded from warranty coverage on essentially every piece of furniture sold, ours included.

The genuinely ambiguous ones

Some things sit between, and those are worth sending in rather than deciding yourself:

Wobble that appeared after a few months — could be settling, could be assembly, could be something else. See My table wobbles.
A panel that used to sit flush and now doesn't — the change over time is the interesting part.
Finish lifting or separating rather than being scratched — separation isn't usually wear.

Photograph it, tell us roughly when you first noticed it, and let us look.

Damage in transit is neither

Freight damage isn't a warranty claim and isn't wear — it's a faster, separate path with its own process. Don't file it as a warranty issue; you'll get a slower answer for no reason. See Shipping damage vs. warranty claim.

When in doubt, just ask

You're not expected to adjudicate your own claim. Send a photo, your order number, and when you noticed it, through our contact page. Working out which category it falls into is our job.