HI
Could I ask where you bought your Tau? We've been out of stock for a while here at Eigenlabs (we're waiting on a big shipment of parts, particularly the shells, from the far east right now and won't be resuming production until they get here) so this hasn't come directly from us.
Having said that, both the Basestation and it's power supply are packed in their own plastic bags (inside the laptop bag for extra protection) when they leave us. It's not uncommon though to find that the instrument may have been got out and plugged in by someone on its way to you if we didn't ship it direct - a diligent retailer for example might want to check that it works properly before shipping. If this is the case the plastic bags may have been discarded.
I strongly suggest that you contact your shipper to complain. If your unit does turn out to be faulty because it has been allowed to become wet, this will be the shippers liability and you should make them aware of this immediately in order to pursue it with them or the retailer where you bought it. The laptop bag is actually reasonably proof against light rain, so someone has actually left it in the rain for a while if the insides have become damp, which is very, very poor handling by the shipper. As I said, we do package the electronics inside plastic bags normally (though not the documentation,we never ever needed to before and we do try not to use excess packaging with all the pointless waste this generates), but the instrument is not and this also contains sensitive electronics. The goods should never ever become wet during shipping and there are limits to how we can protect against this.
On a more positive note, the Basestation will probably dry out fine if left in a warm airing cupboard for a day or so. Make sure that it is fully dry before you plug it in. And do the same with the 'wall wart' power supply please. And really do contact the shipper to register a complaint - if you have problems later this will establish that it was delivered wet, which may be necessary for you or you retailer to pursue a claim.
I'm sorry you've had this experience - opening that box to get your lovely new instrument out should be a complete pleasure and I hate it when this gets messed up. If we can help you with any problems that arise, please contact us...
John