In the UK they come with one set of batterys in place plus a spare set in the box. Mine was sitting in a courier van for 8 hours befor it was delivered, and given how sensitive it is i imagine that it was on for the whole journey! I don't know where these things are boxed, but they are made in China so if the batterys have been in since then, i would imagine it has been on for the whole journey. The manual says battery life is 3-12 months. But i dont expect the first set to last long.

RD