Stylus is angled to toward the center of the platter - something I need to worry about?

TT is a ProJect Debut III with a stock Ortofon OM 5E cartridge. When I unpacked it, the stylus was visibly angled to the side toward the center of the platter. This was a red flag because it's an open-box special, but this was the only physical defect I could see. Audio quality is fine from both channels, and as I played a few sides, the angling has become less pronounced. It's still not vertical, but it's significantly better than it was.

Google tells me that a little tilt on the stylus is normal because of the centripetal force of the groove against the needle and the counter force of the antiskate weight. So how much angling is too much? To my untrained eye, it doesn't look right, but this is my first turntable, so I don't know what to look for. Like I said, the sound is balanced and high quality, so I'm inclined to keep it, but if I'm destroying my records or cutting the life of my stylus short, I want to get it fixed or replaced while I'm within the return period.

Obviously, the best answer is "get a 2M Red" or "return it and buy a new debut carbon," but unfortunately, my budget doesn't allow for any upgrades at the moment.

Thanks for the info - I bought the TT from Crutchfield, and they don't carry the OM 5E as a separate item, but they offered me a Sumiko Pearl as a replacement, with no need to return the defective cart. Great customer service from them as always.

Not sure - I think the cantilever. The stylus is straight, just off axis, and it was at a larger angle out of the box than it is now. I suspect it got banged up by the previous owner or in the factory and Crutchfield QC didn't catch it when they resold it as an open box item. No harm done, and replacement cart is on its way.