Whether the gauge is new, still sealed in the package, or even if it is already installed, and power is off, the pointer on your pyrometer can point anywhere. This gauge is manufactured with an “air-core” internal meter that uses no physical contact with the pointer. Therefore there is no “spring” to pull the pointer down, or auto zero function when power is turned off.
During shipping, after the gauge has been manufactured and packaged, the handling, and shipping alone can cause the pointer to move to other positions. As soon as power is applied to the gauge, and with the probe wired up, the pyrometer will return to a correct reading.
It is expected that your pyrometer may never read zero unless you turn power on, and the probe is at or below zero degrees. With that said, your pyrometer may also not read exact ambient temperature either. Please see “Why doesn’t my pyrometer read accurate ambient temperature?”