When it arrived the outer box was damaged but once we got all the packaging removed, all the parts were fine. It took two of us about 45 minutes to assemble but neither of us is particularly mechanically inclined so that was reasonable. Minimal directions but if you go slow, you should not have a problem. I did add some wood glue to the dowels since they were loose fitting. The wood finish is beautiful and smooth. Very little wasted space once you start filling it up. Less space on top of the cd's also means less dusting. I would definitely recommend this 

Pros: Reasonable price, attractive, does not look like a do-it-yourself piece of furniture
Cons: Needs a wall anchor of some sort for added safety