It was a bit tricky for me to assemble by myself because of the shelf, but I propped the shelf on some books so I could manage. Also, one of the screw inserts twisted out and needed to be glued back into the wood, so the screw would fasten. There are two places very small places on a  back edge which look like spots where stain didn't color, but were lacquered with the rest of the surface. The 4 screw hole covers were were in a very small package which could have easily been discarded with the shipping box and  such a tight fit, they had to be hammered in with a mallet. With this said, I love the assembled table! 

Pros: over all, beautiful wood and finish, high quality. Great value!
Cons: difficult to assemble