The "lamp-in-a-box" products are just that: disassembled lamps that arrive in multiple pieces that you must screw together. I suggest starting at the lamp end and finishing with the base. It's a bit awkward pulling the extra wiring through the base, so you may need to pull aside the felt cover from the base - this could have been designed better. Be careful with the finials - they are made of some heavy resin or epoxy material than can chip, and if you drop it or hit it against something hard, it will crack or break and expose the white interior. (Mine arrive with one finial chipped, so I used a black Sharpie marker to conceal the chip.)