The entire bed came in one, very long rectangle box. All the wood, slats, screws, etc. came INSIDE the headboard. The back of the headboard has an all-around zipper to hold everything. I thought that idea was pretty neat, it also made it easy to transport it upstairs to my bedroom. Set-up and assembly took about an hour and a half. Instructions moderately-easy enough to understand and follow. The fabric is smoothsoft. The studs on the side are symmetric. So far I enjoy the bed. I wish the height of the headboard was taller (especially for a king bed) since it seems a little short but before purchasing I knew it would be like that. 
You can’t beat this beauty for the price.