Item came in a well-protected carton, which was very important since the outside box was heavily ripped, cut and shredded in its journey to our house. The good news is that the contents made it nicely intact.  Item is exactly as described and the construction of the stand was long but simple if the directions are closely followed. By the way, the directions are clear and very well detailed. The finished stand looks good and is solid...should hold all the items and electronics we want to put in/on it.  Excellent purchase.