Reasonably easy to assemble once you get the hang of things.  I found that putting the vertical poles in the bottom of the shelf youre adding and then adding the shelf to the unit made it easier, as well as pre-assembling several sections and then putting them all together.  Very sturdy unit.  The shelves are metal poles with about 2.5 between them, and there are various ways you can configure them.  It could be used to store or display things other than shoes, especially with something to bridge the gap between poles on the shelf surface.  Good value for the money.