The pieces were not labeled at all with letters or numbers, up or down. The directions were written well so my husband was able to figure it out. It took over an hour for two of us to put it together.  The backing on the bookcase is like paper, very flimsy and cheap. Once it's full of books it looks ok though and serves its purpose.
It was shipped well with tons of carboard. It took 30 mins just to unwrap it.