Shipping was pretty quick so I wasted no time in assembling it.  The pieces had many, what appeared to be wear marks and scratches on them. However with the finish it wasn't too awfully noticeable. Assembly was pretty straight forward and easy, with the exception of one of the levelers.  I was never able to get it in all the way, which would have been a real problem if it was going on a flat surface, but because of the carpet it's not noticeable.  Overall it's a bit lighter weight than i anticipated, and feels like the cost is a bit high for the quality, but regardless, i love how it looks in the space. I finally have a place to put an alabaster lamp I've had for years.