The back of the head board was torn in 2 places. It appeared to be the way it was packed. The slats maybe rubbed the material which tore it. Assembly was farily straight forward however, the middle bar would not fit in the slot as the instructions stated. Had to remove the head board and foot board and file the metal down a bit. One last thing, the instructions should advise not to tighten bolts to tight or you will not be able to get the rest of the parts to fit. Soft assembly then go back and tighten would be good information.  Overall I do like the bed, it is beautiful and is exactly what I was looking for.