This piece exceeded my expectations. The box came in with some damage to the outside but the interior packaging was so well done, there was no damage to the stand. It went together pretty easily and the directions for assembly (which there are a lot of) were very clear. They even provided the glue for all the dowels. It is a solid piece of furniture when it's all together. Lastly and most importantly, it looks as good as the pictures, if not better. I haven't even moved in yet and the few people who saw the stand commented on how nice it looked. Glad I forked over the few extra bucks for the black trim.