The desk came well protected in a cardboard box. The instructions were clear to read and detailed enough that if I was second guessing how a piece went on. I just needed to look harder and I’d figure it out. Once together. The desk is just what we wanted. One of the drawers is gapped slightly off when looking at it compared to the other. However it does not make contact with the other piece and glides smooth. The gold finish is very dependent on the lighting in the room. Under normal 60w lighting it looks darker than in the photo. Open up the curtains and it bright with the sun shining in. We would purchase this again.