The two pillows arrived vacuum sealed but immediately fluffed up to normal size once the package was opened. The pillow coverings seem to be of good quality and were smooth and stitched well. The fill is polyester. In my opinion these pillows are on the heavier side of fill weight for standard pillows. I would describe these pillows as medium to firm. They compress/shape nicely with pressure but bounce back fully to their original shape once pressure is off. Besides being used for sleeping, these types of pillows would look nice in pillow shams due to their sturdiness.