Today I got my kitchen island. I must admit my first reaction on seeing it in the back of the truck was one of terror. As you can see from the photo it came only wrapped in plastic! No protection at all. The two guys who delivered it were as amazed. At this point none of us have found any damage! (I am going to pause and unwrap it) Quality of the product is good. Drawer glides are nice. The knobs included are only basic wood. Ivan find nothing damaged from shipping and this piece came clear across the country and took 4 weeks to arrive. So what I would say, wrap everything just in plastic. Looks like folks took better care of it because of that.  I really like that is unfinished and am still pondering my options on the finish. Will post a pic when it is done.