1st  the packing is very good but there is room for improvement, I had one seat side that did have some dents in the wood but that was it for damage. 
2nd instructions are strait forward if you have some assembly experience, the dowel holes in the chair legs were a good fit.  The only issue I have is they use dry wall screws instead of wood screws for the supports which are not pre-drilled, the rest of the hardware is good. Make sure you drill a plot hole or you will break the screws trying to tighten them, I made that mistake.

*****With that said, overall the product is great for the price point, with matching stain color between the chairs and table.  I would  buy again but recommend that you pre-drill for screws and have some wood glue for  the dowel holes.