Some parts of this cabinet are very sturdy. The back is flimsy, and the side panels aren't as solid as I would have liked. But for the price, I guess it is fine. As for the shipping..The package arrived packed very well with no damage at all. However, it took almost a month to arrive. I thought this was odd since the item was supposedly located just a few states away from me. Now the assembly. It seemed fairly easy however it did take a few hours to put it all together. My wife had a tough time trying to put it together by herself, so I would suggest tackling this with a little help. Once she got the sides on, it was smooth sailing. It did get on my nerves that I had to keep repeating the instructions to her though.