I was very irritated when I opened the package to find damage already to the pieces. A six inch superficial crack in one board, chipped corners on three, and small dents on another. However, the box is ridiculously heavy, and every damaged piece on the shelf had a correlating damaged area on the box. They really need to upgrade their packaging to accommodate the weight. Putting it together was awkward by myself, and one of the boards didn't have holes drilled on one side where there should have been holes. Even after all these complaints, the finished product is awesome! I intended this to be an organizer for the kids' books and toys, and I turned it sideways so the kids could access all of the spaces. As a mother of five, I can say without a doubt that this shelf is going to stand up to the abuse it is about to receive. Bonus - optional wall bracket to keep little climbers from being squished, extra screws and small pieces in case a tiny thief runs off with a couple and throws them down the return vent :)