We needed a smaller kitchen cart to fit a small space and this was the perfect size and priced very well for it's features and design. Of course you never know what you're going to get until it arrives and you unpack it. Let's start there:ShippingThe cart arrived a little sooner than expected so that was a plus. The carton it came in was not damaged and was made of thick cardboard, quite a bit thicker than most shipping boxes. It was also sealed well with shipping tape and NO staples (thank you seller!) If this cart will be a surprise for someone, be sure to ship it somewhere else as the box is emblazoned with what's inside!UnpackingThe box has clearly marked arrows for what side should be up. Not sure that the carrier followed this but as I said there was no damage so I just made sure that the "up" side was up when I opened it with the box knife. The first thing you notice is a lot of styrofoam, Sometimes these can be too many and too big but what they they used was just thick enough and in enough amounts to securely protect the *real* wood pieces inside. (that's the second thing you can't help notice - no pressed wood!) The part I was worried about being damaged was the granite top. It was packed in a separate box inside the main box and also well protected with additional styrofoam, again just enough to do the job as the granite was in perfect condition. There were a couple of other smaller boxes inside, one with the assembly screws and bolts and another with the caster wheels. The third thing you notice is that every bag of screws and, nuts and bolts were packaged in a zip bag with number stickers matching the parts list and assembly guide. Assembly parts were largely packed in bags that you would open when you reached a certain stage of the assembly. So finding the right screw or both when you needed it was easy. Every board and wood component was also labeled with a sticker that matched the parts list and assembly illustrations. I could tell that assembling the cart was going to be straight-forward.AssemblyFirst, as I mentioned earlier, all wood pieces are real hardwood. There's no pressed wood of any kind. The assembly guide has illustrations with part numbers which were easy to follow and well drawn, most with multiple viewing angles with adjacent parts showing so it was pretty simple to see how to orient the pieces. In a couple of cases you may have to look carefully at the illustrations and double check to make sure you are orienting the parts correctly (lesson learned for me on that one). This cart has NO twist lock, junk aluminum connectors like some build-it-yourself furniture. Every bolt and nut was an actual real bolt and nut! All holes were pre-drilled including holes for the several wood screws needed. Everything fit perfectly and all of the holes were perfectly aligned. Assembly took me 45 minutes including one re-do for one top support piece that I installed upside down the first time (I was in a bit of a rush!) The granite top is held in place by gravity and two wood dowels to keep it from moving around.SummaryThis cart was a total joy to open and assemble. Other than my own mistake of installing one small piece upside down, I ran into no problems at all. I only wish other manufacturers took the time and care to so carefully label, pack and ship their products. I would give it 10 stars if I could.This review probably sounds like I was paid to give but I was not. I found the item by searching, read other reviews to make sure it wasn't junk and ordered and paid for it. I don't leave a ton of reviews but this cart met or exceeded my expectations so much I felt I need to tell others about it. I hope that this helps you make a decision and that if you get one that you have a similar positive experience.