Review on Sauder Beginnings 3-Shelf Bookcase: Highland Oak Finish - Organize your Space with Style by Alexandra Baker

Let's start by saying these are not fashionable bookcases and I didn't expect them to be. I was looking for a simple, efficient, attractive, and well-made bookcase to increase storage space on my desk at work. They had good reviews, the price seemed fair so I ordered 2 and shipped them to my office. Summary of my review. I love her. :) Now for the rest of the story if you want more details. PACKAGING The packaging was VERY strong, using solid cardboard but with the addition of corner reinforcement pads placed on the outside of each edge of the shipping box. I haven't seen these yet. This is a self-adhesive corner patch that runs along the edge of the case and offers additional protection against edge crushing. They seem to work very well and are easy to remove with a simple tug. A great idea! QUALITY AND CONDITION OF THE PRODUCT The parts of the bookshelves inside were packed in the same way, which made opening and extracting the parts easy and predictable. All parts inside were in good to excellent condition, only one corner was damaged on two of the bookshelves and this was not during shipping as the packaging was impeccable in that area so this may have happened during production or crating got to. The damage was very minor and I don't see it as a problem. The color of the material is very pleasing to the eye and the texture is very pleasant to the touch. The only oddity about the contents of the boxes was that the first drawer I opened had just the right amount of fasteners to assemble the bookcase, while the second had quite a few extras. ASSEMBLY I've built quite a few bookshelves in my life and they were as easy to put together as anything I've built. The instructions were correct and complete if you need them, but personally I didn't find them necessary as the assembly is fairly easy. The only tool I used was my Swiss Army knife to drive in the Phillips screws. If you plan on nailing the wood look cardboard backing you will need a hammer but I prefer the open backed one so no hammer was needed. All the pieces fit together effortlessly, fit snugly, and felt tight and square when I was done. I made each one myself in my tiny cabin with no problems. SHELVES Small metal pegs fitted with clear rubber tips are inserted into the holes in the side panels to protect shelves from damage caused by rubbing against the metal pegs. Nice gesture. The shelves fit perfectly the first time, no problem. CONSA Aside from a small superficial manufacturing defect in one corner of one bookshelf, I am 100% satisfied with these bookshelves. They made a pretty good addition to my cube. Eventually one of the bosses came by and noticed that my cube was starting to look more like an office.