Sauder Miscellaneous Storage 2-Shelf Bookcase/ Book Shelf, Washington Cherry finish

I just received the item today and have just now had the time to start assembly. I've gotten as far as taking the pieces out of the box and just had to start my review. This is the first and only time I have received an online furniture order in which all the necessary parts were present, intact, and undamaged. The wooden pieces feel solid and strong. There are NO SCRATCHES, CHIPS, OR CRACKS IN THE WOOD! The cams and dowels are not flimsy crap pieces I've seen with internationally shipped items. I will update my review as I continue assembly and adjust the star rating if necessary. I am thrilled with this piece. Five stars will remain. I have never seen such a bookshelf "kit" that is so easy to put together, yielding such a beautiful, solid product. Many other furniture pieces I've assembled (from amazon, walmart, and wayfair) have had hard-to-understand or inconsistent directions with bad English; damaged or missing, cheaply made parts; and flimsy, ineffective, easily breakable hardware pieces. The instructions on this item were concise, well-written, and easy to understand. (A fluent English-speaker surely wrote the English section...thank you!). There was even humor incorporated into the instructions, giving the package personality, and me a sense of personal connection with and confidence in the company. The hardware connected the pieces together precisely and solidly. Not one cam cracked! And the screws and metal (not wood) cam dowels were of adequate length to hold together what they were supposed to (yes I've had some kits with screws so short they wouldn't even touch the destination holes, and at least 2 or 3 of the flimsy cams would be cracked and unusable). Until this, I have not put together a piece that I haven't had to make multiple trips to Lowe's to complete the assembly. This assembly was a pleasant experience without the almost constant frustration attached to some others. The wood is beautiful and NOT cheap, creating a very well-made, sturdy piece of furniture. I was originally going to place it in a bedroom, but it is so beautiful, I have put it in my main living room so more people can see it! I will definitely recommend this unit to others, and I plan to check out other items from this company. Oh yes, the price is also awesome, and I am going to buy at least 2 more of these units with the first payday after Christmas!

First off, let me say that the instructions are amazing. Having had to assemble various items in the past couple years, it feels like instructions are going extremely minimalist, opting to show mere confusing diagrams instead of written instruction. This then forces you to search YouTube in the vain hope that a video exists to show you how to assemble it. The instructions for this bookcase include written instructions and a detailed diagram. That being said, the only step I had a problem with was Step 6 (pictured). I put the molding flush with the top when there should have been a little space between the edge of the top and the molding (pictured). I had a difficult time lining up the holes with the screws and therefore just kept the edges flush to help, which was a mistake and led to there being a tiny gap between the molding and the side (pictured). If you get this bookcase, please make sure you do not make my mistake. It is not a big enough issue for me to try to disassemble it and fix. Despite the tiny flaw, created by my own misunderstanding, the bookcase is excellent quality for pressboard and it is sturdy. It looks great and will serve for our purposes perfectly. The price wasn't too bad either (we paid $85). Overall, I highly recommend this bookcase as it is of a decent quality and price, and the instructions are simple to follow, which makes it easy for one person to assemble it themselves.

I love Sauder furniture for inexpensive yet attractive and sturdy furniture. This bookcase is a perfect example. It is very functional, classy looking in the estate black and very sturdy. The product arrived (more details at the end) and was properly packaged with great protection. It was relatively easy to assemble with minimum amount of effort as long as you read the directions and study the pictures. There was a minor abrasion on the top shelf but it appears part of the manufacturing process as it was painted and was not due to mishandling. I pondered it a long time since it was on the outside but really is not noticeable. I know Sauder will replace it as I have sent them feedback but not sure I want to dismantle the bookcase to replace the top. I can recommend this piece of furniture because of my initial statement. Now for the delivery fail. The bookcase did not arrive via UPS on the day expected. I received another order the prior day and I have come to know the UPS driver. I mentioned I was expecting a heavy delivery. The next day he sought me out and asked if I was waiting for something from Sauder. The package DID NOT HAVE MY ADDRESS on the label. It only had the City and state. Apparently the delivery made it all the way to my deliver center and the driver was loading up the deliveries for the day. HE REMEMBERED ME AND OUR CONVERSATION so he brought the bookcase to me. I provided feedback to Amazon with pictures of the label and they quickly responded that they will investigate this. Who knows what would have happened if the driver had not been observant and caring. I did not want to detract from the rating of the product because of a delivery error, therefore the four stars. Not a five because of the minor defect but I believe Sauder will take feedback. I am committed to Sauder for the reasons stated.

Easy assembly by one person. Sturdy and attractive.

Good material, sturdy shelf. Instructions are easy to follow

Nice looking simple bookcase The smaller model fits nicely behind a couch

I just finished assembling three Sauder 2-shelf bookcases and two 5-shelf units. Another 2-shelf case is on the way, so you know I’m a fan. But there are some critically important things you’ll need to do to have a finished product that you’re happy with. I’ve posted this same review in the 2-shelf and 5-shelf products, so sorry if you’re seeing this for the second time. My cases are in oiled walnut, so you’ll have to make appropriate changes to my tips if your cases are in a different color. 1. There is little possibility, IMO, of your being shipped a unit in 100% perfect condition, but if you’re lucky enough to get one that’s flawless, you’ll probably ding it up slightly during assembly. One of my tall cases had a 1-inch long divot taken out of the front edge of the middle shelf during shipment, and there was no hiding it. This Amazon product fixed it perfectly: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073WJTNH5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Although there’s a “walnut” marker, I found that it was too dark once it had soaked into the exposed pressboard. The “cherry” marker worked perfectly for me on my oiled walnut cases. I’d place the order for the touchup markers when you order your bookcase. I’ve used these markers on other pieces of furniture in my house, and they are terrific. If your color is not oiled walnut, use one shade lighter than you think, and if it’s too light, you can correct it with a marker that’s a shade darker. 2. Many of the edges on these shelves consist of two pieces of laminate coming together at a 90-degree angle, and then they’re trimmed at the factory. They look OK, but not perfect. They destroy the illusion of these being solid wooden cabinets. Run your marking pen down the entire length of the edge, and they will make those edges disappear. This is particularly important on the tops of all the 2-shelf bookcases. 3. I found that there’s only one way to really mess your shelves up. That opportunity comes when you’re screwing the top molding piece to the top shelf. If you tighten those screws up too much, you’re cooked. The screw will push up and crack the laminate on the top shelf, and there’s little you can do to hide it. These screws are holding in a decorative piece, not a structural one, so tighten them just until the molding is no longer loose. 4. Use your own judgment, but the plastic nail starter they ship with the 5-shelf unit is for the birds. I used my fingers and my judgment concerning where to place the nails, and I didn’t have any problems with them. 5. The manual says to assemble the 5-shelf bookcase with the front side facing the floor. I strongly disagree with that. I assembled both my large bookcases face up, and when it came time to nail the back piece, I very gently turned the bookcase over and supported it on Styrofoam packing pieces. That’s it. These bookcases are a great value for the money, and if you follow my tips, you’ll be very pleased with the results. Pic attached.

I bought 4 of the "select cherry" finish. I think they are very good for what they are, particle board furniture. I got 1 for $89 and the other 3 for $78. Solid wood furniture would likely have been many hundreds of dollars more. The instructions were clear and it was easy to assemble. One tip is to not cover the cams until the very end so you can tighten them several times (some may loosen as you move the unit around during assembly). The cherry finish is very nice although 2 of the 4 I bought had minor damage to the tops (not bad enough to warrant replacement). Although the Sauder packing is extremely good, with corner reinforcements outside the main box, the top piece is packed at the very bottom and I suspect is subjected to greater stress during transport than the other pieces. I would encourage Sauder to redesign the packing order, so the top is placed maybe in the middle or top of the stack. One other minor issue I had was 1 of the units was missing 1 of the 5 angle brackets for the bottom trim piece, so I bought some 3/4" brackets from a hardware store. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it worked. And although Sauder only says 25 lbs on the top, this is based on their tip-over testing and probably to avoid legal liability. The structure can probably handle at least 50 lbs (their rating for the bottom piece) and possibly much more (based on other reviews). I have a 55" TV on one of mine (~25 lbs) and I'm sure you could mount a larger one, especially if the TV legs are straddling 2 side by side units. UPDATE: I bought another one manufactured in July 2023 and it has the following improvements: 1) a thin wood backing rather than cardboard, adding strength; 2) an additional piece bracing the back, adding more strength; 3) some pieces are already attached with angle brackets, saving you time; and 4) the adjustable shelf pins have plastic endcaps now. These are all excellent improvements, making the product even better.