Came in box which is surprising as most barrels do not. Upon initial inspection no damages and very sturdy . Lid was a bit hard to take off but manageable . When they say only rinsed they mean it . Still needed to have a full wipe down . Also there was quite an odor but after wipe down it dissipated.the opening on top is quite large which is main aspect why I ordered it . Wanted to be able to get to bottom of barrel and attach rain barrel Spicket. Even with me having a decent upper build I managed to put my upper body in the barrel so I could do some work in it . I did fall over tho bc I was trying to walk metal gear solid like lol . But once I attached spicket and hose along with aeration pump I was ready to test it out . It works like a charm and saves me time and hassle while watering my plants . All in all very happy with my purchase