Yes, it’s recommended! My doll arrived a couple days early! I was already excited because it was my day off so I went straight to pick up my doll. She was gorgeous! I opened her as soon as I got home. The box wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be after looking at it. I picked her up and went upstairs. The moment I opened the box was really exciting! Everything looked intact. It felt really good in my hand and looked like they had powder coated it at the factory.