The tail I received was packaged discretely. The Tail is about 13 inches, not including the metal part. The metal part is smooth, I do not see any nicks in it. The fur is soft and it feels and looks real. It does not shed even if I tug on the fur gently, however it does have an unpleasant packaged smell to it. If you do not want to use it , you can cut the tail portion off the metal piece, sew it onto a metal loop, and turn it into a key chain. JK The only reason why I said that was because I just saw a lady today with a tail similar to this hanging off her bag. The tail is cute and fluffy. It would be great for cosplay.But like many products there are pro’s and cons.The cons: I can not tell if this is real fur or fake fur and unfortunately it is not written in the product description. Sure it says “wild fox tail” but that could mean it is a tail that is made to look like a wild fox’s tail since it isn’t a crazy neon pink color. It definitely needs the words “real”, “100%”, “genuine”,“faux” or “fake” somewhere in the description. I assumed it was fake when I purchased it due to the affordable retail value and because it is a toy. Yet, now that I see it, I am really unsure. The packaging doesn’t even clarify if it is real or fake fur. To tell you the truth, I would feel uncomfortable knowing that this is a real tail (especially if it’s a real fox’s tail) and so would vegetarians. Additionally, the description says “,no?odour” (yes, I copied it all the way down to the awkward question mark) but unfortunately mine definitely has a packaged chemical smell. The smell bothers my eyes, so I am definitely not putting this anywhere near my face.I received this tail at a discount for a review.