parcel tracking from China "出口总包直封封发/总包互封封发", what does this phrase mean?

[Ruben von Zwack]

Hello all,

 

my friend in Malysia is waiting for a parcel from China. She got this tracking update, and asked me what it means.

I can read the individual words, they are basic enough, but I'm quite confused. What is the meaning of

总包直封封发 and 总包互封封发?

I know the individual characters, but I can't put them together in a meaningful way.

 

I'm not asking for a line-to-line translation of all this, just what those two expressions mean.

 

Thank you very much!

 

what her parcel's status looks like (just as a reference - not asking for translation):

 

2013-12-03 00:00, 出口总包直封封发, 上海国际, 马来西亚

2013-12-03 00:00, 出口总包直封封发, 上海国总包互封封发, 马来西亚
2013-11-30 00:00, 出口总包互封封发, 杭州国际, 马来西亚
2013-11-29 00:00, 出口总包互封封发, 杭州国际, 马来西亚
2013-11-25 00:00, 收寄局收寄, 杭州邮区中心局国际小包处理中心, 马来西亚

[skylee]

This thread is relevant -> http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/16801-tracking-parcels-中国邮政-la-poste-chinoise/

[Ruben von Zwack]

Oh, thanks but we're not worried, she bought from the seller before and they are trustworthy, and the postal service is fine, too. I'll go and alter my original post to make this clear.

 

It is just that I don't understand what 总包互封封发 and 总包直封封发 really mean. I know every word in its literal meaning, but that doesn't help me here.

[陳德聰]

It's funny, I went through that original thread and not even one person was able to break down how the words are composed...

 

http://www.letsebuy.com/thread-252373-1-1.html post #8 is relevant.

 

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/1580827427 I found this useful in at least understanding the process.

[lingo-ling]

My guess is that 总包互封封发 means the items are bundled together in one package and 总包直封封发 means they're shipped in separate packages. I could be wrong, of course.

[Ruben von Zwack]

Thank you!

 

 ...not even one person was able to break down how the words are composed

 

 

I went through the original topic too, and gave my friend the tracking websites recommended there (track-chinapost and intmail 183). Hopefully she can use them in English.

We're not worried about being scammed, just wondering why the poor parcel is sitting around there for so long. The baidu website won't load for me (yet), but the other works, and I am slowly reading my way through post 8. Thanks a lot!

[陳德聰]

Actually the main issue is the difference between "互封" and "直封". 总包 seems to just mean consolidated load, as in the bundle that all the parcels come in. Apparently the process involves opening said bundle (封拆) and then the repackaging of the items in the bundle to send them on to the next location (封发). It seems that if they are sent somewhere within China before leaving for the final destination, this is "互封", and when the parcel is en route out of the country to its destination country, this is "直封".

[陳德聰]

开拆, rather.

[Ruben von Zwack]

thanks so much!