King Express and Gigante Express are the two highest-profile diaspora couriers serving the USA-to-Guatemala corridor out of the Los Angeles Guatemalan community — and they are joined at the hip in Guatemala. They share a Guatemala City phone number, a Zona 11 warehouse behind Roosevelt Hospital, and (it appears) staff. On the US side they operate as separate brands with different positioning: King Express publishes a transparent four-tier rate card from a single office on Pico Boulevard, and Gigante Express runs a quote-only, taxes-included operation out of Miami and Los Angeles with 48–72 hour transit. We review them together because that is how they actually work — and because the shared GT infrastructure is the single most important thing for a sender to understand before paying.

Verification status: Partially verified. King Express rate card and LA office address are confirmed across multiple King-affiliated domains (kingexpress.us, encomiendasaguatemala.com, shippingtoguatemala.com, paqueteriakingexpress.net). Gigante Express service description and dual-hub presence (Miami + LA) confirmed; rates not published. The shared GT phone number and warehouse address are confirmed in both brands’ own listings — the legal/operational relationship between the two is not. Last verified April 2026.

Who writes this: We’re Guatemala Life, a Guatemala-based team. The Pico Boulevard / Koreatown Guatemalan diaspora cluster is the #2 US hub for USA-to-GT courier shipping (Miami/Doral is #1, Hyattsville MD is #3). The Zona 11 receiving address sits a few kilometers from where we work, and we see weekly how boxes from LA and Miami land there. Rates and addresses below were cross-checked against the brands’ own sites and against conversations at the GT pickup point.

The shared-infrastructure flag — read this first

Both brands list the same Guatemala City phone (+502 5305-3371) and the same receiving address (13 calle 12-96 zona 11, Ofibodega 1037, behind Roosevelt Hospital). There are three plausible explanations: shared ownership, a partnership, or one brand renting GT-side infrastructure from the other. We don’t have conclusive evidence either way, and the brands market themselves as independent.

What that means for a sender is concrete: a box paid for at a Gigante office in Miami can land at the same Zona 11 warehouse where King Express boxes are processed, and the recipient may be told the package is “with Gigante” or “with King” interchangeably. We have seen reports — and conversations in diaspora Facebook groups — where:

  1. The customer paid King Express in LA.
  2. The recipient’s pickup notification came from Gigante Express.
  3. Reaching out to either US-side brand to clarify produced “we don’t handle that one” responses.
  4. The box did arrive — but the chain of custody was unclear, and resolving a problem would have been hard.

Most boxes go through fine. But if something goes wrong, you want documentation. Before paying:

  1. Get a written receipt from the US office naming the specific company (King Express or Gigante Express, not “envío a Guatemala”).
  2. Get the GT delivery address in writing and ask explicitly which brand will hand off the package.
  3. Get a tracking/guide number in writing — these are not interchangeable between brands.
  4. Save the receipt, the WhatsApp confirmation, and any email until after the recipient has the box.
  5. At pickup in Zona 11, ask the staff to confirm in writing which brand processed the shipment.

The shared phone number is not necessarily a fraud signal. It is, however, an operational reality that changes how you should document a high-value shipment.

King Express: the published-rate option

King Express’s signature feature is a four-tier rate structure that is unusually transparent for a diaspora courier. They publish it on their own site and on three sister domains.

TierRateMinimumTransitBest for
Express air$22 / lb (~Q170/lb)3 lb5 business daysUrgent documents, small high-value packages
Regular air$13 / lb (~Q101/lb)3 lb15 business daysStandard personal shipments
Commercial merchandise$3.50 / lb (~Q27/lb)220 lb~8 business daysBusinesses importing inventory
Consolidated lane (LA→Miami→GT)$6 / lb—VariesMid-weight consolidated shipments
Flat-rate 30×30×30 box$325 / boxOne boxStandard air laneDiaspora family box, door-to-door
Vehicle shippingQuote only—20–22 days sea + port clearanceCars, motorcycles, ATVs, pickups

Conversion check. At Q7.75/USD, $22/lb ≈ Q376/kg, $13/lb ≈ Q222/kg, $3.50/lb ≈ Q60/kg, and the $325 flat box ≈ Q2,519. See today’s exchange rates for the live conversion.

Where the flat-rate box wins. $325 for a 30×30×30 box is equivalent to $13/lb at 25 lb, or $6.50/lb at 50 lb. A dense box of clothing typically maxes out the cubic volume before hitting the weight break-even, so the flat rate beats Regular Air for almost any full family box. Empty space costs you, though — a half-full box is paying $325 for air. Check the math at 50 lb: Express comes to $1,100, Regular to $650, the flat box stays at $325.

Where commercial wins. At 220 lb the commercial tier ($770) destroys Regular Air ($2,860) and even beats three flat-rate boxes ($975) — but only if you actually have 220 lb. Don’t expect commercial pricing on an 80 lb shipment.

Where to drop off. King Express has a single confirmed US office: 2807 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006, at the Pico / Normandie intersection in the Pico-Union / Koreatown diaspora cluster. They list multiple phone numbers — (323) 734-1248, (323) 733-9784, (323) 733-4782 — and a WhatsApp at (213) 818-6093, with email at info@kingexpress.us. Departures are Mondays and Thursdays only from LA. A Friday drop-off waits until Monday; a Tuesday drop-off waits until Thursday. Plan accordingly.

If a third party tells you they are an “out-of-state King Express office” in Houston, Miami, or NYC, treat that as unverified until you call kingexpress.us directly. The four King-affiliated domains all redirect or echo the same LA contact information.

Gigante Express: speed and pre-paid duties, no published rates

Gigante Express’s pitch is different. They advertise:

  • 48–72 hour transit from US office to Guatemala on Mon/Thu departures
  • Duties pre-paid — taxes are included in the shipping fee, no customs broker on the GT end
  • Two US hubs: Miami and Los Angeles, broader pickup geography than King’s LA-only footprint

What they do not advertise is a rate card. To get pricing you call, WhatsApp, or visit the office. That is normal for diaspora couriers but worth flagging — you cannot price-compare on the web the way you can with King’s tiers, USPS Priority Mail International, or Quick Box’s published $2.25/lb.

For sizing, expect Gigante to land roughly in line with King’s flat-box tier on family-sized shipments — somewhere around $300–$400 for a 30×30×30-equivalent box, with smaller parcels in the $15–$30 range. These are estimates, not published rates. The “taxes included” positioning typically applies to standard family-box content (clothing, household goods, sealed food, gifts). High-value or restricted items — electronics over $500, alcohol in commercial quantities, jewelry — usually fall outside the tax-included tier and revert to recipient-pays-on-arrival. Confirm per-item before dropping off.

Real-world end-to-end timing with Gigante typically lands at 4–7 business days door to door once you account for the departure cadence and the GT-side delivery leg, even though the published transit is 48–72 hours.

King vs Gigante: side-by-side

DimensionKing ExpressGigante Express
US hubsLos Angeles only (Pico Blvd)Miami + Los Angeles
RatesPublished 4-tier cardQuote only
Transit (air)5 days express / 15 days regular48–72 hours
Flat-box product$325 for 30×30×30 box, door-to-doorQuote-based, expect ~$300–$400
Commercial bulk$3.50/lb at 220 lb minimumQuote on request
Duty handlingRecipient pays SAT at GTPre-paid / taxes included on standard goods
Vehicle shippingYes, LA → Puerto QuetzalNot advertised
DeparturesMondays and Thursdays (LA)Mondays and Thursdays
Online trackingNone publicNone public
GT phone+502 5305-3371+502 5305-3371 (same)
GT warehouse13 c. 12-96 Z11 (Roosevelt)13 c. 12-96 Z11 (same)

The honest read: on the US side they are different products. King is a price-driven, transparent-rate option for senders in Southern California. Gigante is a speed and convenience option (pre-paid taxes, two-coast pickup, faster headline transit). On the GT side they are functionally one operation. Pick the US-side brand whose pricing model and pickup geography fit you, but document the shipment as if a handoff between brands is possible — because in practice it is.

When to pick which (and when to pick neither)

Pick King Express if:

  • You’re in Southern California within drive-of-Pico Blvd range
  • You want a published rate before you commit
  • You’re shipping a dense family box (the $325 flat is competitive)
  • You’re moving 220 lb+ of commercial inventory
  • You’re shipping a vehicle from the Port of LA

Pick Gigante Express if:

  • You’re in South Florida (Miami) — King has no Miami office
  • You want pre-paid duties so the recipient doesn’t have to deal with SAT cash at pickup
  • You need 48–72 hour transit and the cadence-cost trade-off favors speed
  • Your shipment is standard family-box content under the tax-included threshold

Pick a different courier if:

  • You’re in any other US city (Houston, NYC, Chicago, DC, Atlanta) — neither has presence
  • Online tracking matters: use CPX, Guatebox, or Aeropost, all of which have web tracking portals
  • You’re online-shopping in the US and want a casillero address — see Quick Box USA at $2.25/lb published
  • You’re shipping a small parcel under 20 lb — USPS Priority Mail International has flat-rate boxes that often beat per-lb pricing
  • You need true express courier service (1–3 days, full tracking, insurance) — DHL, FedEx, UPS

What to ship and what not to ship

Both brands accept the same broad category set, with the same SAT-imposed restrictions.

Standard family-box content (no extra duty at arrival): clothing (used or new), shoes, accessories, sealed toys, packaged food (canned, grain, candy, coffee), books.

Permitted but the recipient pays SAT duty at pickup: electronics (12% IVA on declared value), jewelry (IVA + DAI by classification), auto parts (IVA + DAI), prescription medication (exempt for personal use, verify with SAT). King Express explicitly notes that “documents, jewelry, electronics, and auto parts are subject to additional customs charges upon landing at the Guatemala airport.” Make sure the recipient has cash on hand at pickup.

Do not ship: perishables, live animals or plants, firearms or ammunition, counterfeit goods, alcohol in commercial quantities (DAI 15–30% kills the economics), controlled drugs, flammable liquids.

Common mistakes

  1. Assuming Gigante and King are the same company. Officially they aren’t, but the GT-side overlap is real. Treat the brands as separate when you pay and document, and as one operation when you plan for what could go wrong.
  2. Paying cash without a named-brand receipt. The receipt must show the company name, date, weight, declared value, and tracking number. A blank “envío a Guatemala” slip is not enough.
  3. Not measuring before paying for the $325 flat box. If your box exceeds 30 inches on any side, you’re back to per-pound pricing.
  4. Dropping off late on a Friday. It will sit in the warehouse until Monday’s departure.
  5. No cash for SAT duties at pickup. Electronics, jewelry, and auto parts trigger duties even on King Express’s “door-to-door” flat-rate box. The recipient needs Quetzales ready.
  6. Trusting verbal tracking updates. Without a web portal, the only paper trail is your receipt and WhatsApp messages — keep them.
  7. Assuming Gigante’s “taxes included” covers everything. It covers standard family-box content. High-value or restricted goods revert to recipient-pays — confirm per item.

Verification checklist before sending money

  • Confirmed US office address and named brand on the receipt
  • GT delivery address in writing (recipient name + Zona 11 ofibodega + alternate or door delivery)
  • Tracking / guide number in writing
  • Departure date confirmed (next Monday or Thursday)
  • Box measured and within 30×30×30 (if claiming flat rate)
  • Recipient has Quetzales for any duty-bearing items
  • Saved: receipt photo, WhatsApp confirmation, email confirmation
  • Recipient knows which brand to expect at delivery

Contact and offices

King Express

  • Sites: kingexpress.us, paqueteriakingexpress.net, shippingtoguatemala.com, encomiendasaguatemala.com
  • US office: 2807 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006
  • US phone: (323) 734-1248 · alts (323) 733-9784, (323) 733-4782
  • US WhatsApp: (213) 818-6093
  • Email: info@kingexpress.us

Gigante Express

  • Site: paqueteriagiganteexpress.com
  • US offices: Miami, FL and Los Angeles, CA — confirm exact street address by phone
  • Duty handling: pre-paid / taxes-included positioning (confirm per shipment)

Shared GT operation

  • GT phone: +502 5305-3371
  • GT warehouse: 13 calle 12-96, zona 11, Ofibodega 1037, behind Hospital Roosevelt
  • Departures from LA: Mondays and Thursdays

Last verification

Last verified: April 2026. King Express rates were cross-checked against kingexpress.us, paqueteriakingexpress.net, and shippingtoguatemala.com in the week of April 14–17, 2026. Gigante Express service description and US office presence verified against paqueteriagiganteexpress.com. The shared GT phone number and warehouse address were confirmed in both brands’ independent listings; the operational/legal relationship between the two brands was not. If you have shipped with either recently and any rate, schedule, or address has changed, email us and we will update within 48 hours. Reader input on the King–Gigante operational relationship is specifically welcome.

Sources

Corrections and updates

If you’ve shipped with King Express or Gigante Express recently and the rate, departure schedule, or GT office arrangement no longer matches what we describe, email us and we’ll update within 48 hours. The shared GT phone and warehouse situation is specifically something we want reader input on — whether the two brands are one company, related entities, or independent operators sharing GT infrastructure.

Information verified April 2026 across four King Express–affiliated domains and the Gigante Express official site. Rates and addresses can change — confirm before paying. Shared GT phone and warehouse flagged for reader verification.