Posting Kinder Surprise Eggs to the US (Toys only)

Jerry_Cornelius

Hi, so I was given some items to put on ebay for a friend, one such was a lot of kinder eggs toys - not the chocolate, just the toys in their plastic containers. I'd read somewhere a long time ago when searching for prohibited items I seemed to recall reading an article about Kinder Eggs and the fact they were prohibited in the US for whatever reason. So when preparing the listing I decided to double check (I usually post Internationally, including the US) and basically now i'm confused because reading some articles it seems the prohibited part comes from the fact the toys are hidden or contained in the chocolate; if however i'm posting just the toys and their containers, I assume that would be OK? Anyone had experiences with Kinder Eggs to the US?

theonlywayisup

You should be more concerned about the fact you are 'selling for a friend'.  You do realise that long after your friend has spent the money you given them, the buyer can open a claim with you.  It could take years........how strong is your friendship?  Would you be able to ask them for the money back?

soolin

I must say I agree with theonlywayisup , selling for a friend is an absolute no from me. If people think that ebay is too complicated for them to use it shows they don't understand ebay at all, and won't understand any risks when in a few weeks time you go back to them and ask them to give the money back as item was denied at customs, or lost somewhere, or just refunded due to delays, and is now lost. 

Either show them how to sell themselves through their own account, or buy the item from them at a mutually agreed price and then any risk is yours and as a seasoned seller you will have more understanding of that risk.

tightauldgit

Jerry_Cornelius said:

Hi, so I was given some items to put on ebay for a friend, one such was a lot of kinder eggs toys - not the chocolate, just the toys in their plastic containers. I'd read somewhere a long time ago when searching for prohibited items I seemed to recall reading an article about Kinder Eggs and the fact they were prohibited in the US for whatever reason. So when preparing the listing I decided to double check (I usually post Internationally, including the US) and basically now i'm confused because reading some articles it seems the prohibited part comes from the fact the toys are hidden or contained in the chocolate; if however i'm posting just the toys and their containers, I assume that would be OK? Anyone had experiences with Kinder Eggs to the US?

I can't speak from experience, but looking at the issue the FDA have banned Kinder Eggs because you can't embed a toy or anything non-nutritional inside a food product. Provided you are selling the items as toys and you have taken the chocolate and any external packaging saying Kinder Egg or whatever off the item and don't refer to the item as a Kinder Egg then they should be OK to send.

Whether Ebay would have an issue with you listing them though I don't know. It may be that any reference to Kinder Egg would throw up some kind of trigger to their systems. 

The only other thing that springs to mind is whether the toys themselves would be in compliance with US rules and legal to import - which Kinder may not have checked if they can't sell them there anyway.

Personally, seems like a lot of faff for a few quid. Are they valuable?

MalMonroe

Jerry_Cornelius said:

Hi, so I was given some items to put on ebay for a friend, one such was a lot of kinder eggs toys - not the chocolate, just the toys in their plastic containers. I'd read somewhere a long time ago when searching for prohibited items I seemed to recall reading an article about Kinder Eggs and the fact they were prohibited in the US for whatever reason. So when preparing the listing I decided to double check (I usually post Internationally, including the US) and basically now i'm confused because reading some articles it seems the prohibited part comes from the fact the toys are hidden or contained in the chocolate; if however i'm posting just the toys and their containers, I assume that would be OK? Anyone had experiences with Kinder Eggs to the US?

Hi, it's very confusing online. I mean I've never thought that Kinder Eggs were safe anyway because in the past I've heard of two children (in the UK) choking to death after trying to swallow the toys inside. BUT also, as tightauldgit says, above, it's a lot of faff.

I'm also in agreement with those who are saying that they wouldn't sell on eBay for anyone else. I tried it once and it was a disaster. 

If people can't or won't learn how to use eBay they might be as well either taking stuff to car boot sales or giving them to charity. 

Are those little toys even worth the postage to the US? Then there's all the process of completing customs forms. You have to say what's in the parcel too.

I have always thought that Kinder eggs should be banned anyway, given that two children - there may be more but I haven't heard of any more - have lost their lives because of them. That's 'the whatever reason' they were prohibited in the States. I just wish they'd be equally vigilant with their gun laws.

As always, my own thoughts and opinions. 

Jerry_Cornelius

tightauldgit said:

Jerry_Cornelius said:

Hi, so I was given some items to put on ebay for a friend, one such was a lot of kinder eggs toys - not the chocolate, just the toys in their plastic containers. I'd read somewhere a long time ago when searching for prohibited items I seemed to recall reading an article about Kinder Eggs and the fact they were prohibited in the US for whatever reason. So when preparing the listing I decided to double check (I usually post Internationally, including the US) and basically now i'm confused because reading some articles it seems the prohibited part comes from the fact the toys are hidden or contained in the chocolate; if however i'm posting just the toys and their containers, I assume that would be OK? Anyone had experiences with Kinder Eggs to the US?

I can't speak from experience, but looking at the issue the FDA have banned Kinder Eggs because you can't embed a toy or anything non-nutritional inside a food product. Provided you are selling the items as toys and you have taken the chocolate and any external packaging saying Kinder Egg or whatever off the item and don't refer to the item as a Kinder Egg then they should be OK to send.

Whether Ebay would have an issue with you listing them though I don't know. It may be that any reference to Kinder Egg would throw up some kind of trigger to their systems. 

The only other thing that springs to mind is whether the toys themselves would be in compliance with US rules and legal to import - which Kinder may not have checked if they can't sell them there anyway.

Personally, seems like a lot of faff for a few quid. Are they valuable?

I don't know of the value, but they are from the late 90's / early 2000's, which was when my friend's son was mad for them; if he had any duplicates, they kept the duplicate in its container in a box apparently. They just forgot about them after a while, but as they are moving, some bits and pieces turned up they were gonna chuck, including the eggs, and I suggested some of the stuff might get a few quid on ebay. The eggs i was gonna put as a lot (there is 37 of them).

I think if I put them on and some in the US wins them, i'll just put them down as toy figures or whatever on the customs form. Searching for Kinder Eggs on ebay brings up quite a few (in the 1000s) but most of them seem to be modern eggs, and most new; i.e chocolate and foil intact). Some of the ones from the 1980's can fetch £10 a toy from what i have seen, but my friends are later as i have said.

As to the other comments, I've sold the odd item for different friends over the years, with no issues.

forgotmyname

Kinder eggs will be confiscated and destroyed if sending to the US.   So your likely to be out of pocket for the items and
the postage and ebay/paypal costs.

Unless you find a buyer will to use a shipping service where your delivery point is not in the US.  You post to a UK point
who will then forward the package onto the customer which may cover you?

If scanned and you put toys they will be wondering why there are organic items with your toys.

DullGreyGuy

forgotmyname said:

Kinder eggs will be confiscated and destroyed if sending to the US.   So your likely to be out of pocket for the items and
the postage and ebay/paypal costs.

Unless you find a buyer will to use a shipping service where your delivery point is not in the US.  You post to a UK point
who will then forward the package onto the customer which may cover you?

If scanned and you put toys they will be wondering why there are organic items with your toys.

Every country has its own oddities in rules... in the US you get sugar free tik taks because anything under 1g of sugar per serving is allowed to be called sugar free despite them being over 95% sugar. In the UK anything under 0.5% alcohol can be sold as alcohol free 

I dont see if it's just the toys being sent, and they are simply declared as plastic toys on the customs forms why they'd be confiscated and destroyed. The rules the US have is around non-edible items in food but the OP has said its toys only not food. 

tightauldgit

forgotmyname said:

Kinder eggs will be confiscated and destroyed if sending to the US.   So your likely to be out of pocket for the items and
the postage and ebay/paypal costs.

Unless you find a buyer will to use a shipping service where your delivery point is not in the US.  You post to a UK point
who will then forward the package onto the customer which may cover you?

If scanned and you put toys they will be wondering why there are organic items with your toys.

They're not sending Kinder Eggs though.