They are sold all over the world excluding the United States, where the 1938 Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act prohibits embedding "non-nutritive items" in confections. Additionally, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall on the eggs in 1997. Kinder Egg-like confections are available, but only in a form filled with small candies and/or stickers. While some stores sell genuine Kinder Eggs alongside other imported European sweets, their importation is technically illegal under the 1938 law and 1997 recall, with potential fines reaching $2,500 per egg.

There is even a thriving collector's market for the toys. This is especially true in Germany, where the manufacturer includes higher-quality toys than those available elsewhere. Some of the most popular items include handpainted figures (said to be in every seventh egg), cartoon characters (Steckfiguren), metal figures, and jigsaw puzzles. Seasonal eggs are introduced around the holidays, such as the limited-edition creche collections or the huge eggs found at Easter in Italy.

As with any collectable, it is possible to be "completist", and attempt to collect every toy and paper ever made anywhere in the world, as well as any other Kinder-related items. However, most collectors prefer to specialize in a particular area, such as handpainted figurines, metal figurines or jigsaws. Some collectors even choose to only collect Kinder-related advertising and promotional material. Before deciding on what and how to collect however, it is important to have a basic understanding of the main types of Kinder toys and how to classify and identify them.