It is highly recommended that you discuss the use of these “inexpensive” UPCs with your potential trading partners and fully understand the limitations. Many UPC resellers who advertise on search engines are not reputable companies and intentionally attempt to confuse companies who are not familiar with how UPC barcodes work. Unless you are only selling on your own website or to a few local stores, these UPCs will limit where you can sell your products. Due to extremely low prices, many companies are enticed to go with the more economical route. This is problematic for major retailers and online marketplaces. The companies who solicit these “cheap” UPC barcodes, are providing their clients UPCs with a common GS1 Prefix. Purchasing UPC numbers from another company goes against the global standards used by most retailers, distributors, hospitals and online marketplaces (i.e. For additional information, click here.įrequently Asked Questions How come I see discount UPC barcodes advertised online?īe very wary of websites offering “cheap” UPC barcodes. Our certified Standards and Barcode Professionals assist and educate thousands of companies each year with item identification and will ensure your UPC barcodes are properly assigned, created, and registered correctly in global databases. Since the early beginnings of UPC identification, we have been the leading authority on creating barcodes with a GS1 (UPC) Company Prefix. These single UPCs do not have separate Company Prefix, BUT the brand and product description will be designated in the GS1 Global Registry. NEW (Nov 2020)- To accommodate small companies that only need a few UPCs for product identification, GS1 has begun to provide individual GS1 US UPC GTIN identifiers. If you do not yet have a licensed Company Prefix, please CLICK HERE to get started. In addition, the GS1 Company Prefix is also used for case markings and even coupons. As part of the onboarding processes for new suppliers, retailers (and Amazon) validate a brand’s provided UPC barcode data against the GS1 data registry. The UPC barcode GS1 Company Prefix provides assurances to retailers of the legitimacy of the UPC barcode data. Retailers and online marketplaces, such as Amazon, Wal-Mart, Macy’s, Kroger, Target and many others, require suppliers have a GS1 Company Prefix issued to them, in order to do business with them. Licensing a GS1 Prefix is Necessary To Create a UPC Barcode To ensure authenticity and to prevent duplicate UPC barcodes from being assigned, the data in a UPC barcode must contain a UPC (GS1) Company Prefix issued by GS1 to a specific brand, an Item Reference Number assigned by the brand owner, and a Check Digit which is mathematically calculated. UPC barcode numbers are not random numbers chosen by a brand owner, but a string of numbers which adhere to a global standard which enable products to be sold worldwide. You are here: Home › UPC Barcode UPC Barcode UPC Barcode – Basic Overview

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