Barcode Info

The Amazon website can be a frustrating place to search when you are trying to work out whether your product requires a barcode or not. The majority of products on Amazon require barcode numbers, but some products may not require barcodes (for instance, Jewelry).

If you are unsure about whether your particular product requires a barcode you can check this out by having a look at your product category.

For instance, let’s say that your product belongs under the MP3 category: All Product Categories > Consumer Electronics > Audio or Video > AUDIO_DEVICE > MP3 Player.

The required elements to list in this category are the product name, manufacturer, manufacturer part number and EAN (barcode number). All the other fields are optional.

Therefore if your product belongs in the MP3 category it will need to have a barcode.

If you are still unsure about whether your product needs a barcode to get listed on Amazon, send them an email to ask.

Here is a forum discussion about whether Amazon products require barcodes.

If you have a barcode question  for us, please submit it in the comment form & we will answer it for you.

Originally posted 2010-01-07 11:51:50.

A Barcode is purely a unique number – there is no specific product information encoded within the bars. The barcode has no real meaning until the details of the product are entered into a retailer’s software application.

When you supply your product to a retailer, they will input the product’s barcode number, description, cost price, sell price & reordering information into their software system.

After this is complete, whenever your barcode is scanned at the checkout counter, the barcode number is looked up in the software and the product details and price are displayed on the screen. A barcode is purely a link between your product and the product information stored in the computer system. The retailer can change the price (or product information) that is attached to your barcode number at any time.

When you buy a unique barcode number you get a number that only you are allowed to use. This means that no matter what retailer you approach to sell your product, your barcode number will be the only one on his or her system (there will never be a double up).

If you discontinue one product, you may re-use that barcode number on another product – BUT you must pass on this information to the retailer, and ensure that both products are not being supplied at the same time.

Originally posted 2010-02-01 12:19:39.

The short answer is: Get the type (EAN or UPC) that is dominant in the country that you are  selling in. However, if you are selling in many countries you will probably get away with using the same barcode number in every country because most barcode scanners are compatible with both EAN and UPC barcode numbers.

Now for a more detailed answer. Perhaps the words EAN and UPC are just confusing jargon to you right now, but what they mean & the difference between them is easy to explain.

UPC (Universal Product Code) barcodes are used in North America It is a 12 digit code, unique to a product, which allows it to be scanned and read in virtually any major retail establishment.

The EAN (European Article Number) is an expanded UPC with 13 digits, the first 2 or 3 are the country code (the following 9 or 10 are data digits and the final digit is the checksum). It is widely used throughout the rest of the world.

Both EAN and UPC codes are compatible with most scanning systems, so they can usually be used in any country.

EAN-13 codes are compatible with most scanning systems in the USA. This means that imported products labeled with EAN-13 codes do not have to be re-labeled with a different barcode for USA retail sale.

UPC codes are compatible with all EAN-13 scanning systems (because the country code for the US is 00 and the missing first digit is assumed to be a zero).

If you have a barcode question  for us, please submit it in the comment form & we will try to answer it for you.

Originally posted 2010-01-01 12:58:15.

You will have to get a barcode to sell your product through retailers that require barcode numbers (some retailers do not use barcode numbers).

The use of barcode numbers is a voluntary system. Retailers use it as the basis for their pricing, inventory and ordering systems. It is becoming increasingly common for retailers, both large and small, to require all products they sell to display a unique product barcode for this purpose.

So basically, if you sell your own products to retailers that use barcodes, then you will have to add them. The further up the food chain you go, the more necessary it becomes to make sure your product has a barcode

If you have a barcode question  for us, please submit it in the comment form & we will answer it for you.

Originally posted 2009-12-19 02:10:47.

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Originally posted 2009-12-01 14:59:38.

Sure you can. If you are only using the numbers internally to keep better track of your own stock then there is no need to get unique barcode numbers (numbers that nobody else in the world has the right to use).

Instead, you can make up your own set of barcode numbers for each of your products using some combination of letters and numbers of your choosing.

You may still need barcode images and labels to be made (using your barcode numbers) for the products in your stock, however these are fairly inexpensive. Companies such as Barcodes Limited offer affordable images (they can also print your images onto labels for you if necessary). You may be able to produce your own images and/or labels depending on your system & printer.

Code 39 barcode images are frequently used by businesses to monitor their own internal stock. Code-39 is widely used and can be decoded with virtually any barcode scanner. Some small products will be too small for a Code-39 barcode label (if so, Code-128 may be better for you). You make up your own set of numbers that you want to use to help monitor your internal stock. Your chosen set of numbers then need to be inputted into a program that can create Code-39 (or Code-128) barcode images.

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Originally posted 2010-01-19 10:14:50.