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Amazon Barcode Requirements
Amazon prefers barcode numbers to come directly from GS1—they prefer their suppliers to be current members of GS1. Unfortunately, joining GS1 is very expensive, especially for small manufacturers/businesses: GS1 not only charges relatively high joining fees but also continues to charge annual fees throughout your product’s life cycle. Therefore, while becoming a GS1 member can effectively assist in listing products on the Amazon platform, it is also a high-cost option.
Amazon’s policy regarding barcode numbers is constantly changing, and the strictness of its enforcement varies. While we do our best to ensure the information here is up to date, if you wish to clarify the acceptance standards for barcodes by Amazon or any other retailer, the best way is to verify with them directly.
Amazon uses barcode numbers (13-digit EAN or 12-digit UPC) as unique identifiers for products, while also assigning its own unique identification number to products—the ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number).
Just a few years ago, Amazon’s management of barcodes was very loose: anyone could use any barcode number to list a product on Amazon, as long as that barcode number had not already been used for another product on Amazon. However, this situation caused serious problems for legitimate sellers, some of whom found their barcode numbers had been misappropriated and used illegally on Amazon by others.
Searching for Legacy Barcode Numbers
In 2016, an Amazon executive joined the GS1 Board of Governors, and since then Amazon has begun implementing stricter policies while launching a series of “cleanup actions” to organize the Amazon database. Unfortunately, there are still some legacy barcode numbers on the Amazon platform that conflict with the barcode numbers we hold for sale. To avoid such issues, we have conducted increasingly deep searches of the Amazon database to identify these fraudulent legacy numbers.
We use Amazon APIs, which are useful for retrieving numbers related to currently listed products, but unfortunately, their search depth within the Amazon database is limited. Therefore, our technical experts have developed sophisticated search software that far exceeds traditional Amazon search options. Before selling any barcode number, we conduct a comprehensive deep search of the Amazon platform using this software. If we detect fraudulent historical listings using our numbers, we immediately remove those numbers and no longer sell them.
This software is proprietary to us, and its effectiveness is far superior to Amazon APIs, with a search depth exceeding the tools used by all other barcode resellers.
Current Requirements
As mentioned above, there are currently thousands of products on the Amazon platform using barcodes provided by us. You can view some examples via the following link: https://barcodeschina.cn/products-on-amazon/
In recent years, Amazon has taken steps to try to prevent branded products (especially those from well-known brands) from being listed on the platform using non-original brand barcode numbers—a move likely intended to combat piracy or illegal product listings. To achieve this goal, Amazon’s verification of barcode numbers has become “stricter,” but the enforcement of this policy appears to vary significantly. We recently spoke with a customer who listed 3 products on Amazon using barcodes we provided. Amazon only required him to provide additional proof of ownership for one of the barcode numbers and did not for the other two. Reportedly, he provided the required proof of ownership as requested, and the issue was resolved. If necessary, we can also provide customers with such documentation, which can prove the link between the customer’s barcode number and the original GS1 licensee.
At present, it is unclear where Amazon’s barcode policy will go in the future. We hope that Amazon will remain reasonable and allow merchants to list products using legitimate and verifiable barcode numbers (i.e., the barcode numbers we sell). However, we cannot rule out the possibility that Amazon may take extreme measures in the future, with policies becoming increasingly strict, eventually no longer accepting the barcodes we sell.
We still have many customers who successfully list products on Amazon using the barcode numbers we provide. We speculate there may be two reasons for this: first, if Amazon decides to verify barcode numbers (it is currently unclear how many numbers they verify), the barcode numbers our customers hold can be found in the GS1 database (proving these numbers originate from GS1—though the database entry will show the original licensee rather than us as the current owner); second, customers can register their product/company details along with the barcode number on the www.barcodesdatabase.org website, and information from this site is also synchronized with other databases. Both points can help customers prove the legitimacy of their barcode numbers to Amazon. It should be noted that we cannot update GS1’s GEPIR database—no barcode reseller can do this.
When entering the barcodes we provide into the Amazon system, you may need to adjust the format to a 12-digit UPC (Universal Product Code) without the leading zero (for example, number 0712345678901 would be adjusted to 712345678901). Note that these two formats are essentially the same and both belong to you—it is just that Amazon may currently prefer to accept the 12-digit format.
- Sometimes Amazon requires documentation proving the relationship between the supplier (i.e., you) and the original licensee of the barcode (information available at gepir.org)—we can provide customers with a document that reflects this chain of proof. Some customers have already had this document accepted after submitting it to Amazon.
- You can also apply to Amazon for a GTIN exemption (GTIN stands for Global Trade Item Number, which corresponds to the barcode)—once exempted, you can list products without providing a GTIN (barcode), but the application process and specific requirements for this exemption are currently unclear.
- We occasionally receive feedback from customers stating that Amazon requires their website address (URL) to be included on the barcode invoice—therefore, if you wish to add a website address to your invoice/receipt, please let us know at the time of purchase or subsequently.
- In recent years (since late 2019), Amazon has tightened its verification of the “Brand” field during product listing. They are encouraging suppliers to complete registration in the “Amazon Brand Directory” (see below). However, we have still been able to successfully list products by entering “N/A” in the “Brand” field (which is Amazon’s suggested way to fill it). Other Amazon suppliers have also stated that “Generic” or “un-branded” can be entered in this “Brand” field.
Additionally, you can try to register for Amazon’s Brand Registry. Completing the registry not only allows for smoother product verification by Amazon but also reduces occasional trouble caused by barcode issues.
Amazon Error Codes
Listing products on Amazon can be difficult, and several specific error codes often appear during the listing process. These error codes are usually related to the “Brand” field in the listing process.
Fortunately, there are usually simple solutions for these types of problems. Common error codes and their corresponding solutions can be viewed here: https://internationalbarcodes.net/amazon-error-codes-and-solutions/
Note: You may also wish to view our video tutorials on Amazon product listing: https://internationalbarcodes.net/videos-on-how-to-list-on-amazon/
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
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