How to Get a Barcode for Your Product: EAN, UPC & GS1 Explained
If you're launching a physical product, you'll almost certainly need a barcode. But the process of obtaining a legitimate retail barcode is more involved than it might appear. This guide explains the difference between GS1-issued barcodes, third-party resellers, and when you can legitimately generate your own — with clear guidance on what Amazon, supermarkets, and other major retailers actually require.
Contents
What Kind of Barcode Do You Need?
For most consumer products sold at retail, you need one of two formats:
- EAN-13 — the 13-digit format used in most countries outside North America (Europe, Asia, Australia, etc.)
- UPC-A — the 12-digit format traditionally used in the United States and Canada
Both are administered by GS1, the global non-profit standards organisation that maintains the international barcode numbering system. EAN-13 and UPC-A are structurally compatible — a UPC-A code is simply an EAN-13 with a leading zero, and modern retail scanners read both formats interchangeably.
For shipping cartons or pallets rather than individual products, ITF-14 or GS1-128 are the relevant formats. For a full overview of all barcode formats and their uses, see our Complete Guide to Barcode Types.
GS1: The Official Route
GS1 is the only organisation that issues globally unique company prefixes for barcodes. When you license a GS1 Company Prefix, you receive a unique number (typically 7–10 digits) that identifies your company. You then assign product-specific numbers within that prefix to create unique GTINs (Global Trade Item Numbers) for each product variant you sell.
How GS1 licensing works
- Join GS1 in your country (each country has its own GS1 member organisation, such as GS1 US, GS1 UK, GS1 Australia, etc.)
- License a GS1 Company Prefix appropriate to the number of products you need to identify
- Assign unique GTINs to each product (variant, size, and colour each require a separate GTIN)
- Register your products in the GS1 registry (optional but recommended for supply chain visibility)
- Generate barcode images using the assigned numbers
GS1 costs
GS1 pricing varies by country and by the size of the prefix (which determines how many products you can number). As a rough guide, GS1 US charges an initial fee plus an annual licence fee. For a small business needing 10 or fewer GTINs, GS1 US offers a single-GTIN option at lower cost. In the UK, GS1 UK charges an annual membership fee based on company turnover. Check your local GS1 member organisation's website for current pricing.
Why GS1 matters: A GS1-issued barcode carries your company's identity in the number itself. Major retailers and supply chain partners can look up the product in global registries and verify it's genuinely yours. Self-issued or reseller-issued numbers cannot be verified this way.
Barcode Resellers: Cheaper but With Caveats
A number of companies resell individual GTINs — numbers from GS1 company prefixes they originally licensed — at far lower prices than GS1 membership. This is technically legal, as GS1 does not prohibit the resale of individual GTINs from a licensed prefix.
The main risks of reseller barcodes
- Amazon policy: Amazon has historically required that GTINs be traceable to the brand owner in the GS1 database. Reseller-sourced GTINs, which trace back to the reseller's company rather than yours, can cause listing issues. Amazon's policy in this area has evolved over time — check current Amazon Seller Central documentation for the latest requirements.
- Retailer rejection: Major supermarket chains and retail buyers increasingly check GS1 databases during onboarding. A GTIN that shows a different company as the brand owner can delay or prevent listings.
- No global uniqueness guarantee: If the reseller has sold the same number to multiple customers (rare but has occurred with unscrupulous sellers), you could have a barcode conflict.
Caution: If you plan to sell through major retailers, supermarkets, or Amazon Vendor Central, invest in legitimate GS1 membership. The cost of rejected shipments or delisted products far exceeds the savings from a reseller barcode.
What Amazon Requires
Amazon's barcode requirements have changed several times and vary by category and seller type. As of recent policy updates, Amazon generally requires that product GTINs (EAN, UPC, or ISBN) be traceable to the brand in the GS1 database for new product listings in most categories.
Amazon Seller Central sellers can apply for a GTIN exemption in certain categories — this allows listing without a barcode where GS1-traceable numbers are not practically available (e.g., handmade or custom products). Check the current GTIN exemption eligibility in your Seller Central account.
Amazon also operates its own internal barcode system — FNSKU (Fulfilment Network Stock Keeping Unit) — which it assigns to products enrolled in FBA (Fulfilment by Amazon). FNSKUs are Amazon-specific and used to track inventory within Amazon's fulfilment centres; they are separate from retail barcodes.
What Supermarkets and Retailers Require
The requirements of major supermarket chains (Tesco, Walmart, Carrefour, Woolworths, etc.) are broadly similar:
- EAN-13 or UPC-A barcode on every sellable unit
- GTIN registered in the GS1 GEPIR (Global Electronic Party Information Registry) or the retailer's own product information system
- Barcode printed at the correct size with adequate quiet zone (GS1 publishes detailed print specifications)
- Check digit verified (the last digit of an EAN-13 is a calculated check digit — our generator computes this automatically)
Most major retailers will provide a supplier onboarding guide that specifies their exact barcode and data requirements. Request this early in the process, as meeting the specification can take time.
When Can You Generate Your Own Barcode?
Our barcode generator is free to use for any purpose. However, whether you can use a generated barcode for retail sale depends on your use case:
Retail sale (official)
Obtain a GTIN from GS1 or a licensed reseller, then generate the barcode image using that number. Suitable for all retail channels.
Small-scale retail
Reseller GTINs may work for some channels. Not recommended for Amazon or major supermarkets without checking current requirements.
Internal use only
Inventory tracking, asset labelling, internal logistics — any arbitrary number works. No GS1 registration required.
Summary: You can generate a barcode image freely for any number. For retail sale, the number itself must come from GS1 (or a legitimate reseller) — generating the barcode image is the easy part.
Cost Comparison
| Route | Approx. Cost | Globally Unique? | Retailer Accepted? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS1 Company Prefix (1–10 products) | $250–$500+/year (US) | Yes | Yes | All retail channels |
| GS1 single GTIN | ~$30 one-time (US) | Yes | Usually yes | Single-product sellers |
| Barcode reseller | $5–$50 per barcode | Technically yes | Often no (Amazon, supermarkets) | Small-scale, non-major retail |
| Self-generated (any number) | Free | No | No | Internal use only |
Prices above are illustrative; check current GS1 pricing directly at your local GS1 member organisation. GS1 US pricing is available at gs1us.org; GS1 UK at gs1uk.org.
Generate a barcode image for your GTIN — free, instant, no login
Enter your GS1-issued EAN-13 or UPC-A number and download as SVG or PNG.
Also read: Complete Guide to Barcode Types · Barcode vs QR Code · What Is a QR Code?