Where And How To Buy A Upc For Your Next Physical Product
We are seeing more and more dedication to things that used to be important in traditional retail, like tracking and managing inventory, as E Commerce continues to become more mature, especially for businesses producing their own products rather than reselling others’.
No matter whether you are tracking and managing your own inventory or using a platform like amazon.com, chances are you have encountered the need for a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) or UPC, which stands for Universal Product Code.
Even though there are many different kinds of barcodes, UPCs are the most commonly associated with tracking individual products, especially if you are using a third-party fulfillment center or Amazon’s FBA service.
Identifying Types Of Products
While there are many different ways around the world that people have identified products over the years, we will focus on three of the most important and most popular ones, so you have a better understanding of how each of them can be applied to your business.
GTIN Numbers
The first identifier we’re going to look at is what is called a global trade item number (GTIN).
As a whole, GTINs are the backbone of all of the most commonly used types of product identification codes including UPC codes for amazon and EAN codes, which we’ll discuss below).
They are essentially unique identifiers that are used to identify each and every product registered within the Global Standards 1 (or GS1) database.
The database contains products registered from over 100 countries worldwide, and it is designed to be a nonprofit organization that develops and maintains global standards for business communication.
Any legitimate UPC, EAN, or ISBN code exists because it has been issued by the GS1 database, and is technically a GTIN.
If you can recall back to your high school geometry class, there is an example of how to remember the difference between these types of codes: All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares.
The same applies to UPC or EAN codes, which, while technically a GTIN, are not all UPCs or EANs.
United Parcel Codes
As a second unique product identifier, we will take a look at Universal Product Codes or UPC codes, which is a bit like saying ATM machine, since the C stands for code in UPC.
The UPC Code
As a type of code, UPC codes are printed on all packaging that is designed to be retail-ready for North America. They are also commonly used by third-party fulfillment centers, such as Amazon FBA fulfillment centers, to figure out what a product is if their own barcodes are missing or don’t scan.
You can also use them to register a new product on online marketplaces such as amazon.com, to ensure that you are truly listing something original.
Because they contain 12 digits, you may also see them referred to as GTIN-12 as part of the GTIN framework.
Why UPC Codes Are Advantageous
UPCs aren’t necessarily any different from other barcode types, but as part of the GTIN framework, they do help to identify unique and individual products.
UPCs directly on your package will not only ensure they are ready if you decide to sell your product to retailers, but will also make inventory tracking and management of your products much easier.
Additionally, if you plan on selling on marketplace sites such as amazon.com, you must use a UPC to register your products in those marketplaces, so that no one else can sell the same products under different listings.
