upcbarcodes.com is a source for affordable UPC and EAN barcodes that work for most sellers listing products on Amazon and other online marketplaces. Every number we sell is guaranteed to be legitimate and unique. This page explains where our barcodes come from, when they work, when they may not, and what to do either way.
Where our barcodes come from
Every UPC prefix we own is a 6-digit prefix issued before August 2002, which places it under the terms of the UCC/GS1 class action settlement. That settlement freed pre-2002 members from ongoing renewal fees and voided the licensing agreement that used to accompany those renewal invoices. In practical terms, this is what allows us to legally resell unused numbers from those prefixes rather than requiring every customer to lease a prefix directly from GS1.
From each prefix we own, we generate 100,000 individual UPCs, remove any that have already been used, and sell the remaining unused numbers to customers like you.
What this means when you look up your barcode on GS1
If you search one of our numbers on the GS1 registry, it will show the name of the original company that was issued the prefix, not your business name. This is simply how the GS1 database is structured. No matter which specific number you search within a prefix, the lookup always returns the original prefix holder’s information. If your business is tied into Amazon’s EDI system, this matters, because EDI requires a direct relationship with GS1 under your own company name. There is no way around this using a resold barcode, and if EDI applies to your account, you will need a GS1-issued prefix in your own name.
The real-world numbers
The large majority of our customers use these barcodes on Amazon without any issue, and we sell barcodes to new and returning customers every day. Based on our own research, fewer than 5 percent of buyers report a problem. We are not dismissing that percentage, just being straightforward about what we are seeing.
A few things tend to correlate with the barcodes not working as expected:
- Your product is enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry
- You are bundling items that carry one or more recognized national brands
- Your account is tied into Amazon’s EDI system
None of these situations guarantees a problem, but they are the conditions most likely to cause one.
Why Amazon accepts 3rd Party barcodes in the first place
Amazon’s barcode requirements exist to protect catalog integrity, not to dictate where a UPC has to come from. What Amazon’s systems actually check for is whether a number is structurally valid, whether it has already been used elsewhere in the catalog, and whether it creates an obvious brand conflict. A legitimately issued legacy prefix, even one resold through a company like ours, generally passes all three checks, which is why these numbers continue to work for the majority of sellers.
Acceptance tends to be most likely when a listing is brand new with no existing ASIN, when the seller is not enrolled in Brand Registry, when the product falls into a lower-scrutiny category such as books, crafts, parts, or specialty goods, and when the listing is merchant-fulfilled rather than commingled in Amazon’s FBA inventory. Even in FBA situations, once your inventory carries an Amazon FNSKU label, Amazon relies on that internal identifier day to day rather than the UPC itself.
It is worth understanding that Amazon accepting a barcode when you first list a product is not the same as a permanent guarantee. Amazon can revisit a listing later because of an audit, a complaint, or a policy change. Resold barcodes work best for sellers who understand that distinction, are not claiming GS1 brand ownership, and are focused on getting a product to market affordably rather than establishing a registered brand presence.
A word about joining Brand Registry later
It is common for a seller to list successfully with one of our UPCs, run that listing for years without any issue, and then decide to enroll in Amazon Brand Registry. If that happens, it is worth understanding that Brand Registry can affect listings that have been working fine up to that point. Amazon does not necessarily catch this right away. An audit might not happen for months, or even years, after you enroll. But when it does happen, and Amazon determines that a listing’s UPC does not match the brand now registered to your account, they can invalidate that listing. At that point you would need to relist the item under a new UPC, along with whatever disruption that causes to your existing sales history and reviews.
This is not a flaw in the barcode itself. The number was valid and functioned correctly for as long as your account had no registered brand attached to it. The issue only arises once Brand Registry enters the picture, since that is what prompts Amazon to expect the UPC on file to match your brand specifically. If you are planning to register a brand at some point, it is worth factoring this into your decision on which barcode to use from the start.
If it doesn’t work for you
Amazon does recommend UPCs issued directly by GS1, though as of now that is a recommendation rather than a requirement. GS1-issued numbers can be considerably more expensive, which is exactly why a resold barcode is worth trying first for most small sellers. If your situation involves Brand Registry, EDI, or a requirement that your company name appear directly in the GS1 database, a resold barcode will not resolve that, and you will need to work with GS1 directly. In that case, Walmart.com and Google Merchant are often a more practical near-term alternative to a full GS1 licensing arrangement.
You are welcome to look up the manufacturer name tied to the prefix we sell you and use that name when listing your product on Amazon, since we retain full ownership and control of the prefix itself.
What we recommend before you buyBecause our refund policy is limited, buy a trial batch of 1 to 10 numbers first and test them with your actual products before committing to a larger quantity. It is also worth listing your product on Amazon before printing any labels. If a listing runs into trouble, it is far cheaper to fix at the digital stage than after a label has already gone to print.
What you get
Every purchase includes both a UPC and an EAN barcode number, delivered digitally and immediately after your order.