Most products require a product code (EAN, UPC or JAN) to be published on the Amazon platform. The specific GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) required to create and match product pages varies depending on the product category. The most commonly used and most common is UPC.
The Universal Product Code (UPC) is a product barcode developed by the Uniform Code Council of the United States, mainly used in the United States and Canada. Since it is the earliest product code, it has a wide range of applications and has entered every corner of life, so it is also called the universal barcode. UPC barcodes are divided into two types: standard version and shortened version. The standard version consists of 12 digits and the shortened version consists of 8 digits.
Amazon platform North American sellers need UPC product codes to publish products, so this code is necessary for sellers.
Getting a regular UPC code should start from the following points.
(1) Generally speaking, the manufacturer needs to apply for the UPC code from the local coding center. China’s coding management agency is the “China Product Coding Center”. Sellers can apply for the code from the coding center through the manufacturer.
(2) Purchase the code through BarCodesTalk, a website officially recommended by Amazon. BarCodesTalk is an intermediary website whose digital certificate is recognized by the UPC Code Management Center, but it requires a certain fee.
It should be noted that the purchase of UPC codes must be through the above two formal channels. In fact, using other shopping platforms or using code generators can obtain UPC codes in an informal way, but the security factor of such UPC codes is relatively low.
Which of these two methods is chosen, it is essentially impersonating someone else’s code. If you are complained about, it will not be worth the loss.
Of course, not all products on Amazon need to submit UPC codes. Products that need to use UPC codes include images and photos, electronic equipment, food and general merchandise, home and gardening, office supplies, pet supplies, software, and video products. Products that do not need to submit UPC codes mainly include private products, special product parts or accessories, customized products, etc. If the seller sells these products, he can apply to Amazon to be exempted from the UPC code required to publish the product.