How to get the real GTIN (UPC/EAN) barcodes and how much it will cost
In this video, I will explain the basics about the barcodes and will show you 2 ways how to get the real GTIN codes, like EAN and UPC. So, you can use these barcodes on your website or marketplaces like Amazon, Google, eBay or any other.
Firstly, I would like to clarify some basic terminology. You definitely heard of UPC barcodes for the United States and EAN barcodes for the Europe. However, the names UPC and EAN considered as legacy names, and now we should call them with a abbreviation "GTIN". That's why, from this point I will call all the barcodes "GTIN" , but keep in mind that we still talk about the same UPC and EAN codes.
Okey, lets move to the first way on how to get the GTIN barcodes.
The GTIN barcodes are created and distributed by an organization called GS1. Companies like Apple, Pepsi, Nike - they all use barcodes from GS1. GS1 is a non-profitable organization, however there is no way to get barcodes for free.
So, the first way is to buy barcodes directly from the official GS1 website.
On the GS1 homepage we press on "Get your barcodes" button, and here you will need to select your country.
On the next page you will see some instructions and useful information about the barcodes, but for now let's focus on the pricing.
The price for the 1 barcode is $30 dollars
If you need 10 barcodes it will cost you $250. But you need to remember that you won't become a permanent owner of barcodes.
You will have to pay the annual fee of $50 to use them. If the annual fee is not paid in the future, you will lose the right to use these barcodes.)
If the prices are okey for you, you can proceed and buy barcodes from the GS1 website
But if you consider these prices too high, there is a second more affordable way to get them.
GS1 is quite an old organization and decades ago the prices and policy was different. Barcodes were much cheaper and you would become their permanent owner.
That why, in the past, many companies purchased tens of thousands of barcodes and actually never used the majority of them. And now, some of these companies, sell unused barcodes at a lower prices, compared to GS1
There are a lot of such sellers online, and a simple Google search will provide you with a lot of options. The prices may vary from seller to seller but they are generally much lower compared to GS1 prices.
Here is price list of such seller compared to the GS1 prices, you can pause the video and compare them.
The main difference between barcodes from the GS1 and barcodes from third-party sellers, is that, GTIN online checkers and GTIN checking apps work only with the GS1 database. It means that when you buy barcodes from the third-party seller, GS1 doesn't know about it and doesn't reflect the change of the ownership in their database. So, if you try to validate such barcode in the GTIN checker - you won't see your ownership.To demonstrate it, I purchased 1 barcode from a third-party seller, and provided them with all the legal information about my UKR Solution company. And after the purchase, the seller provided me with the barcode in the spreadsheet file and the ownership certificate, which proves that I am a new owner of the barcode. However, if I check this barcode in any online GTIN checker - it says that the barcode still belongs to the first owner who purchased it from the GS1.
So, as a conclusion. I would recommend barcodes from GS1 only if you are producing your own unique products and you are planning to build your own brand.This way your company will be recognized by anyone who decides to scan the barcode on the product packaging.
But if you sell products created by others, like unique handmade items or non branded products from China and you are looking for a way to publish hundreds of these products on the marketplace - the third-party sellers is the best solution for you. So, this way you can get hundreds of barcodes for a very small price and finally expand your business to the marketplaces.
--- Links in the video ---
GS1 website: https://www.gs1.org
GTIN checker: https://www.gs1.org/services/verified...
About the GTIN: https://gtin.info/
