A barcode is a technology that represents data in a visual, machine-readable form. 1D Retail barcodes use alternating black and white bars to represent an encoded string of unique numbers. This can be read and decoded using an optical scanner to recall information about a product such as the price, product name and brand.
UPC-A means Universal Product Code and is 12 digits long. This was originally is the primary format in the Unites States and Canada but also work worldwide.
EAN-13 means International Article Number (previously European Article Number) and is 13 digits long. This is the format used everywhere other than the United States and Canada. Regardless they will scan in these countries as well. Both formats are GTINs (Global Trade Item Number) and not restricted to their intended region.
EAN-13 and UPC-A barcodes are suitable for all retail products with the exception of books & magazines (ISBN & ISSN) and Pharmaceuticals (Pharmacodes).
Barcode requirements are set by retailers, not a governing authority. While not mandatory almost every retailer today requires barcodes on stocked products. Barcodes help retailers organise their pricing, ordering, sales figures, point of sale and inventory. An EAN-13 barcode is a common requirement on all products in a retailer’s inventory. To make sure your product can reach the widest market available it is strongly recommended that you acquire a barcode for your product.
An EAN-13 or UPC-A barcode is required for every unique item that you intend to sell. Product variations also each require a unique barcode, e.g. if you sell socks in different sizes and colours then a separate barcode would be required for each variant of those socks.
You will first need to include your barcode image on your product packaging. Then when you supply your product to a retailer, you will be required to complete a product information form which links your product and company details to that product’s unique barcode number. The store will transfer this information into their sales and inventory systems allowing your product to be scanned at point of sale and monitored by stock tracking software.
See our User Guide for a step by step of code assignment.
Barcodes Saver’s codes originate with the UCC (now known as GS1-US), and will be accepted by a vast majority of retail stores around the globe. This is because our barcodes are form the same original numbering system. However, we always encourage you to contact retailers you intend to stock and make enquires about their barcode policies before making a purchase with us. We also keep an up to date information page about known retailer restrictions.
No barcode re-seller can guarantee universal acceptance. This is because retailers can set guidelines and policies at their own discretion. That said we have thousands of clients using our barcodes in stores globally without any issues.
Yes we can. Our packages of 10, 100, 1000 and 10,000 barcodes will include a globally unique company prefix with a product allocation range of 0 – 9, 00 – 99, 000 – 999 and 0000 – 9999 respectively. All other packages and single barcode packages do not include this feature, however all barcodes we supply are globally unique. See our Company Prefixes page for further information.
Buying a barcode and registering membership with GS1 involves a complicated sign up process and ongoing annual fees. For most small business owners and traders this can be prohibitively expensive. GS1 requires the payment of initial membership fees plus ongoing yearly subscription charges that total hundreds and thousands of dollars.
Our barcodes originate with the Uniform Code Council (now GS1) but incur no additional fees, subscription charges or hidden costs of any kind. We have obtained bulk quantities of pre-subscription GS1 barcodes thus passing the savings onto our customers.
Yes. Once assigned your barcode is globally unique and linked to your product only. All barcodes sold by Barcode Savers originate from GS1 (formerly UCC), are guaranteed to be globally unique and are supplied with a certificate of authenticity. All our numbers are unused and unassigned prior to purchase.
Nothing other than numerical information is actually stored in the barcode itself. The barcode is simply a unique number identifier that is recorded in a retailers sales/inventory system and assigned to your item.
Yes. Our barcodes are supplied at 100% GS1 specification size (37.29mm x 25.93) however we are able to resize your codes upon request at no extra charge to your order. Generally GS1 advises a minimum of 80% of the standard size however our customers have had success with smaller sizes.
Most Omni-directional scanners read barcodes from several angles. This means that if the code is truncated only one out of three scans will detect the code. Imagine two diagonal lines and one straight line reading the code, the straight line will read the code in full and the diagonal ones will miss because they cannot see the entire code. This is why GS1 recommends only an 80% magnification of the original size (37.29mm x 25.93). Therefore truncated barcodes can scan, but not always the first try which can become a hassle for your retailers.
No. Barcodes purchased from Barcode Savers are not subject to expiry. When you purchase your barcodes from us they are yours for life without the need for renewal fees. This is because the barcodes we supply are outside of GS1’s subscription model.
When you license barcodes from GS1 you are required to pay upfront charges and additional yearly fees. If you’re only looking for barcodes for a small number of items the costs associated with GS1 membership can be staggering. Barcode Savers have secured large quantities of genuine EAN and UPC numbers in bulk and charge a once off fee when you buy. You become the sole owner of your numbers and they do not carry annual fees or hidden costs at all.
Yes, we offer ITF-14 barcodes as part of our Special Orders service. Please feel free to contact us if you require carton codes to accompany your product codes.
Visit our purchase page to select your barcode package to get started. Please ensure you have read our conditions of sale before making a purchase with us.