If you are planning to grow your business by selling products on Amazon, which is the most popular platform for sellers and shoppers, there is some homework you will have to do. Among several other vital steps one is getting UPC barcodes that is accepted by amazon. UPCs for amazon are obtained through the most legitimate organization that is the GS1.

A barcode consists of bars and spaces of varying widths readable with an optical barcode scanner. Barcodes are present on most of the items sold today and are used to identify and trace a product in the supply chains. Different types of barcodes are used in the market since the trading system evolved. Some of them are

• Code 39
• Code 128
• Interleaved 2 of 5
• Universal products Codes (UPC)
• European Article Number (EAN)
• PDF417
• Data Matrix
• Quick Response (QR) Codes

UPC is the short form of Universal Product Code. It consists of a 12 digit number assigned to the retail merchandise, identifying the vendor selling the product and the product. UPC is the most common form of barcode used in the US. It is regulated by GS1 (Global Standard 1), an international nonprofit organization responsible for maintaining the global supply and demands according to standard efficiency.

UPC barcodes for amazon are fantastic tools to keep track of the product information and inventory and are beneficial for retailers and manufacturers. It helps to keep track of the product in the global supply chain and regulates the supply according to the demand in an organized manner. UPC barcodes were initially used in the grocery industry but now are used in almost every type of retail business. The popularity of this barcode is due to the ease of using it. It also allows the retailers to add other necessary information and the price of each product with the barcode. Amazon requires a unique product identification for which a UPC must fill in the Product ID section. If you do not have a valid UPC issued by the GS1, amazon will not accept it for its marketplace. Amazon checks the UPC codes of your products against the database provided by the GS1, and in case of any mismatch of the code, your listing of the product is not accepted. Amazon may take further action against the seller for providing false information.

When a UPC barcode for amazon or any marketplace is read with a scanner, it immediately gives the information about the product it is present on. So a product can be precisely identified at any place, i.e., within its departments, between the retailer and the manufacturer, inventory, shipping or point of sale. The scanning device reads the code in the form of bars of various widths and lengths. This sequence is converted into the product's information on a computer, smartphone or tablet with the help of barcode software.

It is necessary to get a barcode for every product you sell, but it can be helpful for your product supply and movement. To get a UPC barcode, you will have to join the GS1 and get a unique GS1 Company Prefix. This prefix, a unique set of digits, identifies your company as the authorized manufacturer of your product supply chain. With this prefix, you can use up to 100 UPCs. You may not need a company prefix for internal usage, but it will be required when you sell your products in retail stores where official UPC barcodes are needed.
Calculate the number of products for which you need a UPC barcode. If you are selling a shirt and it is available in 4 different colors, you will need four barcodes for the product. Each color will have a different barcode. Furthur if three sizes are available in each color, each size will have a different code. Meaning you will need 12 barcodes for all shirts of different colors and sizes.
Secondly, the number of digits your company prefix will have is calculated from the total number of barcodes you require. Suppose you want 5327 ( 4 digits) barcodes, then your company prefix will have 11-4=7 digits, and the 12th digit is the check digit which is also mathematically calculated from the 11 digits.

The cost of the UPC barcode depends upon the number of barcodes you require. Then there is an initial fee and annual renewal fee accordingly.

Number of Products	Initial Fee	Annual Renewal Fee
1 – 10	$250.00	$50.00
11 – 100	$750.00	$150.00
101 – 1,000	$2,500.00	$500.00
1,001 – 10,000	$6,500.00	$1,300.00
10,001 – 100,000	$10,500.00	$2,100.00
NDC/NHRIC Company Prefix	$2,100.00	$2,100.00

You can select the way you want to incorporate the barcode on your product. By receiving them in file format, you can add them to your packaging design with Adobe Photoshop. They are also available in the form of physical barcodes with your unique UPCs, and you can paste these labels on your products.
There are some legitimate third-party UPC sellers as well. They buy barcodes in bulk from the GS1, and you can buy from them as well. In this way, you can buy cheap UPCs compared to the GS1, but they will have the third party's company name, and some big retailers, including Amazon, will not accept these barcodes. So if you are planning to buy UPCs for amazon, it is better to get them from GS 1.
If you are willing to sell your products on Amazon, it is necessary to buy the UPCs from the GS1 because if your UPCs do not match the information on the GS1 database, Amazon will not accept your UPCs. You may need barcodes for Amazon FBA. ASINs and GTINs are also terms you may come across while getting barcodes for Amazon. Let's have an introduction to these terms.

FBA means Fulfillment by Amazon. This process involves storing your products in the Amazon inventory, fulfilling your orders and offering customer service. If you are willing to use the Amazon FBA service, you have to create an Amazon seller account and add FBA to your account. It is crucial to fully understand and follow the guidelines given on the website and open your account in compliance with the recommended procedure. With the help of FBA, you will be free from the process of inventory packing and shipping, allowing you to expand your business globally.

ASIN is the Amazon Standard Identification Numbers and consists of a block of 10 letters or numbers that are specific to a product. For converting UPC to ASIN, you can use the online converter tools that can quickly provide you the ASIN of any UPC.