How to Get Barcodes for Your Products in the UK

Two different jobs a barcode does

People search "how to create a barcode" and mean two very different things:

• A product barcode (GTIN) - the number printed under the black-and-white lines that identifies a product to marketplaces and retailers worldwide. It has to be a real, registered number.
• An internal barcode - a label you generate yourself from your own SKU so you can scan stock in your stockroom, pick orders and count stock. Nobody outside your business reads it, so it does not need to be registered.

Most confusion, and most wasted money, comes from mixing these up.

What a GTIN, EAN-13 and UPC are

A GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is the unique number that identifies a product. The barcode is just a scannable picture of it. The number format depends on the region:

For UK and European sales, EAN-13 is the one to know. Read more in our guide to adding barcodes to listings.

When you need to get barcodes, and from where

You need your own GTINs if you are the brand owner or manufacturer - you make the product, or you have it made under your own brand - and you want to list it on marketplaces or sell through retailers. In the UK, GS1 UK is the authorised provider of unique GTINs.

Marketplaces care about this. GS1 UK states that Amazon requires GS1-issued GTINs and can remove a listing if a GTIN is not found on the GS1 database, and that a new number can take up to 72 hours to become valid on Amazon after you join GS1 UK. eBay also asks for product identifiers in most categories - see what an MPN and product identifiers mean on eBay. GS1 fees change, so check the current membership options on their site rather than relying on any figure you see quoted elsewhere.

Why you should not buy resold barcodes

You will find cheap "barcode packs" advertised online. GS1 UK's guidance is direct: a GTIN bought from a third-party reseller still belongs to the original company and is not licensed to you or your brand. The number may already be in use by someone else, or may not be a genuine GTIN at all, and that can lead to your product being delisted by marketplaces or rejected by a retailer.

If you are launching your own brand, buy from the source. The saving on resold numbers is not worth a delisted product line.

If you are reselling someone else's product

You do not buy a new barcode. Most branded products already carry a GTIN, and marketplaces expect you to use that existing number for the product you are reselling. If the barcode is missing or you cannot read it, ask the brand owner or supplier for the GTIN. Do not invent a number or reuse one from a different product - listings built on the wrong identifier get matched to the wrong product page.

Products with no barcode

Handmade items, vintage pieces and one-off products often have no GTIN, and that is normal. Each marketplace has its own way of handling this - eBay's listing form lets you say a product identifier does not apply, and some marketplaces offer an exemption process for products without a barcode. Follow the option the site offers rather than making up a number, and check the marketplace's current rules before you list.

Making your own barcodes for internal use

For your own stockroom, you can generate labels yourself, free of charge, from the SKU you already use. This is what makes scanning, picking and stock counts fast and accurate. Good practice:

• Base the code on your SKU, not on a made-up GTIN, so it can never be mistaken for a registered product barcode. (New to SKUs? See what is a SKU.)
• Use a format your scanner reads reliably - Code 128 is a common choice for internal labels.
• Print at a size and quality your scanner can read, and put the label somewhere it does not get wrapped over.

Salync can generate and print EAN-13, UPC-A, QR and Code 128 labels directly from your products, and its scanner mode handles stock in, picking and stock takes from a phone camera or USB and Bluetooth scanner. See our guides to barcode inventory management and barcode systems for small businesses, or the barcode label printing page.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to buy barcodes to sell online in the UK?

Only if you are the brand owner or manufacturer of the product and you want to list it on marketplaces or sell through retailers, which generally require valid GTINs. If you are reselling someone else's branded product, you use the barcode it already has.

Where do I get a barcode for my product in the UK?

GS1 UK is the authorised provider of unique GTINs in the UK. Marketplaces such as Amazon check GTINs against the GS1 database, so numbers from other sources can cause listings to be removed.

What is the difference between a GTIN, an EAN and a UPC?

GTIN is the general name for a product identification number. EAN-13 is the 13-digit GTIN used in the UK and Europe, and UPC-A is the 12-digit version used in North America.

Can I make my own barcodes?

You can make your own barcode labels for internal use, such as scanning stock in your own stockroom, based on your own SKU. You cannot make up a GTIN for a product you list on a marketplace - it must be a genuine registered number.

What if my product has no barcode?

Handmade, vintage and unbranded items often have none. Use the option the marketplace provides for products without an identifier, and check its current rules, rather than inventing a number.