The 2025 UPC Barcode FAQ for Businesses: How to Buy UPC Codes for Your Products

If your business needs UPC barcodes for products sold on Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, retail, or other marketplaces, this guide is for you. Below, we answer the most common questions businesses ask in 2025 about buying UPC codes, how many you need, the difference between UPC and EAN, GS1 vs resellers, and more — with a simple recommendation: buy your UPCs once from UPCs.com, own them forever, and avoid renting from GS1.

1. How to Buy UPC Codes for Amazon (2025 Guide)

In 2025, Amazon still requires a valid, unique product identifier (GTIN) for most new listings. For physical products, that usually means a UPC barcode.

For a deeper walkthrough tailored specifically to Amazon sellers, you can also read our dedicated Amazon UPC codes guide.

Where should businesses buy UPC codes for Amazon?

You technically have two main options:

• Option A: Buy through UPCs.com (recommended for almost every business)
  You buy GS1-origin UPCs from UPCs.com, pay once, and receive codes you can use on Amazon and other channels. No ongoing GS1 membership, no renewal fees, and no renting a prefix. This works for small brands, growing ecommerce sellers, and large brands selling into big-box retailers.
• Option B: Rent a company prefix directly from GS1
  With GS1, you pay an initial fee plus annual renewal fees to keep your prefix active. You are effectively renting the number space. This is usually only considered by large manufacturers that want a dedicated GS1 license and don’t mind the ongoing cost and administration.

How to add your UPC to an Amazon product listing

1. Sign in to Seller Central and go to Inventory → Add a Product.
2. Choose “I’m adding a product not sold on Amazon.”.
3. Select your category and fill in core details (title, brand, manufacturer).
4. In the Product ID field, choose “UPC” and paste in a UPC from UPCs.com.
5. Submit the listing.
6. Once approved, upload images, bullets, and complete your listing.

2. How Many UPC Codes Do You Need?

You need one unique UPC code per unique product variation. Any change that would make inventory tracking or customer perception different typically requires its own UPC.

Each of these usually requires a separate UPC:

• Size (small, medium, large)
• Color (black, white, blue)
• Flavor or scent (vanilla, chocolate, citrus)
• Pack size (single, 3-pack, 6-pack, bundle)
• Material or formulation (regular, organic, sensitive)

Product	Variations	UPCs Needed
T-shirt	3 sizes × 3 colors	9 UPCs
Coffee	1 flavor, 2 bag sizes	2 UPCs
Vitamin Supplement	Single bottle + 3-pack	2 UPCs
Candle	1 scent, 1 size	1 UPC

If you’re unsure how many products you’ll launch, it’s usually smarter to buy a small block (for example, 5, 10, or 25 UPCs) so you’re ready as your product line expands — without going back to GS1 or dealing with yearly renewals.

Tip: Many businesses start with a few UPCs for Amazon, then come back for EANs, SCC-14 carton codes, or ISBNs as they grow into new channels and formats. You can manage all of this in one place through UPCs.com.

3. UPC vs EAN: What’s the Difference?

UPC and EAN are both global product identifiers used in barcodes, but they’re optimized for different regions.

Feature	UPC	EAN
Number of digits	12	13
Primary use	United States & Canada	Europe & rest of world
Supported on Amazon	Yes (most marketplaces)	Yes (especially EU)
Retail scanners	Widely supported in North America	Standard globally

If you primarily sell in the U.S. and Canada, UPC codes are usually sufficient. If you plan to sell in Europe or other global markets, it can be helpful to have EANs as well.

4. UPC Generator vs Real UPC (What’s Legit?)

Many websites offer “UPC generators” that spit out random 12-digit numbers. These might look like a UPC, but they are not legitimate GS1-based product codes.

Why random or generated UPCs are a problem

• The numbers are not tied to a genuine GS1 company prefix.
• They may conflict with real products already in retail systems.
• Amazon often rejects them with Invalid GTIN errors.
• They can cause listing issues or even suspensions if misused.

A real UPC barcode must be derived from a legitimate GS1 prefix and issued in a way that keeps each number unique. That’s what you get when you buy from a trusted provider like UPCs.com — you’re getting GS1-origin numbers that are already being used successfully across major marketplaces.

5. GS1 vs Reseller UPCs (Explained Simply)

GS1 is the global standards organization for barcodes. You can either rent a prefix directly from GS1 or purchase individual, GS1-origin codes through a reputable reseller like UPCs.com.

GS1 Direct (Prefix Rental)

• Pay an initial licensing fee plus yearly renewal fees.
• You’re renting a company prefix, not buying individual codes outright.
• Requires ongoing account management and renewals to keep your prefix active.
• Typically more expensive for the same number of working UPCs.

UPCs.com (GS1-Origin Codes Without Ongoing Fees)

• Buy individual UPC codes based on GS1 prefixes at a one-time price.
• No recurring GS1 membership or renewal fees — you pay once and own your codes.
• Ideal for Amazon FBA sellers, DTC brands, small businesses, and large brands that want working UPCs without renting directly from GS1.
• Includes UPC, EAN, and printable barcodes, with instant delivery.
• Works for online marketplaces and large retail partners that expect GS1-based identifiers.

6. How to Print Your Own Barcode Labels

Once you have your UPC numbers, you’ll want scannable barcode labels you can apply to your products, packaging, or cartons — whether you’re shipping a few units a week or pallet loads into big-box retailers. If you prefer to have ready-to-apply stickers shipped to you, you can also order professionally printed barcode labels directly from UPCs.com via our barcode labels page.

Option 1: Use a thermal label printer

Thermal printers are ideal for FBA shipments and warehouse operations:

• Fast printing, low running costs.
• Works with rolls of 2″×1″ UPC labels or 4″×6″ shipping labels.
• Supported by common shipping and labeling software.

Option 2: Print onto label sheets with a standard printer

For smaller runs, you can print barcodes onto Avery-style label sheets with a standard inkjet or laser printer. Just use the high-resolution barcode files you receive from UPCs.com and insert them into your document or label software.

Option 3: Let Amazon or your 3PL do the labeling

Amazon offers an FBA labeling service for a per-unit fee, and many 3PL warehouses can also print and apply labels for you. This is helpful if you want to stay fully hands-off, even at large scale.

7. Do I Need a UPC for Walmart Marketplace?

Yes, in most categories Walmart Marketplace expects a valid GTIN (such as a UPC) for each unique product you list, similar to Amazon. There are some exemptions, but business sellers should plan to use UPCs for their listings.

Why valid UPCs matter on Walmart

• Helps Walmart avoid duplicate listings and confusion.
• Improves search visibility and catalog accuracy.
• Supports inventory and in-store integrations.

Walmart can be strict about GTIN validity, so using properly issued, GS1-origin UPCs from a provider like UPCs.com is important if you want trouble-free onboarding — whether you’re a small marketplace seller or shipping pallets into Walmart’s distribution network. For a checklist-style overview before you apply, see our dedicated Walmart UPC codes guide.

8. How to Add a Product to Shopify with a UPC Code

Shopify lets you store your UPC or EAN directly on each product or variant. This is useful for Google Shopping feeds, Meta catalogs, and in-store POS systems.

Steps to add a UPC to a Shopify product

1. Log in to your Shopify admin.
2. Go to Products and either edit an existing product or click Add product.
3. Scroll down to the Inventory section.
4. Find the field labeled Barcode (ISBN, UPC, GTIN).
5. Paste your UPC from UPCs.com into that field.
6. Save the product.

If you have variants (different sizes, colors, etc.), each variant has its own barcode field, and each one should receive its own unique UPC. Buying a small bundle of UPCs from UPCs.com gives you the flexibility to add sizes and colors later without changing your system.

9. Best Label Printers for Barcode Printing (2025)

If your business ships regularly or labels inventory, a dedicated thermal printer can quickly pay for itself in time saved and fewer label issues — from home offices all the way up to full warehouses.

Popular options many sellers use

• Desktop thermal printers – great for 2″×1″ UPC labels and 4″×6″ shipping labels.
• Industrial printers – better for high-volume warehouses and 3PLs.
• Multi-function printers with label sheets – fine for low volume or testing.

When choosing a printer, look for:

• Resolution of around 300 dpi for clean scanning.
• Compatibility with Mac/Windows and your shipping software.
• Support for the label sizes you plan to use.

10. Amazon Listing Errors: “Invalid GTIN” Fix – Solved

One of the most frustrating issues for businesses listing products on Amazon is the dreaded “Invalid GTIN” error. It usually means Amazon does not recognize your product ID as valid for that brand or category.

Common causes of Invalid GTIN errors

• The UPC is random or generated, not a real GS1-based code.
• The same UPC is already in use by a different product in Amazon’s catalog.
• The brand and product category don’t match Amazon’s expectations.
• Amazon has stricter checks in certain categories (for example, major brands, health, beauty, or grocery) and expects fully traceable GTINs.

How to fix an Invalid GTIN issue

1. Verify your UPC source. If you used a free generator or bought suspiciously cheap “codes” without documentation, replace them with real GS1-origin UPCs from UPCs.com.
2. Check your brand and product info. Ensure your brand name is consistent, spelled correctly, and not implying a major global brand you don’t own.
3. Confirm the product details are unique. The same UPC should not be used across unrelated products.
4. Open a Seller Support case if needed. Provide your UPC, product details, barcode image, and proof of purchase for your codes from UPCs.com.

Next Steps: Get Compliant, Scannable UPC Barcodes for Your Business

Whether you’re launching your first product or scaling a large catalog across Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, and retail, having clean, valid UPC barcodes is a small investment that prevents major listing and inventory problems later. The key is to own your UPCs instead of renting them.

• Stop worrying about random or fake UPCs.
• Keep your catalog organized as you add sizes, colors, and bundles.
• Prepare your business for new sales channels and retail partners — from small boutiques to large national chains.

When you’re ready, you can buy UPC barcodes in minutes and receive them instantly by email: For Small & Large Businesses