What is the GS1?

The GS1 (Global Standards One) is a global organization that develops and maintains standards for various industries, including retail, healthcare, and logistics. The organization was founded in 1977 to create a common language and standards for the identification, communication, and exchange of information between businesses and their trading partners.

GS1 is best known for creating the GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) system, which includes the UPC (Universal Product Code) barcode system used in North America and the EAN (European Article Number) barcode system used in Europe. GS1 also develops standards for other types of identifiers and data exchange, such as RFID (radio-frequency identification) and EDI (electronic data interchange).

Each country has their own local office which issues company prefixes, such as the GS1 US in the United States.  The GS1 has a monopoly on issuing new prefixes for companies.  However, in most cases, you are not required to own a new prefix and can buy individual GS1 UPC barcodes from UPCs.com which are significantly cheaper and work exactly the same way.

In short, when you purchase from the GS1, you are renting the UPCs and pay an annual renewal fee along with an upfront purchase price.  When you purchase from us at UPCs.com, you buy UPC barcodes once and you own them for life, without any annual renewal fees or hidden costs.

See our article: Why buy from UPCs.com instead of the GS1 or others?

Do I get barcodes from the GS1?

No, GS1 US only provides the GTINs/UPC.  You can generate a barcode with the UPC from this barcode generator.  However, when you buy from UPCs.com, every order comes with the UPC and the barcode for each UPC you purchase. Orders are delivered immediately at checkout.
See our article: What comes with my order?