How To Get A UPC Barcode

Posted February 9, 2012 by Ankur Gupta in Fine Living

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A barcode is a pattern of black and white lines with numbers under it. The barcode can be scanned and used to identify a product. A UPC number is a 12-digit number which appears under the barcode.

If you are a supplier in US, then in order to use a UPC barcode, you need to get a barcode prefix for your company from GS-1 US. You will need to be a member of GS-1 US. GS-1 US will assign your company a barcode prefix which you can use for your products. Usually, suppliers need barcodes for more than one product. So they can add their own numbers after the prefix and form different barcodes for different products.

Visit http://www.gs1us.org/get-started/i-need-a-gs1-company-prefix to apply for a UPC barcode prefix. You will need to fill a membership form on this website. UCC asks some information about your company like the current/projected sales revenue and the approximate number of products you will need a barcode for. You may also need to specify the number of locations for which you will need a Global Location Number i.e. the number of locations you want to sell your products in.

Membership

Membership Fee

The initial membership fee is $750 plus an extra charge that will depend on your annual revenue and the number of products you sell. This is not a very cheap option if you are doing a small business. But it becomes necessary since some retailers require that the suppliers use barcodes.

Annual Renewal Fee

The initial membership fee is valid for only one year. That means you can use your barcode prefix for just one year. If you want to continue using that barcode, you will need to pay an annual renewal fee of $150, plus an extra charge based on your companies annual or projected revenue and some other factors.

If you continue using the barcode after one year without paying the renewal fee, you can end up in a big problem. Remember, you are licensing the barcode from UCC and not buying it. That means that the barcode prefix is an intellectual property of UCC and it can impose infringement charges on you if you continue to use the barcode without paying the charges. Also, the UCC can assign that barcode to another supplier if you chose not to renew it.

Small Supplier?

If you are a small supplier and are not ready to spend this much for buying a barcode prefix, you can try different web-based companies which today resell barcodes. These websites allow you to use barcodes assigned to them. So technically, you will use the barcode issued in the name of another company.

One such website is http://www.buyabarcode.com. This comes out cheap for you and will work pretty well if you are a small supplier and your business does not allow you to spend on the licensing of barcode from UCC. But make sure to confirm from your retailer if he doesn’t mind you using the barcode of another company.

Indian Suppliers

If you are an Indian supplier, you will need to contact GS1-India, which works under the ministry of commerce. Visit the website http://dcmsme.gov.in/schemes/barcode.htm