1. Global Standards Organization (GS1 US)
The GS1 US is a not-for-profit Standards Organization that maintains Global Barcode Specifications and provides unique identifiers. The GS1 US offers single UPC barcodes and blocks of UPCs depending on how many are needed.
Benefits of using Global Standards Organization (GS1 US)
- UPC Numbers obtained directly from the GS1 US are acceptable at any retailer in the world.
- UPCs issued by GS1 US are registered to your company and cannot be used by anyone else.
- UPCs assigned and maintained by the GS1 are available for ownership authentication using Verified by GS1.
- Your company is a member of the GS1 and will be notified of changes to barcode standards which may impact the use of your barcodes.
Disadvantages of using Global Standards Organization (GS1 US)
- The cost is determined by the total number of UPCs needed. For companies needing thousands of UPCs, the costs can become expensive.
- Companies needing more than 10 UPCs are required to pay an annual fee to maintain GS1 Company Prefix.
- The process for obtaining and registering each UPC with the GS1 requires time and ongoing attention.
2. UPC Resellers
UPC Resellers are privately owned for profit companies that sell UPC Numbers which were originally assigned by the Uniform Code Council (UCC) before 2001.
- In 2001, the UCC became part of GS1 Global and the GS1 US instituted an annual fee to maintain Company Prefixes.
- Third Party UPC Resellers responded by filing a Class Action lawsuit against the GS1. The case was decided by the US Supreme Court, which ruled UPCs assigned prior to 8/28/2002 were not subject to GS1 annual fees.
- Large retailers, including Amazon, Wal Mart, Kroger, Target, The Home Depot and several others explicitly prohibit the use of UPCs obtained from UPC resellers.
Even though UPC Resellers won the right to sell UPC Numbers, it does not mean UPCs from resellers are accepted by all retailers.
Benefits of using UPC Resellers
- Valid UPC numbers, inexpensive and readily available
- No annual renewal fees
- No registration or product upload data required.
Disadvantages of using UPC Resellers
- Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, The Home Depot and several other retailers require UPCs directly from the GS1.
- UPCs purchased from a reseller share a common UPC Prefix and can be hijacked or used by another company.
- Many resellers are not reputable businesses who are aggressively trying to exploit companies needing UPC barcodes.
Key things to consider when deciding if a UPC Reseller is a viable option
- Due to the lack of legal jurisdiction - there's no way to prevent UPC Numbers sold by a UPC Reseller, from being used by another company. Third Party UPC Resellers’ assume no liability in the event someone uses the same UPC Number they sold to someone else.
- Amazon requires UPCs obtained directly from the GS1 and explicity states UPCs from a Third party reseller are not acceptable and may cause your entire Amazon Account to be suspended.
- UPCs from a Third Party UPC Reseller are not registered with the GS1 to show ownership to your company. Only UPCs obtained directly from the GS1US can be authenticated to your company using Verified by GS1.
3. Internally Assigned UPC Numbers
UPC-12 Numbers with a 4 as the first digit, are internally assigned, and can only be used internally within the organization that assigned it. Some retailers such as Costco assign UPCs which begin with a 4 for their own private brand items such as Kirkwood which is exclusively sold by Costco.
Internally assigned UPC Numbers can only be used within an organization's own supply chain.
Benefits of using Internally Assigned UPC Numbers
- Zero Cost which means you can assign UPCs for all SKUs
Disadvantages of using Internally Assigned UPC Numbers
- They are only valid for use within your own supply chain, and cannot be used by other stores, or distributors. Do not use internally assigned UPCs outside of your organization