I am new to using GS1. I just bought a list of 100 GTIN. Do I use that when listing an item or the UPC? If the upc, where do I find it? TYIA!
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Welcome to the forum!
You need to navigate to the GS1 Datahub and assign each product to a code. Also, make sure you put the code āIn Useā when you set it up so Amazon will recognize it. GS1 will automatically assign codes within your prefix for you in this process.
You need to wait a min of 72 hours before you list an item once set up in GS1.
If you are US based, you should use UPC, not GTIN. Thatās my opinionā¦ The reality is you can have more than one code per item if selling in different pack sizes which means you may end up using a GTIN, assigned within a variation family. Thatās all dynamic within GS1 as you set up items / variations. What this ultimately means is you can get a few hundred codes from your 100 pack if using for multi-variation products.
GS1 will give you everything once an item is set up. See redacted example below for one of ours:
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Thanks for the quick reply. A few quick questions.
What do you mean wait 72 hours? After I get the account or after updating the product on GS1?
Do I first list the product on GS1 then go it on Amazon? Do I have to list on GS1 or can I just use the list of GTIN provided?
It the UPC the GTIN minus the first 2 zeros?
GTIN, for your purposes, is a UPC that is assigned to your company for use on your products.
It is not there to get around listing restrictions or to create new pages that are duplicates of existing products. Both of these are section 3 violations and can get your account suspended and are almost impossible to recover from. Amazon policy specifically prohibits creating duplicate catalog pages.
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What do you mean by the second part? Do you mean If I use the same code as a GTIN then reuse it as a upc for another item?
You need to set each item up on GS1 in order for Amazon to recognize it as legit.
The 72 hour wait is post-GS1-setup. This is primarily for new GS1 accounts. Once your GS1 prefix is recognized by Amazon after first use, you donāt need to wait.
GS1 will give you your UPC (12-digits) - see my screenshot upthread. No need to guess.
Itās all there for you. Just learn how to use the datahub (itās pretty intuitive), and youāll be good to go.
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I mean that some sellers use GS1 UPC/GTIN to create new pages in the catalog for items that already exist in the catalog.
If your item does not exist in the catalog already then your page creation in the catalog using the purchased GS1 upc/gtin is valid.
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Good pointā¦
Based on the OPās handle - I could see why you brought that upā¦
@Resaleretail - I assume you bought your codes for the purpose of private labeling or handmade biz models.
If you are buying and selling an existing product or brand, you must use the code already on or assigned to said product by the brand.
Doing anything other than that is a really good recipe for disaster on Amazon.
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What do you mean? The products I sell are made by an entity and I am reselling it.
OK. These products donāt have barcodes on them already?
Are they being sold on Amazon right now by anyone?
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Doesnāt look easy/ intuitive, but Iāll slowly work my way through your first post and youtube. I have used GS1 years ago, but things look for much more complicated.
Once you are in the datahub, you click the āProductsā button, click new product, fill in the details that you should already have.
Once you mark it āin useā and click save, GS1 generates the code for you.
Itās a process that takes less than 1 min per item and itās very intuitive.
Iāve been using GS1 for 20 years and it certainly has evolved and become a bit more complicated but not anything you canāt learn in an hour or less.
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I donāt want to clog up the blog with my replies. Is there a way to direct message you here (assuming you donāt mind)? It would be easier.
Clogging up a forum is how others learn. Feel free to respond here. If someone in this group isnāt interested in your thread, they will move on.
If you are new here, thereās a good chance you donāt have the ability to direct message just yet.
That will change in time.
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I also donāt what to discuss specifics of what I sell out in the open here which is why I would rather directly message someone who is verified and a long time user here.
Buying already branded items retail (or elsewhere) and trying to use GS1 UPCās to create your own listing or get around brand restrictions will put your Amazon account in jeopardy.
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Iām going to rephrase what @TheOrangeCrush just said.
If these are retail ready packages with UPC labels on them already and you try to use your newly acquired numbers to create NEW ASINs to try and make an ASIN āyoursā like you can do on eBay, your selling career is going to be very short.
Doing the above to hijack an existing brand and ASIN will be a Section 3 suspension as soon as the brand or a buyer notifies Amazon.
If that is your intention, put everything in vacation mode and start studying Seller U.
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The products I sell are made by an entity and I am reselling it.
Let me add my own version of what @Haegan2005, @TheOrangeCrush , and @dwat0870 have already said.
The whole point of using UPC codes is to uniquely identify a given product in the marketplace. If a product already comes with a UPC, then you must list the product with itās assigned UPC. You cannot purchase another UPC to override the correct one.
Encoded in each UPC code is a unique series of digits that identifies the brand owner of the product in question. When you assign a UPC to a product, you are claiming that product is your brand and that you are the brand owner. Doing that when the product is NOT your brand and you are NOT the brand owner will get you in a lot of trouble.
Letās say that the UPC prefix for āASV Vitaminsā is 12345. Then his different vitamins might have UPC codes like 123450000001, 123450000002, 123450000003 etc.
If you purchase some of his vitamins to resell, and decide you want to list them under one of your UPCās, then you are claiming that his product actually belongs to you and is not, in fact, the ASV brand, but the ResaleRetail brand. If ASV sees you doing that, heāll sue you to the ends of the earth and back.
You only want to go to GS1 for UPCās if you have your own brand of products, and not if you are simply reselling other peopleās branded stuff.
You can get relevant advice here without revealing what your products are, the key issue is whether they are already branded or whether you have created your own brand.
Most āresellersā are selling branded merchandise, in which case putting your own UPCās on them would be a violation.
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So many good answers! Just here to clarify for @Resaleretail that if the product already has a GTIN (e.g., UPC or EAN), then you can not override that by assigning your own GTIN (in your case, UPCs) to it.
That is IP theft, and it is illegal.
On Amazon, you must list or add your offers on those products using the GTIN that already exists for that product.
Or you can bypass the brand from which you purchased and buy unbranded (generic) items from the manufacturer for resell under your own brand, with your own UPCs.
Or (lots of options!) you can add additional products for a ābundleā or otherwise transform the item, and sell the bundled/transformed item under your brand.
GS1 needs to put that very clearly, stated just like that, on every page on their site.
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