To create a product listing on Amazon, you must have a unique product identifier known as a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number).

GTINs make your products easy to find, buy, trace, and fulfill by providing a standardized digital language to communicate seamlessly across the supply chain. 

Think of them like fingerprints for your products that gives retailers, marketplaces, and consumers confidence that they can trace products to their owners.

GTINs and UPC codes help standardize product identification for recalls, brand protection, and consumer safety and protect against bad actors.

Previously, sellers could obtain these numbers from many places, but the valid numbers are issued directly by GS1 and licensed to brand owners. Amazon considers GTINs obtained from elsewhere invalid, which means you cant list your product.

GS1 runs a database that is the single source of truth for licensed GTINs and the legal entities associated with them. Amazon will often check the database for the validity of GTINs/UPC codes provided for a listing.

But many Amazon sellers have a problem differentiating between a GTIN, a UPC code, EAN, and a barcode. They are often used interchangeably, but there is a small difference.

In this episode, Jason and Shannon interview Michelle Covey of GS1 US about the importance of GTINs (Global Trade Item Numbers), UPC Codes, EAN, and Amazon. 

We also discuss some of the recent changes Amazon has made regarding UPC use, as well as hijacked UPCs and the right way to purchase a GS1 Prefix License.

Key Takeaways

- How GS1 all started (01:27)

- GTIN vs. UPC vs. EAN codes (06:23)

- Best practices for getting GTINs from GS1 (12:27)

- Minimum number of GTINs you can buy (15:05)

- Common mistakes sellers make inputting UPC codes on Amazon (22:48)

- GTIN hijacking scenario on Amazon (24:11)

- How to get Amazon to allow updates of UPC codes on a listing (27:05)

- Transferring GTIN prefix ownership at GS1 (30:11)

- Laying the foundation for success on Amazon (33:35)

- Amazon errors messages related to UPC/GTINs (39:26)

- What's coming up for unique identifiers in 2023 (42:09)

Additional Resources:

✅GS1 US: https://www.gs1us.org/ 

✅GEPIR: https://www.gs1us.org/tools/gs1-company-database-gepir 

✅Get Started: https://www.gs1us.org/upcs-barcodes-prefixes/how-to-get-a-upc-barcode 

GS1 US SOCIAL Pages 

✅https://www.linkedin.com/company/gs1-us/ 

✅https://www.facebook.com/GS1US 

✅https://www.youtube.com/user/GS1US

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Day 2 Podcast has a goal of helping Amazon sellers learn how to launch, grow and protect their brand on the world's largest online marketplace (and beyond).

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