Frequently Asked Questions About Barcodes
We supply barcodes worldwide – with happy customers in 120+ countries.
Can’t find an answer to your question? Email us or use the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Alternatively, our company can also provide you with printed adhesive barcode labels that you can stick onto your product (you can order sticky barcode labels here).
1. Our prices are affordable (and a one-off cost);
2. We don’t charge any ongoing membership fees;
3. You will become the legal owner of the barcodes we give you (we don’t merely sell you a ‘license’ to use barcode numbers for a certain period of time);
4. Our barcodes are accepted by more retailers in the UK (and worldwide) than the barcodes from any other barcode reseller;
5. Instant delivery of EAN, UPC, ITF and ISBN barcodes (not ISSN or QR);
6. We offer exceptional customer support;
7. Our team has many years of experience supplying barcodes to customers in the UK & Europe
Please see ‘Why buy from us‘ for more details or contact us.
What is the difference between UPC-A and EAN-13 Barcodes? And can I use either one in all countries?
Both versions are designed for international use and can, therefore, in theory, be used throughout the world. However, UPC-A Barcodes are far more common in the USA, and EAN-13 Barcodes are far more common everywhere else. This means that some retailers may be unfamiliar with one format or have their system set up so that it cannot accept 13-digit or 12-digit numbers. Regardless of this, either format can be used.
As can be seen in the image below, the actual bars of the UPC-A format barcode and the EAN-13 format barcode (with a leading ‘0’) are identical. This means that they will scan in exactly the same way regardless of which country they are in. If a retailer’s system does not allow 13-digit numbers, the leading ‘0’ can be ignored when typing the number into the system, and the barcode will work in the same way as if it were a UPC-A format barcode. Similarly, if 13 digits are required, a ‘0’ can be added to the beginning of the UPC-A barcode to turn it into an EAN-13. Either way round, the barcode will be globally unique and legal for use internationally.
Some of the manufacturers took UCC to Court because of this. They settled out of Court (the manufacturers received a multimillion-dollar settlement). An agreement under the settlement was that any company that had paid a membership fee to UCC before 28/08/2002 could now have free ongoing membership of UCC (i.e. they would not have to pay any future annual fees). These manufacturers could also continue to use their UCC-assigned company prefixes.
The barcodes that our company has ownership of came from one of these companies (in the settlement). For this reason, we can supply you with a single barcode number (or with a larger group of numbers) for a single affordable price (we do not charge any ongoing fees).
Buy barcodes
Where to find different things on our site:
Worldwide Barcodes
Book Barcodes
Magazine Barcodes
CD Barcodes
DVD Barcodes
Barcode Verification
Barcode Registration
Barcode Labels
Why Buy Barcodes From Us?
QR Codes
Amazon Barcode Numbers
ITF-14 Carton Codes
Other Barcodes
Can’t find an answer to your question? Contact us – we are more than happy to help.
“Hi David, Thank you for your email and the attachments. Wow, what a fantastic and fast service. Highly appreciated. I have forwarded my barcode to manufacturer. I will have a look the registration link later. Once again, thank you for the fast service.” Jameson