Storing and selling as many goods as Amazon does requires a framework elaborated to keep track of all existing products. And this is the exact reason why Amazon’s American marketplace has implemented UPC codes into its strategy.
Each product sold on Amazon is granted a unique string of numbers known as a Unique Product Code, or Amazon UPC codes. These codes make it easier to categorize, find and sell products on Amazon. However, with so many possibilities available, how do you know where to look for UPC codes, and why do you need them in the first place? In this article, we will look into what these UPCs are, why they’re so important, how to use them and where to purchase them.
ما هي رموز UPC؟
UPC (Unique Product Code) is a unique 12-digit code designed to identify retail goods. It is often complemented by a barcode that may be scanned for easier identification or inventory tracking within a warehouse and significantly expedites the checkout process. The barcode provides all relevant information on a product as well, such as the product’s name, size, brand, and colour. UPC is most commonly used in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
وغني عن القول، توفر بطاقات UPC العديد من المزايا، بما في ذلك أتمتة عملية التسجيل. تخيل أنك لم تعد مضطرًا إلى إدخال جميع معلومات المنتج يدويًا. بالنسبة للشركات الصغيرة، قد لا يُحدث ذلك فرقاً كبيراً، ولكن بالنسبة لعمالقة البيع بالتجزئة مثل Amazon، التي تخزن باستمرار ملايين المنتجات في مستودعاتها، فإن ذلك أمر بالغ الأهمية بالفعل.
متى ولماذا يحتاج البائعون إلى رموز UPC لأمازون؟
As a seller, you will have to acquire a UPC code for every item that doesn’t already have one. Normally this happens when you’re developing your own private label items and haven’t yet registered your brand with Amazon.
Since you are establishing a brand new product, a UPC has to be generated and issued specifically to it. For the product to be traceable, you’ll also need a scannable barcode. You can either use a UPC code or an Amazon barcode (ASIN, FNSKU, or MSKU).
If you want to conduct business on Amazon, it is necessary for you to acquire UPCs. Amazon requires a unique product identification, which the UPC code provides. Without it, you won’t be able to fill a tab called ‘Product ID’ when establishing a new listing, and you won’t certainly be allowed to sell on the platform, except for one case, which we’ll discuss in the next section.
لاحظ أنه على الرغم من أنه من الضروري أن يكون لديك رمز UPC للبيع على أمازون، إلا أنه ليس مطلوبًا إرفاق الرمز الشريطي بكل منتج من منتجاتك (إلا إذا كنت تخطط لاستخدامه بنفسك).
في أي الحالات لا يحتاج البائعون إلى رمز UPC؟
يجب أن يكون لجميع المنتجات المباعة على Amazon.com رقم UPC، مع استثناء واحد. إذا أنشأت علامتك التجارية الخاصة وسجلتها لدى أمازون عبر برنامج سجل العلامات التجارية الخاص بهم، يمكنك التأهل للحصول على إعفاء من رقم GTIN (أرقام عناصر التجارة العالمية). سيسمح لك الاستفادة من هذا الخيار بتحميل منتجاتك بدون رمز UPC.
Besides, just because your product doesn’t have a UPC number doesn’t mean you have to purchase one right away.
If you’re acquiring your goods from a wholesaler, dropshipping, or doing retail arbitrage, there is a great chance that your products will already have a scannable UPC number on their packaging. If that’s so, your goods are most likely in Amazon’s system already, and all you’ll have to take care of is adding existing numbers to the product ID field when creating an Amazon listing. To get the right UPC number, simply contact your supplier or the manufacturer.
Another scenario is if exactly the same product you’re offering is already available on Amazon, you won’t need to establish a new page to support it. All you have to do is choose ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) option from the product ID dropdown list and enter the ASIN of an existing and active Amazon listing.
أنواع أخرى من الرموز
Although those are namely UPCs that are widely recognized and that serve as the most popular identifying standard in the market, there are some great alternatives to them, such as ASIN, GTIN, EAN, and a few others. We’ll introduce you to some of them, and we’ll explain when can you take advantage of them:
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رقم السلعة الأوروبية (EAN)
EAN code is the UPC’s European equivalent. If you are considering selling your goods on Amazon’s European or Indian marketplaces, you’ll need to use one of these instead of a UPC. In case you’ve already acquired a UPC code, you can always convert it to an EAN by simply adding a zero to the beginning of UPC. -
رقم المادة اليابان (JAN)
JAN هو النظير الياباني لرموز EAN و UPC. والفرق بين رمزي JAN و EAN هو بدايتهما، فهما يبدآن بأرقام مختلفة، مما يساعد على جعلهما فريدين. -
رقم السلعة التجارية العالمية (GTIN)
GTIN هو رمز مكون من 14 رقمًا يتم التعرف عليه واستخدامه في أي مكان في العالم. يمكنك استخدامها مع كل من الرموز الشريطية UPC و EAN. من الممكن أيضًا تحويل EAN إلى GTIN. كل ما عليك فعله هو ببساطة إضافة صفر إلى مقدمة EAN. -
رقم الكتاب القياسي الدولي (ISBN)
رقم ISBN هو رمز يهدف إلى تحديد الكتب في جميع أنحاء العالم. ويشترط أن يكون لكل كتاب منشور واحد. من الواضح أن رقم ISBN ليس مسؤوليتك إلا إذا كنت أنت من يبيع الكتب.
قبل الشروع في البيع على أمازون، تأكد من حصولك على جميع الرموز المطلوبة لتجنب أي مشاكل قد تحدث أثناء إنشاء قوائم لمنتجاتك.
القليل من التحضير قبل شراء بطاقات اتحاد الوطنيين من أمازون
هناك بعض الأمور التي يجب عليك الاهتمام بها قبل التسرع في شراء مجموعة من بطاقات UPCs.
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اختر خطة تسعير
The pricing plan doesn’t just limit itself to buying in bulk. GS1 provides a number of price options depending on the quantity of distinct you want to acquire. If your business is rather small and offers only a few goods, you can get a single UPC or GS1 US GTIN. However, those businesses that expect their product lines to expand in the near future might find the Company Prefix option more beneficial. Each code costs $30, and you don’t have to pay a renewal fee. Those sellers that need more than nine UPCs should instead choose the standard GS1 Company Prefix model, which is intended to assist them in managing a wider product range and expanding their business. This pricing plan includes the initial charge of $250, with a $50 annual renewal fee. With the next higher tier of 1 to 100 UPCs, the prices triple ($750 initial fee and $150 annual renewal fee). The key is to decide which pricing plan suits you the best. -
Determine how many UPCs you’ll need
Since buying in bulk is usually a lot more advantageous and gets you lower prices, take your time to calculate how many UPCs you want to purchase. Bundles need their own UPCs, just like separate products. Each size and colour combination requires a unique barcode. Don’t forget to calculate how many individual and bundled products you want to sell. -
الحصول على UPC الصحيح
If you are both an online and offline merchant, your UPC requirements may differ from those of a solely online seller. For instance, if you have a physical store that sells the same products as your Amazon business, you can use the same GTIN for both. However, if these products are likewise being scanned in a warehouse or distribution centre, you’ll need separate codes for the same item.
كيفية شراء رمز UPC
Now you’re probably wondering how to acquire a UPC code for your goods. Turns out the process is actually rather straightforward.
However, before we get on with discussing how to buy UPC codes, let’s take a look at where to buy them.
أولاً وقبل كل شيء، لا يمكنك إنشاء الرمز بنفسك. يجب عليك الحصول عليه من خلال GS1، وهي منظمة غير ربحية مكلفة بوضع معايير للاتصالات التجارية وتحديد سلع التجزئة حول العالم. هناك أكثر من 100 منظمة GS1 تخدم مواقع مختلفة. بالنسبة للولايات المتحدة، فهي GS1 الولايات المتحدة، على سبيل المثال.
تُعتبر GS1 أفضل مكان لشراء أكواد أمازون UPC لأنها المزود الوحيد الذي تعترف به أمازون. كما أنها تستخدم قاعدة بيانات GS1 للتحقق من صحة كل رمز من الرموز الشريطية. يتم اتخاذ مثل هذه الاحتياطات للتأكد من أن جميع الرموز شرعية، وفي حالة حدوث أي عدم تطابق أو سوء استخدام، سيتم رفض القائمة وسحبها من المنصة. وقد يكون لأي إجراء آخر تأثير سلبي لاحقاً على البائع وأعماله التجارية. لذلك، من الضروري امتلاك رمز UPC صالح ونشط لبضائعك. وهذا أيضًا هو السبب الذي يجعلنا نقترح الحصول على جميع UPCs الخاصة بك من GS1 أو من بائعي GS1 الشرعيين.
Now let’s move to our initial question. Here is a catch-all guide explaining how to get a UPC code on the GS1 website:
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الحصول على بادئة شركة GS1
GS1 сompany prefix is the part of your UPC code that identifies your business specifically. It might range from 6 to 10 digits, depending on how many UPC codes you need. The more of them you purchase, the shorter your business prefix will be, allowing you to fit more product numbers in.
A great number of business owners slip up and acquire this prefix from third-party sellers, who, for their part, purchased it in bulk to resell. And as we’ve already mentioned, it can gravely affect the credibility of your brand when Amazon discovers that your UPC does not match the one recorded in the GS1 database. -
إنشاء أرقام المنتجات
The type of product is identified by the numbers within your UPC codes. And once again, this number’s length is determined by the length of your company’s prefix. If your business prefix contains seven digits, your product numbers will include four digits (the 12th digit serves as the check digit). -
اختر تصميم الملصق الخاص بك
Another thing you need to take care of is the deployment of your barcodes on your products. If you haven’t yet drafted the label and packaging for your goods, you can ask for a digital barcode and print it right on the labelling and packaging. However, in case you’ve already set your mind on the design of your packaging, you can simply get the barcode label stickers to stick on your goods.
If you’re subscribed for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), you have to physically attach the UPCs to the products. To fulfil this task, you’ll need to get yourself adhesive barcode labels, put the downloaded UPC pictures on them, and stick them on your goods. Ensure the barcode is in a visible and scannable location – the front and the back are particularly well suited, whereas the sides are not at all. - احصل على الرموز الشريطية الخاصة بك!
ما هي وحدة الاستخبارات المالية؟
An FNSKU, or Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit, is Amazon fulfilment’s unique number. If are you using FBA instead of delivering orders to the customers on your own, you will be required to attach an FNSKU barcode to all products sent to an Amazon fulfilment centre. An FNSKU is not necessary if you are not leveraging FBA.
When an Amazon fulfilment centre receives your package, they will scan the FNSKU barcodes to identify an Amazon seller who sent the shipment. To make the fulfilment process easier, Amazon requests sellers to attach this number to every product they ship. Since FNSKU helps Amazon to determine which seller to credit when a sale occurs, it is a very crucial part of the platform. It also enables Amazon to track each product back to the Seller of record in the case there is some quality issue and allows to prevent stock’s commingling.
If the products you’re selling have special packaging, you can place the FNSKU on the outside of the package so it will be easily accessible for a scan. If you didn’t provide the packaging for your item (for instance, a single t-shirt), the FNSKU could be attached to any tags on the product, including the size tag.
أين يمكنني الحصول على FNSKU؟
إذا اخترت طباعة ملصقات الشحن الخاصة بك في البائع المركزي، سيتم إنشاء رموز FNSKU تلقائياً للعناصر الخاصة بك، وسيحصل كل منتج آخر أو اختلافه على رمز مختلف.
At this point, you will have to decide whether it will be you or Amazon who will place the labels on the dropdown list. FNSKU labels may be applied to products individually, and if you haven’t yet had your packaging designed, you can create unique packaging with a place for FNSKU.
If, for some reason, you can’t attach the FNSKU labels yourself, Amazon may do it for you in exchange for a small charge. However, there are no fees for the FNSKU number itself.
الاستنتاجات
قد تكون رموز UPC مسألة محيّرة للبائعين، ولكن بمجرد أن تعرف كيف تعمل هذه الرموز والغرض منها، لن يكون الحصول على رموز لمنتجاتك مشكلة على الإطلاق.
When selling on Amazon, there’s a lot to consider, and acquiring UPC codes correctly is only one of many. However, with our company on your side, you can save yourself a lot of time and get things done right from the beginning. You no longer have to worry about developing a profitable business strategy on your own since we are at your side to help you find the most lucrative one that will assist in growing your business. Schedule a free discovery call with one of our professionals right now, or leave your email address, and we’ll get in touch with you as soon as possible.
