{"id":1552374,"date":"2025-05-04T05:00:35","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T09:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/?p=1552374"},"modified":"2025-05-03T09:08:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T13:08:54","slug":"sell-on-amazon-without-gtins-or-upcs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/sell-on-amazon-without-gtins-or-upcs","title":{"rendered":"Sell on Amazon without GTINs or UPCs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amazon’s marketplace requires some form of a product identifier for nearly every category. Whether it’s baby toys or industrial bolts, sellers need a Universal Product Code (UPC) or, similarly, a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN).<\/p>\n

Yet some items have no such identifier and require an “exemption” from Amazon.<\/p>\n

GTIN<\/h3>\n

GS1, a global standards organization, developed the GTIN to identify products. The identifier encompasses several worldwide formats, including the familiar UPC (GTIN-12) in the United States and Canada. In Europe, merchants use the European Article Number (EAN), technically GTIN-13.<\/p>\n

The GTIN standards identify any trade item (product or service) priced, ordered, or invoiced. Hence GTINs help Amazon and the merchants selling in its marketplace keep track of inventory and manage orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Term<\/th>Stands For<\/th>Digits<\/th>Region<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
GTIN<\/td>Global Trade Item Number<\/td>8, 12, 13, or 14<\/td>Global<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
UPC<\/td>Universal Product Code<\/td>12<\/td>U.S., Canada<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
EAN<\/td>European Article Number<\/td>13 (usually) or 8<\/td>Europe<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Identifying Products<\/h3>\n

For resellers offering products from prominent consumer brands, listing a product on Amazon is as simple as looking up the GTIN<\/a> or copying the UPC number from the item’s barcode<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are, however, many products that don’t have an obvious barcode or identifier. Here are some examples.<\/p>\n