Where can I buy barcodes
When you reach the point in the manufacturing of your product where you are required to buy barcodes you may not be sure where to buy them from. You have many options to choose from such as from resellers or perhaps you would prefer to purchase directly from GS1 South Africa. Below we provide you with information on where you can buy barcodes these that are ready for retail use. We also have bounds of information available on our website for companies and individuals who are in the market for barcoding their products or for barcoding their assets, barcodeworld.co.za.
GS1 is the worldwide creator and distributor and was founded in April of 1974. They are an organisation which was brought about to help streamline business procedures. As per Wikipedia GS1 barcodes are scanned more than 6 million times per day. They are used in hundreds of different industries worldwide. When you buy barcodes directly from GS1 South Africa or GS1 in any country in fact you will be required to apply and become a personal member of their organisation which requires a fee to be paid as well. Once you have completed the steps and are now a member you are able to purchase barcodes and your information will be loaded onto GS1’s live worldwide database where if retail stores or any one for that matter scans your codes your relevant company and product information will reflect. Please note that when you contact GS1 and purchase you will be required to pay an annual renewal fee annually in order to keep your sequence active. You may come across some stores that this is a requirement to place your products on their shelves. Although they are very far and few.
If your chosen retail store has advised you that you require GS1 registered codes on your products, but they do not mention that you need to buy barcodes directly from GS1 themselves then you can purchase barcodes from resellers. They offer a service where you can purchase as many as you require, there is no minimum or maximum amount. They sell them at a once off rate, there are no added costs or annual renewal fees. Once your sequence has been registered under your details, they remain your property for life and do not expire or deactivate at any time. They are priced at the lowest price possible to assist customers in getting their products running. You can purchase your codes directly from the website or if you would prefer you can call or send an email to receive a customised quote or invoice. The prices start from as little as R99,00 for one and R27,00 for 100. The more you purchase the cheaper it becomes. Once you have registered your sequence on a closed confidential database, they will email you your electronic pack. Your pack will contain your invoice, ownership certificate reflecting your first and last number of your sequence as well as the company or personal name that you have chosen for them to be registered as belonging too, a list of your numbers in both UPC-12 digit format and EAN-13 digit format, and with each format you will receive your high resolution images. Everything that you need to place yours on your products, whether you decide to include the image in the design of your product label or perhaps have them printed on labels or stickers to stick on separately that is up to you. All of this is done an emailed to you within two hours of payment.
Those are your options available when you buy barcodes. Both are trustworthy reliable sources of acquiring your codes. When you purchase barcodes, you may receive both formats that are available for retail. As mentioned earlier in the article this is the UPC and EAN formats. The UPC format is an older format and was the very first format created and used in retail stores. Some stores still accept this format as it is on some products that are imported from America and Europe. The same goes for if you want to export your products to these countries. UPC is short for Universal Product Code and consists of twelve numbers. The other format that is used in retail stores at the point of sale is the EAN format, short for European Article Number and is thirteen numbers in total. This is a newer format that was created in order to allow more variations in numbers to be assigned and registered. Both formats are used at the point of sale system in all retailers worldwide. The third format that you are able to buy and most retailers do request it is an ITF-14 which is fourteen digits long and is primarily used in the warehousing and receiving areas of retailers. This format is used on the main boxes that you deliver your goods in, to the store. They will scan in the ITF-14 and their system will have been programmed to reference exactly what is inside the box without them having to unpack and individually check each item inside. As we are sure you have picked up from this article that when in retail all procedures and systems are created to streamline the day to day operations.
We hope this article has made your decision on the best options for your business a bit easier when you purchase barcodes. There are many cost effective options available that can make the registration process easier on the pocket. We have found that their customer services teams are also very helpful with tips and guidelines if you are not sure what formats you may require for the purpose that you require them. Give them a call or pop them an email and you will receive swift assistance. Check out this YouTube vide as well, for information on how they are read by a scanner How barcodes Work
