What Is a U.P.C. or EAN Code?
The numbering system and bar symbols were conceived and designed in the early seventies by George J. Laurer on behalf of IBM and presented to the grocery store and food industries as a universal way of keeping track of inventories, prices and manufacturers. It was chosen over many other proposals and has since been accepted and adopted worldwide as a unified product tracking symbol. Most U.P.C. Codes consists of twelve numbers (EAN 13 is the European standard and has 13 numbers); a manufacturer ID number that is assigned by the Council (now GS1) and a product identification number that is assigned by the manufacturer followed by a check digit. There are a few variations on this code as other industries and countries have joined the Council.
Why Buy From Legal Barcodes?
If you are looking for top notch service, technical knowledge and low price with no application or hidden fees, you can not go wrong with Legal Barcodes. We are available 24 hours a day by email and phone. Orders are fullfilled by email promptly within 24 hours (in any format - TIF, GIF, JPEG, EPS, PDF or BITMAP - PLEASE SPECIFY PREFERENCE(S) IN SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS DURING CHECKOUT). A signed and sealed Guarantee of Authenticity will arrive in the mail several days after your order is placed. TRY CALLING OTHER UPC VENDORS AND SEE IF YOU CAN SPEAK WITH A REAL PERSON. THEN CALL US - 410-961-8357.
Why Do I Need a U.P.C. or EAN Code?
Although it is a voluntary system, I do not know of any product in today's market place, from the smallest nail at Home Depot to the largest shipping container delivered to our ports, that does not use the Universal Product Code (U.P.C.). Retailers use it as the basis for their primary pricing, inventory and ordering systems. Most retailers, large and small, require all products they sell to display a product code for this purpose.
How Do I Obtain a U.P.C. or EAN Code?
There are two ways. One is to pay the registration fee and yearly dues to join GS1 (formerly UCC) and if accepted, you will be issued a manufacturer ID number and then you assign your own product numbers and create symbols to apply to your goods. The other is to buy one or many preassigned product numbers and symbols bearing the manufacturer ID number owned by Legal Barcodes at a low one time cost for a fraction of the GS1 price.
THE FOLLOWING CAME FROM GS1 IN MARCH OF 2008:
You have indicated that your company has a total U.S. annual gross sales revenue of $250,000.00 in U.S. dollars. The globally unique GS1 Company Prefix licensed to your company will enable you to identify 20 products and services, 1 locations and assets.
Based on your company's annual revenue and requested capacity, we have calculated the following fees: |
Your company's initial membership fee is: $1,500.00 |
Your annual license renewal fee will be: $150.00 |
Note: Fees are subject to change without notice. |
Your application will be processed in 1 business day upon receipt of your payment. |
Shortly before the end of your first year, an annual license renewal fee will be invoiced to your company. Full payment is required to continue use of your licensed GS1 Company Prefix (used to create U.P.C. bar codes and your Partner Connections membership benefits). |
If you anticipate the need for additional capacity in the future, you may want to request a GS1 Company prefix with a greater capacity now. If necessary, please indicate the change below.
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| Prefix Capacity |
Initial Fee |
Expected Annual Renewal Fee |
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| Note: Fees are subject to change without notice. |
Refund Policy:
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To apply for a refund, you must send a written request to GS1 US within 30 days from the submission of your application. Your refund request will be considered only if you have not used the GS1 Company Prefix licensed to your company. You must return your Member Kit and resource material along with your written statement declaring that you have not used your licensed GS1 Company Prefix. A $250 administrative processing fee is charged for all refund requests. Contact the GS1 US Customer Service Team at +1 937.435.3870 or info@gs1us.org if you have any questions.
| All reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent the assignment and licensing of duplicate GS1 Company Prefixes. If duplicate numbers are assigned, the liability of GS1 US shall be limited to a refund of the applicant's initial membership fee.
Will The U.P.C. or EAN Code I Buy Be Registered With GS1?
There is not one barcode in the world that is registered with GS1. GS1 does not generate U.P.C . Symbols or Numbers. What GS1 does is assign and keep track of manufacturer ID numbers (the first group of numbers). It is up to the user of that manufacturer/product number to relay the product number (the next group of numbers - the last digit is a check digit) to the retailer. When you receive your U.P.C. Number from Legal Barcodes you control that specific number. If you discontinue one product, you may re-use your U.P.C Symbol and Number on another product BUT you must pass on this information to the retailer. In other words, YOU become the registrar of that number and are responsible for it's proper use.
All These Numbers; Company Prefix, Product Number and Check Digit: How Do They All Add Up To a Symbol And Will That Symbol Work In Every Store?
The family of numbers that we will assign to your product is your product code. With that we then create the very bar code that will meet all universal standards and be accepted worldwide.
How Can You Sell Me a Single Number?
We were given a manufacturer ID number in the early nineties when there were no strings attached to assigned numbers. It was unique to our company and became part of our assets. Now all manufacturer ID numbers given out by GS1 (formerly UCC) remain GS1's property and the user must pay yearly dues to retain those numbers. When you buy a number from Legal Barcodes you will receive a copy of the letter that was sent from the UCC (now GS1) to us showing our ownership of that manufacturer ID number. You WILL receive a signed Guarantee of Authenticity with our guarantee that the product number we have assigned to you is unique, owned by you and will never be reissued. Your hard copy of our Guarantee of Authenticity and owership letter will be mailed to you approximately two weeks after your purchase. If you need it sooner, please request that we send it as soon as possible. We will also send you an image of your barcode in tif, gif, jpeg EPS, PDF or bitmap file format (PLEASE SPECIFY WHICH FORMAT YOU DESIRE WITH YOUR PAYMENT) that you can present to your printer for product labeling. All this for a low one time cost of $49.00. THERE ARE NO HIDDEN COSTS, REGISTRATION OR SET-UP FEES EVER.
How Soon After Payment Can I Expect My Number?
You can expect to recieve your U.P.C. or EAN Number within 24 hours.
Who is George J. Laurer Again?
You have to check out this gentleman's web site. In the true spirit of the Internet he freely shares his knowledge and expertise about the symbol he created and clarifies many of it's surrounding issues. His site is action packed, full of informative tidbits that make fun reading on the evolution of this now universal code. We hold no affiliation with George other than our sincere admiration.
PLEASE SEE: http://www.laurerupc.com
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