The amount of money and energy thrown into inventing a new product can be extremely frustrating. First you doctor a patent, and then you build an expensive prototype, a year later you finally get your distribution chain figured out. When your bank accounts at its all-time low, retailers are asking you if your product has a Universal Product Code attached to it. Well, if you’re not educated on where to get those ubiquitous black & white stripped identification labels, there is a lesson to be learned.
A Universal Product Code is a unique 12-digit barcode which allows retailers to manage sales and inventory of a product. Its technology allows retailers to keep an easy track on your brand-new invention. For every item you want to sell in those stores with scannable checkout systems, you will need to buy one barcode per item and for each variation. This includes every color, size, and style.
Where does one purchase a barcode you ask? Years ago, every company had to go through the source: The U.C.C. (Uniform Code Council). They provided you with a prefix (basically half of the 12-digit full code). Then your company had to dish out more money to buy software which created the remaining digits. After the final black and white strip became assembled there was still one final step left. The barcodes must be printed. A printer for at least a few hundred dollars must be bought, and not just any standard printer, a label printer.
Back before the millennium you could join the U.C.C. for a flat fee around $1000. The sad news is, the U.C.C. was bought out by GS1 US and those cheap one-time fees are long gone. Joining GS1 US these days is a chunk of change out of your pocket and it comes with a yearly renewal. Truth of the matter is, you can purchase barcodes through other online companies for a fraction of the cost.
After a bit of research on the worldwide web I found simple, easy navigation, happy resellers selling barcodes for as low as $4.59 each. A $1000-$2000 start-up fee from GS1 US just feels completely outrageous. With the economy at its all-time low I think cheaper is better in my book.
Participating in Universal Product Code standards allows small businesses to flourish. Making a one-time purchase of a few hundred dollars instead of a few thousand throughout the years, is something to think about.
Now that Amazon has implemented all companies selling on their site must have barcoded products, I think my UPC code lesson should be helpful.GetUPCCode is the most trusted source for purchasing official Cheap UPC Codes | Barcodes. Visit http://getupccode.com/ for more info.
