Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 7:00 pm EST (Atlanta)
| What are EAN barcodes? Do I really need one? | |
| EAN stands for European Article Number. This 13-digit retail barcode system, started in Europe, is now used in all countries worldwide - except the USA and Canada.
Retail products to be distributed and sold outside of the USA & Canada must feature a 13-digit EAN barcode, sometimes called EAN-13 or GTIN-13. Retail products sold within North America should feature a 12-digit UPC barcode. In short, the EAN is a 13-digit unique code for your product represented by scannable bars. EAN codes (also known as GTIN-13) appear as lines (bars) of varying widths representing the series of numbers commonly shown below the bars. Barcode scanners read the bars and convert them back to the 13-digit EAN number that they represent. When you reach an agreement with a retailer to carry your product(s), they request the information required by their unique proprietary sales and inventory tracking systems. Your 13-digit EAN number, when looked up within the retailer’s inventory system, finds the corresponding product name and price. This information helps the retailer keep accurate inventory data, review sales, and reorder. |
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| My business is outside of the US, can I still purchase from Simply Barcodes? | |
| Yes, you can purchase your EAN or UPC barcodes from Simply Barcodes. If selling only outside of North America, Simply Barcodes recommends purchasing EAN barcodes through our EAN website. If selling in North America, Simply Barcodes recommends that you purchase UPC barcodes. |
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| Does Simply Barcodes encode my product information in my barcode symbol? | |
| NO, an EAN barcode symbol only contains the 13 digits of the official EAN number. Each retailer maintains their own sales and inventory tracking systems. So, you will provide EAN number along with your product information to each retailer who will be carrying your products. The retailer then associates your official EAN number with your product details in their inventory management database. |
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| How many EAN codes do I need? | |
| In order to properly identify your products in their inventory management system, each retailer requires a different EAN barcode for each product or product variant. Example: You produce and sell picture frames and want to offer your frames for sale on Amazon. You carry two colors, dark walnut and cherry, and both frames come in three sizes including small, medium and large. How many unique EAN codes are required? The answer: Six Why? Product One: Dark Walnut Frame Small Product Two: Dark Walnut Frame Medium Product Three: Dark Walnut Frame Large Product Four: Cherry Frame Small Product Five: Cherry Frame Medium Product Six: Cherry Frame Large |
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| Do you require a tax identification number/social security number? | |
| No, companies are not required to supply a tax ID number, and individuals are not required to supply a social security number. | |
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| Do you offer a discount for charitable organizations? | |
| Raising the BarTM We support many well-known charities through our Raising the BarTM charity program. Our barcodes appear in fundraising campaigns, on donation cards, tear-offs, coupons, flyers at charity events, and at the point of sale at various retailers. To qualify, please forward your U.S.-based 501(c)3 federal tax-exempt or Canadian Registered Charity documentation to solutions@simplybarcodes.com. Charities outside of the US and Canada please contact us for details regarding discounts on our barcodes. To learn more, please visit our page dedicated to barcoding for charitable organizations. |
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| How do I purchase from Simply Barcodes? | ||||||
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| We only require that you provide contact and billing information. You are not required to provide product information. | ||||||
| Your retailer collects your product information, which they associate with your barcode at the Point of Sale. | ||||||
| Note: We also accept PayPal, checks or money orders. If using one of these payment methods, please download and complete an Order Form and include it with your payment. | ||||||
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| What happens after I complete my purchase? | |||||||||
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| In what format do I receive my barcodes? | |||||||||||||
| For your convenience, you receive your barcode graphic in three different formats so that your graphic artist, printing company, or manufacturing facility can work with the graphic in their preferred software. | |||||||||||||
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| When do I receive my EAN code? | |
| The turn-around time is often within an hour. All orders received before 4 p.m. Eastern Time on business days are completed the same day. Orders placed after 4 p.m. will be processed next business day. If you require RUSH completion, please call +1 404 885 6066 (worldwide) or 877-UPC-2060 (from USA & Canada) to make arrangements. |
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| How can I get help with putting my EAN code on my product? | |
| Providing the barcode image to your graphic artist and including it in the design of your packaging prior to manufacturing is the easiest and most economical way of getting your barcode on your product. If your product packaging has already been printed, you will need barcode labels. If you would like to order pre-printed barcode labels, please select this option when ordering your UPC code. If you have already completed your order, then click label printing to order labels. All orders received before 2 p.m. Eastern Time on business days are printed and shipped the same day. |
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| Can I print my labels in black and white? | |
| Barcodes do not have to be printed in black and white. For more information on the subject visit this great color guide. | |
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| What dimensions should my EAN code be? | ||||||||||
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| Width is much more important than height! The width influences the distance between the bars and how well the laser can distinguish between them. Simply Barcodes strongly recommends test-scanning any EAN code prototype produced by your manufacturing facility before going into mass production. (Please note that all of Simply Barcodes pre-printed barcode label orders are test-scanned and confirmed scannable by our equipment. Click here to learn more about our label printing service.) |
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| Does the barcode tell me (or others) in which country a product was manufactured? | |
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We are asked this question daily. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation on the internet and in e-mails that are going around. This happens especially frequently at times of product recalls or food safety scares. The truth of the matter is very simple: No, it is absolutely not possible to tell in which country a product has been made by looking at the barcode. We have put together a very detailed explanation of why this is not possible along with a recommendation on how you might tell where a product comes from here. |
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| What does "Official Site" in your advertising mean? | |
| We consider ourselves an official site because we supply individual EANs generated from never-before-used official EAN numbers that originated from the Uniform Code Council (UCC) and all of the barcode numbers we issue were grandfathered in before annual fees began and before the resale of these numbers was prohibited. This sets us apart from many other barcode vendors, who try to sell EANs that were issued AFTER the resale was prohibited, were leased, previously used, made-up from thin air, or created incorrectly. Hence, we are an official site to legally purchase EAN codes for outright ownership without annual fees. We are not the UCC or GS1 and do not claim to be, nor do we enter you in their or any other third-party databases. | |
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| What if I am selling to stores that require GS1 membership? | |
| In this case, we absolutely recommend that you go directly to GS1 to obtain your EAN numbers. Once you have obtained your prefix number from them, you can still return to us to have your digital EAN barcode images created using the GS1 numbers. You would also want to use our firm to have your master carton barcodes (SCC-14 codes) created. Large retailers generally require that you properly label your shipments with SCC-14 barcodes. | |
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| I am still not sure, is there an outside source where I can check to see that Simply Barcodes is legitimate? | |
| We understand with all of the confusing information available on the web that you might be concerned about legitimacy. Our company, in business for nearly 20 years, maintains an A+ rating with the BBB. All of our codes originate with the governing body, GS1 and never previously used. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff stands ready to answer your questions and do more than just sell you a barcode. We work with you to help your company successfully market your products. GEORGE J. LAURER, the inventor of UPC barcode, once highlighted Simply Barcode on his website as "The best company I have found to date." Industry expert Russ Adams also noted Simply Barcodes on his website. Our best reference, however, are our tens of thousands of satisfied clients in 134 countries worldwide. Click here read some of our many testimonials. |
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| I need to speak with someone who can help me? | |
| Our multilingual (English, German, Spanish, and Portuguese) customer service team welcomes the opportunity to speak with you about your unique situation. Call us now! +1 404 885 6066 (worldwide) or 877-UPC-2060 (from USA & Canada) Hours of operation, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. |
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"I have had nothing but positive experiences with Simply Barcodes. The turn time and barcode files have been wonderful. I always know who to turn to when the need arises."
Matt Wills
Torani -
“I am happy with my experience with Simply Barcodes. I own a digital printing shop and I was impressed with the ease of the process. All we had to do was order and that same day we were able to put the barcode in the packaging artwork. I did not have any problems.”
Ysabelle Roy
DIGIPUB
Port-au-Prince, Petion Ville, Haiti -
“It was so easy to get the barcode. The process was very simple. I received my barcode within one hour. In a matter of minutes we were able to use the barcode. I am happy with my experience with you.”
Michel Moore
LogInfo
Candiac, QC, Canada -
“We purchased codes from you previously and we expect to purchase another 10 codes from you within a year. Thanks for a great service.”
Judy Jui
Judy's Magic Mixes
Ontario, Canada -
“The process was quick and we received our barcodes the same day. We are very happy with your service.”
Ann Alari
Nemcom International OU
Surrey, Great Britain -
“It was a simple and easy process. I received my barcodes quickly. The service is efficient and friendly.”
Fiona Silk
Mind Candy
London, Great Britain
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