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What is an EAN?

The designation EAN is an abbreviation for European Article Number , translated as European Article Number. The aim is the clear identification of articles in retail.

What is the GTIN?

The EAN was renamed GTIN in 2009 and is an abbreviation for Global Trade Item Number , i.e. Global Trade Item Number. EAN and GTIN are identical in their handling and use.

What do I need an EAN or GTIN for?

In order for a product to be clearly identifiable in retail, it must be provided with an EAN13 barcode. When the item is scanned at the checkout, it is ensured which item it is and the stored price is determined.

Where do I get my EAN or GTIN from?

You must purchase the EAN. Since the EANs must not be assigned twice, there is a central issuing office - the GS1. After registering your company, you can acquire number ranges from this registration office, which are then assigned to your company.

For example, you sell three different types of coffee that you want to sell in your local supermarket. To avoid confusion at the checkout, the EAN13 barcode on your coffee packaging must be unique, i.e. no other product may have the same barcode printed on it.

For this reason they cannot "think up" a number, since the cheese seller in the neighboring village could have the same idea. You must therefore purchase a number range of three EANs.

Can I also buy the number range from barcode-generator.de?

No, we only come into play once you have purchased this number range.

GS1 is pretty expensive, is there a cheaper way?

Yes, no and maybe.
Let's get to the "yes" first:

• if you have bought your number range, you can have your barcode generated free of charge on our site - with high print quality and fully compatible with retailers. That means you don't need to pay anywhere for the digital generation of your barcode.
• if you need stickers for your products, you can buy them from us very cheaply. Simply send us an inquiry with your desired circulation and we will send you a non-binding offer.

Now for the "maybe":

• In the past, some business people bought large number ranges from the GS1 and then resold them in small packages at low prices. The GS1 prohibits this according to your terms and conditions.
• there are also sites on the web where you can buy EANs. For example, google "buy ean" and you will find alternatives to the GS1. We cannot judge whether this is 100% legal.

But what we can at least give you as an indication: we have never received feedback from the barcodes delivered to our customers that something would not work or that the retail trade has rejected the number.
As a very small tip: we work a lot with large food manufacturers and know from experience how restrictive the GS1 can be (a look at the GS1 board of directors shows which way the wind is blowing). So you should at least remain flexible when it comes to replacing the EAN that may become necessary at a later date.

What is EAN13 as opposed to EAN?

EAN13 is the name of the barcode used to represent the EAN data. This means your EAN is printed on your products in the form of an EAN13 barcode.

Can I have my EAN13 barcode generated or printed at barcode-generator.de?

You can generate your barcode free of charge on our website and use it commercially. You don't need to ask again, yes, use is always and permanently free of charge.
We are also happy to print your barcodes on rolls in our own printing shop. We are happy to offer you runs of 1000 to 500,000 labels at a reasonable price.

Do I also need EANs for Amazon?

If you have your goods shipped from the Amazon warehouse, your items must be clearly identified. You can either achieve this by registering an EAN, or you can have Amazon assign you an Amazon number when you create your item in the Amazon portal.

Do you have any further questions?

Click on the speech bubble at the bottom right or send us an email to info@codexpress.net, we're happy to help.