Amazon Barcodes Explained for FBA Sellers – ASIN, FNSKU, SKU, GTIN, UPC, EAN, and ISBN

Amazon Barcodes Explained for FBA Sellers – ASIN, FNSKU, SKU, GTIN, UPC, EAN, and ISBN

There are more than 2,500,000 sellers on Amazon, selling more than 12,000,000 products. Different suppliers ship inventory into 175 fulfillment centers, where it is stored and then delivered to millions of customers worldwide.

Amazon has built an enormous selling machine that has to deal with complexities on a whole new level and at a faster speed than ever. Have you ever asked yourself how Amazon knows what product belongs to which seller, where each product is stored, or how much stock each merchant has at any given moment?

A system that allows Amazon to identify and classify each product is absolutely fundamental, and that’s where barcodes come in. There are global barcodes that are used across industries and countries, and special barcodes that only Amazon uses. Let’s list all the various alphanumeric barcodes you’ll come across as an FBA seller on Amazon and see how Amazon uses each one.

Universal barcodes

In this section, we’re going to list barcodes that are used globally in many businesses and not just on Amazon.

GTIN = Global Trade Item Number

GTINs are global codes that allow organizations and authorities to identify products. GTIN codes include UPCs (Universal Product Code) and EANs (European Article Number) that manufacturers or sellers are obligated by law to put on their products.

GTINs can be purchased from authorized companies such as GS1.

UPC = Universal Product Code

UPCs are used on products that sell in brick and mortar stores and online around the world. Pick up just about any product in your home, and you’ll probably see a UPC on it or its package.

All around the world, there no two UPCs that are identical. Every UPC has 12 digits and is unique to just one product, so it is easy to identify that product when the barcode is scanned or looked up.

The law requires to add a unique UPC barcode for each product that you sell. But, if you have 500 units of the same product, you don’t need 500 different UPCs – you only need one, and that same one goes on each of the 500 units.

Keep reading below to find out if Amazon private label sellers require a UPC or not!

EAN = European Article Number

European Article numbers, aka International Article Numbers, or EAN barcodes, are similar to UPCs, except they have 13 digits instead of 12. A digit is added at the beginning of the EAN code signifying the country of issue or retail type. Just like UPCs, every EAN barcode is unique to one product.

ISBN = International Standard Book Number

Amazingly, when Amazon originally opened for business years ago, the site only sold books! So one of the first barcodes you would have found on Amazon at that time were ISBNs. A unique ISBN will be found in every published book worldwide.

Publishers obtain ISBNs for books they publish, and if you self-publish on Amazon, you will automatically be issued an ISBN for each book you publish on the platform.

Barcodes That Only Amazon Uses

Now, Amazon sells almost any product you can imagine and no longer only books. Therefore it’s not surprising that the company has created its own in-house barcodes – ASIN, FNSKU, and SKU. These Amazon-only barcodes are used for internal purposes such as inventory management, shipping, etc.

ASIN = Amazon Standard Identification Number.

An ASIN is automatically assigned to an Amazon listing when it is created. Hence many people refer to listings and ASINs or vice versa. ASINs are 10 alphanumeric digits long and always start with “B0”. ASINs are Amazon’s way of identifying a listing/product on their site.

FNSKU = Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit.

Amazon assigns an FNSKU to listings that are Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA). When sending in inventory to Amazon, every unit should have its FNSKU barcode on it. This is how Amazon knows that the incoming units are yours.

FNSKUs are also 10 alphanumeric digits long and always start with “X0”. If you are about to send inventory to Amazon and your FNSKU labels do not start with “X0” something is wrong, and you need to fix it ASAP to the correct barcode.

If you are an FBA seller, you will need to give the product’s FNSKU barcode (starting with “X0”) to your supplier so they can label each unit, or you can have it incorporated in your product’s packaging design.

SKU = Stock Keeping Unit.

SKU is the one identification number that you, as the seller, can choose. When creating a new listing (ASIN), you will be able to type in whatever you like in the SKU field. Type in a descriptive product name that will help you identify the product / that particular variation every time you see the SKU instead of a numeric code that’ll be difficult to remember and identify when you have many products.

For example, if you set up 3 color variations of a baseball cap, you’ll have to set a unique SKU for each variation. The SKU could include the color of a variation (something like {Product name} – {Color} – {Fulfillment type}). Only you will see the SKU, so don’t be worried that Amazon shoppers may see the name.

QuantifyNinja Tip: You should put a little bit of thought into what you write in the SKU field when creating a new listing. Once the SKU is created, it can’t be changed, and if you don’t enter an SKU, Amazon will randomly create one for your listing.

What Barcodes FBA and FBM Merchants Need to Use

Now that we know all of the barcodes that Amazon uses, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and see what barcodes merchants need to use and when.

Do Merchants Need a GTIN (UPC or EAN) to Sell On Amazon?

As a private label seller, you can create a new listing and sell your product on Amazon without having a GTIN.

You can get a GTIN exemption if you sell private label products on Amazon since these products do not require UPCs or EANs in order to be listed or sold on Amazon. you can apply for a GTIN exemption in your Amazon seller central account. Then, if Amazon grants you the GTIN exemption, you will be able to create new ASINs without having to enter a UPC, hurray!

QuantifyNinja Tip: Getting a new UPC and creating a new listing with a UPC is much quicker than getting a GTIN exemption. So, if you need to set up an ASIN fast, you may prefer to get a UPC!

When Do Sellers Need a UPC?

There are a few scenarios when sellers must have a UPC on their product:

1. Merchants must have UPCs when they sell their products outside of Amazon. For example, when they sell in brick and mortar stores, Shopify, WooCommerce, or any other channel that is not Amazon.
2. Products that are fulfilled by merchants (FBM) and not by Amazon (FBA) must have UPCs.
3. Products that are fulfilled by Amazon but did not get a GTIN exemption must have UPCs.

Do Sellers Need Different UPCs For Each Product Variation?

Yes, different variations require different UPCs.

If you have a product on Amazon with two or more variations (i.e., different color choices), then you need to get a unique UPC for each variation as if it was a completely new product. So, if you offer a blue baseball cap, a red baseball cap, or a green baseball cap, you will need three UPCs (one per color variation) that will allow Amazon to differentiate between the product variations.

What Barcodes Your FBA Products Have When You Ship Them to Amazon?

Amazon’s warehouses use FNSKUs instead of UPCs or EANs. So, if your FBA product has a UPC or EAN on it, cover them before shipping your inventory. Ensure only the FNSKU barcode is visible or Amazon inventory receiving workers could get confused; you don’t want any mishaps to occur with your precious FBA stock.

Do FBM Sellers Need FNSKUs On Their Products?

Products that are Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) and are never sent to Amazon’s fulfillment centers don’t need FNSKU barcodes. As we mentioned earlier, the purpose of FNSKU barcodes is to identify products while they are inside Amazon’s warehouses.