Use an Amazon barcode to track an inventory

Amazon systems are barcode-driven. Each unit you send to a fulfilment centre requires a barcode so that it can be tracked throughout the fulfilment process.

Products that don’t use a manufacturer barcode for tracking require an Amazon barcode. You can print Amazon barcodes from within your seller account and apply the barcodes yourself. If you don’t want to apply the barcodes yourself, you can sign up for the FBA Label Service and have Amazon apply the labels for you for a per-item fee.

For eligible products, you can use the manufacturer barcode to track your inventory. For more information, go to Use virtual tracking to commingle inventory.

Any item that requires an Amazon barcode but that arrives at a fulfilment centre without one will be subject to an unplanned preparation service fee. For more information, go to Unplanned services.

Important: Failure to comply with FBA product preparation requirements, safety requirements and product restrictions may result in the refusal of inventory at the fulfilment centre, disposal or return of inventory, blocking of future shipments to the fulfilment centre, or charging for preparation or for non-compliance at the fulfilment centre.

See our videos for additional information

Downloads

Packaging and shipping inventory to Amazon (PDF)
How to label products (PDF)

Print Amazon barcodes

You can print Amazon barcodes for your products from the Label products page when you create a shipment or at any time from Manage Inventory.

If you use a thermal printer, labels can be printed immediately. For laser printers which can be used to print labels, a PDF is generated using standard label paper.

To print Amazon barcodes from Label products, follow these steps:

Select the shipment that you want to work on from the Shipping Queue.
In the Items column, verify the number of each product that you want to send.
At the bottom of the page, click Print labels. For thermal printers, the labels will be printed automatically. For laser printers, a PDF will be generated using label paper.

To print Amazon barcodes from Manage Inventory, follow these steps:

Select the products in the left column.
Select Print item labels from the Action on selected drop-down menu.

Amazon barcode requirements

When printing Amazon barcodes onto labels, make sure that the printed labels include the following:

Sufficient white space around the Amazon barcode and related text: (0.25 inches on the sides and 0.125 inches on the top and bottom)
ASIN or FNSKU
Product name
Item condition

Note: Amazon barcodes that have been printed directly onto the product packaging must also meet these requirements.

If you are the product manufacturer or brand owner and you want to print barcodes directly onto the product packaging, apply for your own GS1 standard UPC barcode.

Label placement requirements

When you are ready to place barcodes on your products, make sure that you do the following:

Put the correct barcode on each item.
Cover all other visible barcodes, except for any serial number barcodes or Transparency authentication code labels.
Place the barcode on the outside of any prep materials.
Do not place the barcode on a curve or corner of the package.
Allow 0.25 inches between the edge of the label and the edge of the packaging.
Ensure that each item in a case pack has an Amazon barcode and that any barcodes on the case have been removed.

Important: Failure to follow label placement requirements can cause delays in processing and may result in unplanned prep service fees.

Printer requirements

The tools in your seller account are optimised for thermal printers. You can also use laser printers. Do not use inkjet printers to print Amazon barcodes.

Tip: Amazon Fulfilment Centres currently use Zebra GX430t model printers with a direct thermal setting.

Each label must be readable and scannable for 24 months. The following guidelines will help ensure that the label you print will not smudge or fade:

Periodically test your Amazon barcodes by scanning them.
Use a printer with a print resolution of 300 dots per inch or greater.
Periodically test, clean and replace your printer heads.

Label paper requirements

All Amazon barcodes must be printed in black ink on white, non-reflective labels with removable adhesive. Dimensions must be between 1 inch x 2 inches and 2 inches x 3 inches (1 inch x 3 inches or 2 inches x 2 inches, for example).

For laser printers, the tools in your seller account support the following label sizes:

21 labels per page (63.5 mm x 38.1 mm on A4)
24 labels per page (63.5 mm x 33.9 mm on A4, 63.5 mm x 38.1 mm on A4, 64.6 mm x 33.8 mm on A4, 66.0 mm x 33.9 mm on A4, 70.0 mm x 36.0 mm on A4, 70.0 mm x 37.0 mm on A4)
27 labels per page (63.5 mm x 29.6 mm on A4)
30 labels per page (1 inch x 2 5/8 inches on US letter)
40 labels per page (52.5 mm x 29.7 mm on A4)
44 labels per page (48.5 mm x 25.4 mm on A4)

If your printer attempts to scale the PDF print area when you print your labels, make sure that the printer scaling is set to None or 100%.

Common problems with inventory labels

The following problems related to product labels may appear in your Shipping Queue.

Barcode label missing: The item arrived without a proper barcode.
Unit mislabelled: The item arrived with a barcode that does not match the physical product.
Barcode cannot be scanned: The barcode was smudged or smeared, or the label was placed around a corner or curve, making the barcode unscannable.
Unit/shipment preparation errors: One or more of the items in your shipment arrived with labelling, packaging and prep, or dispatch requirement errors.

For more information, go to Inbound performance summary.

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