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.
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:
To print Amazon barcodes from Manage Inventory, follow these steps:
When printing Amazon barcodes onto labels, make sure that the printed labels include the following:
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.
When you are ready to place barcodes on your products, make sure that you do the following:
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.
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:
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:
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%.
The following problems related to product labels may appear in your Shipping Queue.
For more information, go to Inbound performance summary.