UPC code on labels?

[Coast]

I feel like an idiot asking this but here goes. Where does the UPC code come from for labels? Is it something the TTB adds on at label approval? Do I need to apply for it separately (as it seems with everything)?
Thanks in advance.

[MatthewS]

You need to order these yourself and then provide them to the TTB. Try this link or just doa search to find the best pricing.

http://www.upccode.net/?engine=MSN!111&match=broad&keyword=upc+codes

Good luck!

[Coast]

Holy cow! I was really thinking they assigned them. I can't believe you have to pay for them. Actually, yes I can believe it. I just don't like it.
There are so many companies, some seem scam like. Any other good recommendations?

[lhall]

Contact Jack Wright at Atlas Labels. He can walk you through it. You don't have to buy seperate labels, they can be printed on your bottle labels by your label printing company. You do have to register with the Uniform Code Council. The registration fee is based upon your annual sales, something like $750 for the first time registration and then $150 a year. Once you register they will assign you a company UPC prefix, and you finish the code with a unique number for each product.

GS1 (formerly Uniform Code Council)
1 866.648.0507

Atlas Labels
1 866.648.0507

[MatthewS]

We used GS1 and have been very happy.

Easy website to navigate and you can get assigned numbers right online.

[grs]

Is that what you're paying Linus? $750 initially then $150 per year? I went through GS1 and had to cough up approx. $1200 first year and then they give me a 'deal' on subsequent years - $950 or so...

[brewsoda]

We go through the UCC (united code council) and paid 750 initially and 150 annually after that. I wasn't aware there were so many options for purchasing bar codes.

[Coast]

This just seems crazy to me. We might bottle 6 beers over the next 2 years. I think purchasing individual barcodes might be the route for us. $750 fee and $150 a year for maybe 6 total sku's seems insane. There has to be a better way. Some of the single barcode companies seem like a scam and GS1 seems like a monopoly!

[BenCook]

I too use GS1. What software is everyone using to create the barcode file? My graphics guy wants the barcode in a vector file format.

-----------------------
Ben
Hangar 24 Craft Brewery

[brewsoda]

This just seems crazy to me. We might bottle 6 beers over the next 2 years. I think purchasing individual barcodes might be the route for us. $750 fee and $150 a year for maybe 6 total sku's seems insane. There has to be a better way. Some of the single barcode companies seem like a scam and GS1 seems like a monopoly!

With the fees we are paying to the UCC we are given barcodes to up to 100 products. We use a different barcode for each 4-pack and each bottle.

[Coast]

Right, so it sounds like you have a good many products. I'm talking maybe 6 for now (and they're 22 oz. so no 6-packs). I saw a site where I can buy 12 for around $300, no other fees or yearly premiums. But are they legit? Depends on who you ask. Who woulda thought this much about the lowly UPC code?!

[Capt. Bob]

Go through a reseller like http://www.buyabarcode.com. I purchased
6 for about $200. No annual renewal. GS1 is a sourse to use if you need hundreds of bar codes, not just a handfull. I would recommend buying
2 or three times what you may initially need so that they are in close sequence. Helps to more easily identify your stuff at the retail level.

Bob
Saint Somewhere Brewing

[Greenbrewmonkey]

Hello,

I think we went down this road before, but...

UCC / GS1 will give you a disk to generate the numbers. After paying the renewal fee for a few years, my dues lapsed. An oversight, I'm sure, but I had the disk, right? I could create as many numbers as I needed. They caught up with me a few years later and basically said I needed to pony up the last few years dues or they would somehow turn off my numbers. Meaning they would no longer scan at retail, and they may have mentioned legal action as well. I don't know if they could turn off the codes, but it was scary enough for me to pay up.

I had heard of folks just buying a code or two as needed for a one time fee, and asked about doing that rather than the annual fee. They told me they don't offer that service, and no one is authorized to resell codes. Period. And that if I knew anyone buying or selling codes I should notify them (GS1) immediately. I assume there would be some sort of ensuing legal action. I, of course, do not directly know of anyone doing this and so stated and quickly hung up the phone.

I don't know if the single codes one can buy are valid or not, you can pretty much buy anything you want over the Internet, but I would say the buyers of such non GS1 codes should beware, and be aware that they may not be valid, and that there may be ramifications of such.

I hate paying the $150 every year too, but with the price of hops these days I bet most people are spending more on a single batch of IPA than the GS1 fee that makes your beer scan friendly for an entire year.

Cheers,
Ron
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

[Sir Brewsalot]

Going scan un-friendly is also an option. It depends on who is selling your stuff and the number of packages you plan to move. If it's just sold across the bar at your place, save your money!

There is no legal requirement for bar codes.

Cheers,
Scott

[Coast]

Unfortunately, we can't sell at our place, SC Law tells me so
We went with a company and just bought 12 codes straight up, no renewel fees, etc....seemed like the way to go for us.
Thanks for all the recommendations!