FAQ

What is a barcode?

A barcode is a globally unique number that identifies products when scanned at checkout. Having a barcode on your product enables retailers to effiently manage stock levels and record sales figures in thier inventory systems.

Do I need a barcode?

Almost every retailer today require barcodes on products for organising their pricing, ordering, sales figures, point of sale and inventory. A UPC/EAN 13 number is a common requirement on all products in a retailer’s inventory. Having a valid barcode ensures your product can reach the widest market available.

I have x product variations. How many barcodes should I get?

Product variations such as size and colour each require a unique barcode. For eaxmaple a sweater that comes in three sizes will need a barcode for each size. If the sweater comes in five colours each colour variant needs its own barcode number.

How do barcodes work?

When supplying products to a retailer you’ll complete a product information form linking your product and company details to the unique barcode number. The store will transfer your information into their sales and inventory systems thus allowing your product to be scanned at point of sale and monitored by stock tracking software.

Will all retail stores accept my barcode?

Barcodes Saver’s codes come from the UCC, the same system as GS1. The vast majority of retail stores within Hong Kong and globally accept our barcodes. However, we always encourage you to contact retailers you intend to stock and make enquires about their barcode policies before making a purchase with us.

Why buy from Barcode Savers?

Registering with GS1 HK is overwhelmingly expensive for small business owners and traders. GS1 requires the payment of initial membership fees plus ongoing yearly subscription charges.  These costs total hundreds and thousands of dollars even when you’re simply purchasing a single barcode.

Our barcodes originate with GS1’s predecessor the Uniform Code Council and pre-date annual licencing fees.  Therefore when you purchase from us there are no subscription charges.

Will my barcode be unique to my product?

Your barcode is totally unique and only linked to your product. All barcodes sold by Barcode Savers originate from GS1 (formerly UCC) and are guaranteed to be unique. All our barcodes are supplied with a certificate of authenticity garunteeing thier uniqueness.

Do barcodes store or encode information?

The only infomation encoded in the bars is the unique number.  The number is a unique identifier that’s assigned to your item used to recall product informaton. They do not store information as such.

Will my barcode expire?

No. Only GS1 requires an annual payments to maintain barcode numbers.  Our barcodes were issued by the Unifom Code Council prior to the introducion of GS1 annual fees and are not subject to them. Numbers purchased from Barcode Savers HK never expire. They are yours for life with no subscription fees.

Do you charge any annual fees?

The Global Standards Body (GS1) requires you to pay yearly fees to keep your barcodes active. If you’re only looking for barcodes for a small number of items the costs accociated with GS1 memebership can be staggering. Barcode Savers have secured large quantities of genuine UPC numbers in bulk and charge a once off fee. You remain the sole owner of your numbers and they do not carry annual fees or hidden costs.

Do you provide ITF-14 carton codes and other barcode formats?

We offer ITF-14 barcodes and many other formats as part of our Custom Orders service. Please contact us if you require carton codes to accompany your product codes.

How do I get a Barcode?

Visit our purchase page, select your barcode package and begin assigning them to your products. Please ensure you have read our conditions of sale before making a purchase with us.