Use an Amazon barcode to track 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 do not 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 do not 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 more information, see FBA Label Service.

For eligible products, you can use the manufacturer barcode to track your inventory. For more information, see Use the manufacturer barcode to track inventory.

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

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 the Manage Inventory page.

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

To print Amazon barcodes, do the following:

1. Select the shipment that you want to work on from the Shipping queue page.
2. Click the Label products tab.
3. Verify the number of each product that you want to send.
4. At the bottom of the page, click Print labels for this page. For thermal printers, the labels will be printed automatically. For laser printers, a PDF will be generated for use with label paper.

To print Amazon barcodes from Manage Inventory, do the following:

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

Amazon barcode requirements

Amazon barcodes must remain scannable for a minimum of 24 months. Following the printer and label requirements will help ensure the longevity of your Amazon barcode.

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

• Sufficient white space around the Amazon barcode and related text (6.4mm on the sides and 3.2mm on the top and bottom)
• ASIN or FNSKU
• Product name
• Item condition

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. For more information, see GS1.

Label placement requirements

All other barcodes on the package must be covered, including the manufacturer barcode. Failure to do so can cause delays in processing and may result in unplanned prep service fees.

• 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 6.4mm 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 any barcodes on the case have been removed.

Printer requirements

The tools in your seller account are optimized for thermal printers. You can also use laser printers. Do not use ink jet 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:

We also recommend that you:

• Periodically test your Amazon barcodes by scanning them
• Use a printer with a print resolution of 300 DPI 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 of the label must be from 25.4 x 50.8mm up to 50.8 x 76.2mm. For example, you could use a label that is 25.4 x 76.2mm or 50.8 x 50.8mm.

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

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

Guidelines for printing package labels

Learn how to print product labels and label your products, and make sure that the labels can be scanned. Learn about the most common errors to avoid in labelling products.

Each unit that you send to Amazon for fulfilment requires a unique scannable barcode to enable storage at a fulfilment centre. If you have a barcode on a unit that is not unique (for example, if you have the same barcode for a product that comes in many colours or sizes) you must apply a unique UPC, EAN, or FNSKU label printed from your Seller Central account.

Label requirements

When shipping inventory requires labelling, you can print labels within the shipping workflow. If you have already created your shipment, you can access the shipping workflow from the Shipping queue.

The online inventory management tools support the following label sizes:

• 21+ labels 63.5mm x 38.1mm on A4
• 24+ labels 63.5mm x 33.9mm on A4
• 24+ labels 64.6mm x 33.8mm on A4
• 24+ labels 66.0mm x 33.9mm on A4
• 24+ labels 70.0mm x 36.0mm on A4
• 24+ labels 70.0mm x 37.0mm on A4
• 27+ labels 63.5mm x 29.6mm on A4
• 40+ labels 52.5mm x 29.7mm on A4
• 24+ labels 66.0mm x 35.0mm on A4
• 30+ labels 1" x 2-5/8" on US Letter

Printing labels

When you print your labels, make sure that your print settings do not scale the image or make it smaller to fit within the printable area. By default, many printers will try to scale PDF files to fit within the printable margins. This will cause the labels to be misaligned when printed. Depending on your printer and the software you are using, you should be able to set the scaling to “none” or 100%. Some printers might refer to this as “size to fit” or “print to fit.” If you are unable to locate printer settings and the labels are misaligning, we recommend contacting the printer manufacturer’s technical support department, or seeking support locally for additional assistance.

Label elements

Each product label contains the following elements:

FNSKU:

An identifier used by Amazon fulfilment centres to identify each unique item. Multiple SKUs can have the same FNSKU assigned to them. This is the identifier that is printed on product-level labels, and this is how Amazon identifies every item you send to us.

Name:

Title of the book or name of the item.

Condition:

Describes the condition of this item. Make sure you use one of the pre-defined condition types for Amazon. Go to Condition types integration for a list of conditions and their descriptions.

Label requirements

After you print the product labels, affix them to the units and then pack the units for shipment. Follow these guidelines to ensure prompt and accurate labelling of your units:

Cover any original barcodes

For products that require Amazon barcodes, you must apply a barcode to each unit of the product and cover any existing barcodes. When applying a barcode label, cover the original manufacturer barcode (UPC, EAN, ISBN). Failure to cover these barcodes can cause errors in receiving and may result in misplaced inventory. Do not cover any serial number barcodes which uniquely identify the item (for example, IMEI barcodes on mobile phone packaging). If the proximity of multiple barcodes prevents you from applying a label without obscuring the serial number barcode, then place the item in a transparent poly bag and apply the Amazon barcode to the outside of the bag. Serial numbers must also be clearly visible as Amazon may record them. Obscured serial number barcodes may result in unplanned prep fees or classifying the item as unsellable.

Label each unit before sending it to Amazon

Make sure that the label matches the corresponding unit. This ensures that your merchandise can be received, stocked, and sold.

Use a laser printer for your labels

Inkjet printers are more susceptible to smearing and blurry images making the labels difficult to read or scan. Amazon recommends using a high-speed model designed specifically to print large numbers of labels. A desktop printer can also work well. For supported printers and labels, check the software that you're using to manage your inventory.

Requirements for printing barcodes directly on product packaging

Printing the barcode directly on items:

To print the barcode directly on an item, use the barcode UCC-128 standard, which is available on the Internet. Amazon uses barcode UCC-128 (font) to encode the FNSKU or the shipment

If you are the product manufacturer or brand owner and you want to print barcodes directly

ID in the barcode. We don’t use any leading or trailing digits (application identifiers or checksum digits). The full specification is UCC128 code set A (this is the code set that supports alphanumeric data). If you are building the barcode from scratch, you can follow the UCC-128 standard or buy software for the purpose (there are many barcode applications available for free or at reasonable prices).

The following errors will slow down the process by which Amazon can process your items and make them available for sale:

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 either 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 shipping requirement errors.

Product label missing information

missing barcode, FNSKU, title

Product not on website – unknown title

Listing needs to be created

Item does not match what is in catalogue

Wrong binding, version, edition

Item not part of shipment/PO

More units shipped than expected

Overage

Brand Registry

If the products you sell are registered through Amazon Brand Registry, you may request an exemption from labelling requirements for units for which you are the brand owner. If you are not registered through Amazon Brand Registry, you will not be granted a labelling exemption without a compelling reason.