Amazon systems are barcode-driven. Each unit you send to a fulfillment center requires a barcode so that it can be tracked throughout the fulfillment 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 Using manufacturer barcodes with FBA virtual tracking.
Any item that requires an Amazon barcode that arrives at a fulfillment center without one will be subject to an unplanned prep service fee. For more information, go to Unplanned services.
For additional information, view our video and PDF content:
When printing Amazon barcodes onto labels, make sure that the printed labels match the formatting of the Seller Central generated label:
If you are the product manufacturer or Intellectual Property owner and you want to print barcodes directly onto the product packaging, apply for your own GS1 standard UPC barcode.
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.
Amazon barcode labels will be printed immediately if you use a thermal printer. For laser printers, a PDF is generated that you can use to print labels with standard label paper.
In the Send to Amazon workflow, if your SKU requires Amazon barcodes (FNSKU labels) and you selected Seller as the labeling owner, click Print SKU labels in the Information/action column, and then apply the printed labels. You can also print all of the unit labels for a shipment by clicking Print all SKU labels at the end of step 1.
Unit labels can also be printed from View contents in each shipment card in steps 2 to 5 of the workflow.
When printing unit labels, you can choose standard formats or thermal printing format in the label printing pop-ups.
To print Amazon barcodes from Manage Inventory, follow these steps:
When you are ready to place barcodes on your products, make sure that you do the following:
The tools in your seller account are optimized 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 x 2 inches and 2 x 3 inches (1 x 3 inches or 2 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.
Problem | Description |
---|---|
Barcode missing | The item arrived without a proper barcode. |
Unit mislabeled | 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, or was printed on a reflective surface, making the barcode unscannable. |
Unit/Shipment preparation errors | One or more of the items in your shipment arrived with labeling, packaging and prep, or shipping requirement errors. |
For more information, go to Inbound performance summary.