1) What is EAN?
EAN originally stood for "European Article Number," though it has since been re-termed "International Article Number." It refers to the bar code system used outside of Canada and the United States. Each of the code is unique and it is a product identification number. Each item or product is labeled uniquely; therefore every single item in a store will have one EAN code. Sometimes, UPC Code is used instead of EAN Code especially in countries like America and Canada. In these countries UPC code is widely accepted across all retail stores for all their products. These codes are worldwide accepted across all retailing outlets.
2) How Do EAN Bar Codes Work?
People need EAN Codes to sell their products online or in any retail store. If an individual needs to sell online via Amazon, Google, Yahoo, Ebay etc, the person has to buy UPC codes or EAN codes.
These codes can be bought online easily. The customer can do the payment online and the codes are sent across email immediately.
After buying the codes, customers have to register the codes on the particular website where they need to sell their product. Once registered the code is available to the customers and will not be used by any other product on the website. So, for any customer it is very easy to tag their products with this unique identification number – EAN code. Customers are just a few clicks away from identifying their products with unique code.
3) If I Already Have an EAN do I Need to Purchase a UPC?
If you already have an EAN bar code and you plan to sell your product outside Canada or the United States, you don’t need anything else.
If you plan to sell your product within Canada or the United States, you should be able to do so with an existing EAN. In 2005, American retailers were scheduled to adjust their systems to recognize EANs as well as UPCs; however, not all retailers complied. To be certain, we recommend contacting the store in advance or just purchasing a new UPC.
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