Product Identifiers

What are GTINs?
How Products Are Defined
How to Obtain a Product Code
How to Identify UPCs, ISBNs, and EANs
How to Find ASINs

Product pages in the Amazon.ca catalogue provide buyers with an ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) in the product details section and in the URL of the page itself. ASINs are used to reference catalogue data, track inventory for products, and index catalogue pages for search and browse.

However, the basis for accurate product page creation and product matching is product identifiers outside of the Amazon.ca system. For most product categories, sellers are required to use an industry-standard product identifier when creating new pages in the Amazon.ca catalogue. These product identifiers are part of a system called GTINs, or Global Trade Item Numbers.

The most common GTINs used to create Amazon.ca catalogue pages are UPCs, ISBNs and EANs. Universal Product Codes (UPCs), International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs), and European Article Numbers (EANs) are distinctive codes used to identify a particular item. Amazon uses these codes and numbers to identify the exact item you wish to sell.

What are GTINs?

Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) are unique and universal identifiers used internationally to find product information across databases. These codes are generally found above or below the bar code on the product packaging (or cover) of your item, and may vary in length.

• ISBN (International Standard Book Number): 10 digits or 13 digits
  
  
• UPC (Universal Product Code): 12 digits
  
  
• EAN (European Article Number): 13 digits
  
  
• JAN (Japanese Article Number): 13 digits

While these coding systems were developed in different industries and regions over time, they are currently standardized under the GS1 international system. ISBNs used by the book industry have been expanded to 13 digits to align them with the EAN system.  UPCs, which are used most commonly in the United States and Canada, are often considered to have 13 digits, with an extra leading zero (0).

How Products Are Defined

Whichever coding system is used, the general rule is that each unique product manufactured and sold to consumers must have a unique trade item number. However, it's important for Amazon sellers to understand the distinction made in retail trade between a product as a single item and a product as a "sellable unit".

Packs or Sets: For packages that include multiple quantities of the smallest sellable unit of a product, manufacturers are required to provide a distinct GTIN. In other words, a single pair of gloves will have one UPC and a 3-pack of the same gloves will have a different UPC. When creating pages for packs or sets, sellers should be careful to use the correct GTIN and enter the quantity of items contained in the package.

Bundles: Bundles are unique sellable units that include multiple different items that would each require a separate GTIN when sold separately. For most Amazon categories, sellers may not create their own bundles but they are allowed to sell manufacturer-defined bundles using the GTIN assigned by the manufacturer to the product bundle.

How to Obtain a Product Code

If you do not have the GTIN (UPC, IBSN, or EAN) for your product, please request it from the manufacturer. If you manufacture the product yourself, please visit the GS1 standards website for more information:

• http://www.gs1.org/barcodes

Sellers in Canada may instead go directly to one of these websites:

• For UPCs: http://www.gs1ca.org (GS1 Canada)
• For ISBNs, ISSNs and ISMNs (books, serial publications, and printed music):
  • http://www.lac-bac.gc.ca/isn (Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada)
  • http://www.banq.qc.ca (Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec)

How to Identify UPCs, ISBNs, and EANs

You will find the UPC, ISBN or EAN on the packaging and/or back cover of your item.

UPC
When entering a UPC, be sure to include the smaller numbers on the left and right sides of the bar code.

UPCs are found below the bar code:

ISBN
You may include hyphens when entering these numbers into Amazon.ca search boxes but don't include hyphens in the Book Loader or Inventory Loader "product-id" field. If a 10-digit or 13-digit ISBN ends with the letter X, be sure to include the letter.

ISBNs are located above the bar code:

EAN
When entering an EAN, don't include spaces or dashes between any of the 13 digits in the number.

EANs are found below the bar code:

How to Find ASINs

Amazon Standard Identification Numbers (ASINs) are unique blocks of 10 letters and/or numbers that identify items. You can find the ASIN on the item's product information page on Amazon.ca and in the URL for the page.

The quickest way to find your product's ASIN is to look in your browser's address bar. Copy the number that appears after the item name and "dp" in the address: