Frequently Asked Questions

1.What is a Barcode?
Barcodes, also referred to as UPC and EAN codes, are simply numbered-codes (12 or 13 digits in length) that, when logged with a retailer, allow for the tracking and monitoring of a product within their inventories.

2. How are Barcodes used?
When you have a product to sell, you will invariably take it to a retailer (e.g. Spar or even your local corner cafe). The retailer will usually request that you supply a barcode with your product so that when you register your product information with them they can simply link it to your barcode in their inventory system. Following this, every time that your barcode gets scanned at the teller, your product will be credited with a sale on their system. The barcode simply connects the one to the other. This system doesn’t apply to all products or even all retailers (some of whom may require additional Gs1 membership), however it does give you a good idea of how the system works in the general sense.

3. How many Barcode numbers do I Need?
You need a barcode for each different size, flavour, colour and variation of the product that you intend to sell. So, for instance, if you are selling yellow and green cushions in 2 different sizes you will require 4 separate barcodes. This is so that the retailer can keep track of the exact sales data of each of the 4 products and react accordingly. Therefore if your smaller-green cushions are selling at a faster rate than the others, they can order more of those to keep up with demand.

4. Will my Barcode work for any retail product?
Yes, all South African retail products (other than magazines and books) require the use of EAN or UPC barcodes. This means that all products from CD’s and kettles through to health-products and braai-vleis fall under the EAN and UPC system and, therefore, need barcodes. The only exceptions to this rule are books and magazines, which operate on a separate system call ISBN and ISSN. These are issued by the National Library of your country – however, we can go through the process of obtaining an ISBN or ISSN barcode number as well as design the barcode image for you!

5. Are there any stores who won’t accept my barcode?
At SA Barcodes, we are proud to offer  a very high rate of retailer acceptance. Our retail codes are valid for use in the vast majority of stores nationwide, and our customers stock products in more than 80 different countries around the world. That being said, however, please note that we can never guarantee acceptance in a particular store (due to changes that sometimes occur outside of our control). To be 100% safe, therefore, we do require that you always check that all is in order with your barcode at your desired retailer before you print your full run of product labels.

Food Lovers Market have informed us that they have recently upgraded their system, should you wish to stock your product with them, please contact our team and we will supply you with complimentary additional codes (in accordance with their new system). Please note that this offer is only available to existing customers.

Pick n Pay have informed us that they have upgraded to a new barcoding system, but have confirmed that in most cases our codes are still valid for manual insertion when required, however please check in advance before doing your print run. In some instances, you will require a GLN: we do not supply this, and that it can only be attained through formal GS1 membership. Generally, barcodes are manually linked onto the individual point of sale systems in retail stores when new products are introduced. With the new PNP system, called Datanet, the barcode numbers run off of a global database and the only way to be compliant with the Datanet system is by leasing your barcodes through GS1 or through manual insertion where applicable.

Amazon requires you to join GS1 directly if you wish to stock products on their marketplace, both locally and abroad. If you wish to supply Amazon, we are pleased to be able to supply low-cost stickers which you will be able to paste over your existing barcodes where required. These stickers are designed in accordance with their specific barcoding specifications.

With the above warnings in mind please note that we do have 1000’s of clients across Southern Africa successfully using our barcodes at a wide variety of stores, and we receive very few complaints relating to acceptance. 

6. Will my Bar Code work outside of South Africa?
Yes, our barcode numbers should work anywhere in the world where the UPC or EAN system is in place. This includes the US, Europe, UK, South America, Australia, Asia and most of Africa. Essentially, the whole of the ‘modern world’ makes use of this system within their retail sectors, so unless you plan to sell your product to a group of wild-ants on a deserted Pacific island, you should be good to go! Please note, though, that the same restrictions listed in Question 5 (above) apply to international store acceptance, so please always make sure that you check in advance.

7. Why are barcodes made up of so many lines?
The lines that you see on a barcode are actually a font that translates into the numbers that you will find at the bottom of the barcode. This is why when a barcode is damaged, the teller just types in the number in order to get the same result.

8. Is a barcode purchased from SA Barcodes registered to me?
Yes, your codes are registered on our national database which covers thousands of customers and tens of thousands of products, used across the country. Please note that you will not be registered on the GS1 database.

9. Will my barcode ever expire?
No. When you buy barcodes from us, they can be used for life, with no expiry date.

10. Are there any renewal Fees?
No, your purchase is once off and covers the lifetime of your product (i.e. 50+ years).

11. What is the difference between UPC-A and EAN barcodes and does SA Barcodes supply both?
Yes. The US and Canada use a twelve digit barcode system called UPC-A. Everywhere else in the world, including South Africa, uses a system called EAN. The two systems differ by one digit; with the UPC-A using 12 and the EAN using 13. We supply both versions with your order so that you may use your barcodes anywhere in the world. Modern barcode scanners read both EAN and UPC barcode numbers, so it’s really up to you and the stores you will be supplying which version you want to use.

12. Will my Bar Code be scannable?
As long as you print your barcode at a print quality of above 300dpi and using the correct dimensions as mentioned on our barcode sizing page, it will be able to be scanned. This is of importance when you have your labels/product packaging(if it includes your barcode images) or cd-covers printed. To assist you we supply you with a template that helps you choose the correct dimensions for your code.

13. Is there anything that I need to do after I receive the bar code from you?
No, other than to take your barcode number along with you when you go to register your product with a retailer. We don’t recommend bulk printing your labels until you have confirmed that your barcodes are working with your retailer.

14. Can I print my bar code in anything other than black and white?
Yes, but it is vital that you always allow for a high degree of contrast between the barcode and the background. You can go ahead and view our blog post on barcode sizing and colours for an in-depth look at the approved dimensions and colour variations. 

15. Is there a refund/returns policy for SA Barcodes?
Due to the nature of the product (i.e. web-based digital images), we regret that we are unable to offer a refund on purchases made beyond the mandatory 7-days, as per South African consumer law. Once the customer has received their barcodes, we are forced to mark those barcodes from our database as “used” in order to assure that duplication does not occur. Were we to accept refunds and returns, we would not be able to guarantee that the barcodes returned have not been used, hence our policy of no returns.

16. What dimensions should I use for my barcode?
If you don’t change the barcode images that we send you and print them at a resolution of at least 300dpi, they should be able to be scanned without any problems. However, for those that want to alter the images please note the following:
The standard EAN-13 and UPC barcode image that works in South Africa is 37.3mm wide x 25.9mm high. The smallest recommended size is 80% of that standard size (30mm wide). The largest recommended size is 200% of the standard size (74.6mm wide). Width is more important than height because barcode scanners need to be able to easily distinguish between the vertical bars on the image. At SA Barcodes we recommend doing a test scan of any EAN image before mass producing your product with its barcode attached. To find out more on this issue, please take a look at our “Sizing template and table” page.

17. Can I see what your barcodes look like?
Of course! You can download a sample barcode package over here.