Barcode number unauthorized sellers are companies that have bought barcode numbers off other companies and then try to on-sell the numbers.

GS1 has no relationship with these unauthorized sellers, so we can't provide guaranteed information about whether the unauthorized sellers are trying to sell you legitimate, authorised numbers.

We can't know if the barcode numbers they provide are unique against other numbers directly allocated by a GS1 organisation. Also we can't validate these numbers for eCommerce, as we have no means of tracing who the numbers have been assigned to. 

If you buy barcode numbers from a unauthorized seller you do so at your own risk. While all GS1 barcode numbers are legitimate when first created, as soon as a buys a number and on-sells it to you, that number is no longer managed by GS1. This means there is no guarantee that the number will remain unique - which can have significant consequences within the supply chain, particularly in labelling and track and trace. 

You can get unique, authorised GS1 barcode numbers from any GS1 member organisation around the world. If you're in Hong Kong, you can get barcode numbers from GS1 Hong Kong. First, you'll need to join GS1.

Each GS1 organisation provides GS1 standards and associated services - including GS1 Company Prefixes and GS1 Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs or barcode numbers) - to ensure that every one of the millions of barcode numbers in use around the world is unique.
 

When a GTIN allocated to a trade item SHALL NOT be reallocated to another trade item. This applies to ALL trade items, regardless of sector.
 

With the industry-driven change, the standard will help companies get unique product identification “right” from the start. Keeping product identification truly “unique” and persistent in both the physical and digital world is needed to support today’s omni-channel consumer experiences. Consistency across the physical and digital world is foundational to the future of commerce.

Trade items (and their associated data attributes) remain in digital/online paths to purchase far longer than they remain in physical-store supply chains. For example, in consumer-to-consumer marketplaces it can be decades. Therefore, GTIN non-reuse is critical in an omni-channel world.
 

1. Reduced consumer confusion in the market and in supply chain data exchange systems 
2. Increased transparency to the consumer 
3. Better brand visibility online 
4. Enhanced product traceability with uniqueness of product history
5. More efficient after-sale consumer uses of GTIN (Warranty, Maintenance, Repair) 
6. Improved sales analytics

Yes, the Standard applies to ALL trade items in the assigned packaging hierarchy, regardless of sector from 31 December 2018 onwards.

Today, products are often available for purchase both in-stores traditionally and online requires a valid GTIN for each product listing. It has led the industry to call off the decision of reuse individual GTINs in order to ensure that product identifiers are to be permanent and truly unique. In addition, some sellers have already been enforcing a policy of zero GTIN reuse.

As GTINs are unique and permanent—even in the digital world. Simply stated: products today can be traded “forever”, thus they need identifiers (such as the GS1 GTIN) which last “forever”. 
 

1. If a GTIN has been assigned to an item, which was then never actually produced, the GTIN may be deleted from any catalogue immediately without first being marked as discontinued. In this exceptional case, the GTIN may be re-used 12 months after deletion from the seller’s catalogue.
2. Trade items that have been withdrawn from the market and are reintroduced may use the original GTIN if they are reintroduced without any modifications or changes that require a new GTIN as specified by the GTIN Management Standard.