UPC, EAN and ASIN matching: avoid costly wholesale mistakes

Matching a supplier code to the wrong listing means that every number after it is wrong. Here is how to match with confidence.

How the codes relate

A UPC has 12 digits and is common in North America. An EAN has 13 digits and is used worldwide. A UPC becomes a valid EAN when you put a zero in front of it. An ASIN is an Amazon identifier, and one barcode can map to more than one ASIN.

Validate the barcode first

The last digit of every UPC and EAN is a check digit calculated from the others. If a code from a spreadsheet fails that check, a digit has been mistyped or lost. Our free UPC and EAN validator tests a code in a second.

Watch out for lost leading zeros

Spreadsheet software often drops leading zeros from long numbers. A 12-digit UPC starting with 0 can become 11 digits and match nothing, or worse, match the wrong product. Store barcodes as text, not numbers.

Check pack size and variations

• Compare the listing title and pack size with your supplier's description.
• Beware of multipacks and bundles that share a barcode with the single item.
• When a barcode returns several ASINs, check each of them.

Confirm before ordering

Open the listing, compare the images and the quantity with what the supplier sends, and only then order. Wholesale Analyzer converts between UPC, EAN and ASIN and shows the matched product beside each line so you can check it quickly.