Barcodes and Labels

Today, I walked through the process for buying the rights to use UPC stickers on our products. I spent 15 minutes reading the history of bar codes (they were credited to be developed by IBM), an hour reading the explanation of the process to being issued a UPC and guidelines for usage and then 45 minutes filling out the online form for being issued a code for our Geester Cards.

Now, I could have hired a broker who would have issued me pre-purchased codes at an inflated rate; it would have cost almost $900.00 for 10 codes verse $760.00 + renewal fees for 100. Buying these codes would help KBD gain access to new market places and allow retail outlets to easily track their Geester Card inventory.

As a small business, when do you decide to pull the trigger on such an investment? This investment will help us move from revenue generated mainly from weekend sales to boutique and retail outlets. Interestingly enough, Amazon.com is who made me think of UPC's.

I looked at Amazon today, wondering what you need to do to sell with them. They require UPC codes. We are registered with federal, state and county governments, have a DB number and a couple of other registrations. I never thought the price of admittance to a market would start with a UPC purchase.

If you have a product in need of UPC's start here:
http://barcodes.gs1us.org/dnn_bcec/Default.aspx

Then, once you have made your decision contact Kate to create labels that can incorporate your logo and product information in a way that conforms to the guidelines for barcode usage.