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Third-party sellers on Amazon have been able to leverage the online retailing juggernaut’s marketing and logistics capabilities to help expand their businesses. More than half of all online product searches begin on Amazon, and small businesses that want to quickly ramp up an e-commerce presence can take advantage of a number of tools on the site to help do so without a big investment in technical resources or third-party logistics capabilities.

Using Amazon’s online resources requires vendors to follow Amazon labeling and barcoding guidelines. Amazon’s entire supply chain is barcode driven, and each vendor has to use barcoded labels that they apply themselves. Conversely, Amazon’s FBA Label Service can also apply the labels for a fee. In some cases, existing manufacturer barcodes may also be eligible for use by Amazon. Any item that arrives at a fulfillment center without a barcode label will be subject to an unplanned preparation service fee.

Amazon also offers an option to print Amazon barcodes from its Label Products page when a shipment is created. Amazon labeling can be used whether the merchant is sending the product to an Amazon fulfillment center or if they are shipping direct to a customer via the Amazon Seller Fulfilled Shipping model.

Amazon Labeling Specs

Amazon labeling must meet the following requirements:

  • Amazon Barcode Requirements: The labels must include sufficient white space around the barcode and related text (25 inch on the sides and 0.125 inch on the top and bottom). They also need to include the SKU number or ASIN, as well as the product name and item condition. Product manufacturers that want to print barcodes directly on their product packaging should apply for their own GS1 standard UPC barcode.
  • Label Placement Requirements: When labeling items, sellers should put the correct barcode on each item. All other visible barcodes should be covered, except for serial number barcodes. The barcode should be placed on the outside of any prep materials, but it should not be placed on a curve or corner of a package. In addition, sellers should allow a 0.25-inch space between the label edge and the packaging edge, and ensure that each item in a case pack has an Amazon barcode.
  • Printer Requirements: Labels can be generated using laser printers, but the tools in the Amazon system are optimized for thermal printers. (The company has indicated that sellers should not use ink jet printers for these labels.) Labels must be readable and scannable for 24 months. The printer should have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Users should regularly test and clean printers, as well as replace the print heads, and barcode labels should be tested by scanning.
  • Label Paper/Media Requirements: Amazon requires that all barcode labels be printed in black ink on white, non-reflective labels with removable adhesive. The labels should be between 1-inch by 2-inches and 2-inches by 3-inches. Seller account tools on Amazon include support for a variety of label sizes.

Companies that fail to provide a barcode label, mislabel products, provide smudged/smeared labels, or other problems, risk shipping delays and fees.

Amazon Transparency Labeling

Amazon has also implemented a new, item-level tracing service that empowers vendors to protect their brand and their customers from counterfeit. Vendors simply need to enroll their products in Transparency, apply the codes to their products, Amazon fulfillment centers scan Transparency codes to ensure only authentic units are shipped to the customers, and then customers can use the Transparency app to authenticate units regardless of where they purchased.

Amazon labeling requirements are not complex, but may differ from the requirements of other shippers and partners that small merchants work with. Managing these label requirements can be automated (and made much easier) by utilizing label management tools like Seagull Scientific’s BarTender software. Not only does the software allow companies to easily manage label design and template creation, but also provides automatic print, Web printing, enterprise printing, and sequential number features. This can save time and reduce errors.

Need more help with you Amazon compliance labeling program? Contact Imprint Enterprises about their wide range of print and apply solutions.