Speedy Barcodes

[Georgeous]

Has anyone purchased barcodes from them? https://speedybarcodes.com/ these prices seem really good.

[MGL]

Why don't you register with GS1? That way you will skip the risk, headaches and future problems of buying random bar codes online.

[Huffy2k]

I used Nationwide Barcodes, they work great. We are not in any national chains or any other outlets that require official GS1 codes. If you're looking to cut costs, and most startup distilleries are not flush with cash, barcodes are a much better place than equipment/labels/etc to save a few bucks.  If Sam's Club picks up your product, you'll have enough money to change your labels to official barcodes then. Just my humble opinion...

[Georgeous]

MGL, I was thinking that but GS1 is $89 each plus annual maintenance seems pricey compared to speedy where I can buy 100 barcodes for $63 and may not need gs1 codes for several years. I am thinking a lot along the line of Huffy2k above if I get to that point then I buy them. I just want to know what most are doing and if any problems going this route.

[HedgeBird]

I am also using Nationwide Barcodes and have had a good experience.

[MGL]

1 hour ago, Georgeous said:

MGL, I was thinking that but GS1 is $89 each plus annual maintenance seems pricey compared to speedy where I can buy 100 barcodes for $63 and may not need gs1 codes for several years. I am thinking a lot along the line of Huffy2k above if I get to that point then I buy them. I just want to know what most are doing and if any problems going this route.

Where are you getting $89 each from?  I think the initial registration was a few hundred dollars, and the renewal each year is $100.  We have 1,000 bar codes available at any time which is quite handy since we need 50ml, 375ml, 750ml and 1 liter bar codes.  Also each case and pallet of those gets a bar code for each and every spirit.

So what are you going to do when Whole Foods wants to take your products in but you took the cheap route with bar codes?  Now you need to spend more money on a GS1 bar code, and you need to have all new cases and labels made with the GS1 codes?  If your business plan doesn't allow you to spend a couple hundred dollars on something as important as bar codes you might want to save yourself the hassle and just close up shop now.

[Thatch]

MGL is correct.  GS1 are the folks that keep track of each companies issued codes.  This way there is no overlap.  I have no idea what Speedy might be selling but I have written to AIM (Automatic Identification Manufacturers) to see what their take on this is.  Each company the world over that is a subscriber to GS1 has its own unique company identifier and block of product numbers which they are free to assign to their products.  I'll post whatever response I get.  

 

[Huffy2k]

Guess that's it Hedgebird, we should probably just close up shop now. It's been fun, good luck to you in your next endeavour.

Sarcasm aside, every startup is different with different levels of funding, different growth objectives, etc. To summarily dismiss those that choose a different option is silly without knowing a bit more about their business.

[Thatch]

Well, you learn something new every day.  This was written by a friend familiar with the company and barcodes in general.

"They are working within a loophole created by a class action lawsuit.

 

Anyone that owns a barcode prefix that was issued by GS1 (formally known as the Uniform Code Council or UCC) prior to August 28, 2002, can legally subdivide the prefix and sell the numbers randomly in smaller quantities. 

 

They buy the prefixes from people not using them and then resell product numbers."  

 

[MGL]

This is a cheap option that could directly impact sales and it's only a few hundred dollars.

Just having to throw away a few rolls of labels could cost more than the difference of using GS1.

[Georgeous]

(100) UPC Assignments Total Fee: $1000

Price: $250.00

Note: The total fee for 1-100 UPC barcode assignments is $1000. The GS1 Barcode Service Fee ($250) is due now and the $750 GS1 Membership fee is paid directly to GS1 US during application processing.

[Georgeous]

Does the above include actual barcodes? I don't get it $250 Barcode Service Fee then $750 GS1 Membership Fee, so what about the actual barcodes? This is for 100 barcodes

 

[Georgeous]

So MGL who did you go through to buy your barcodes? did you do all directly through gs1?

[bluefish_dist]

As I understand the bar code industry, you used to do a single purchase of codes.  Companies did this and are now reselling them.  Now the industry has changed to a subscription model since the sell once model has no long term cash flow.  If you buy from gs1 now you have to pay a yearly fee to keep the codes active.  While more expensive you get your own codes and the data for the code is in the gs1 database. 

[MGL]

1 hour ago, Georgeous said:

So MGL who did you go through to buy your barcodes? did you do all directly through gs1?

I have used GS1 from the start.

[MGL]

4 minutes ago, bluefish_dist said:

As I understand the bar code industry, you used to do a single purchase of codes.  Companies did this and are now reselling them.  Now the industry has changed to a subscription model since the sell once model has no long term cash flow.  If you buy from gs1 now you have to pay a yearly fee to keep the codes active.  While more expensive you get your own codes and the data for the code is in the gs1 database. 

Correct.

The GS1 database is the major reason to use it.

[Thatch]

In my other life I have been in the barcode business from the industrial side for 35 years.  I have many contacts in the business and here are their comments.  Their names have been deleted.  Many of these folks have been involved in barcodes since day one.

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I bought one of the numbers then looked it up on GEPIR.  My number was originally part of a block owned by XXX.  Apparently, this company bought its number from UCC back when it only required a one-time payment, consequently it is not dependent on annual renewals for validity.

In any event, I would imagine that GS1 would not be too thrilled with Speedy Bar Code. 

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It is truly amazing how much history gets lost as us retired firemen get farther from the front lines.

The UCC issued their prefixes with a lifetime, one time fee.  After they merged with EAN to become GS1 their experiment with the dot com business model failed and in an effort to recover their losses GS1-US tried to switch and charge previous prefix holders dues.  Several long time UCC members sued.

They were successful and GS1-US stopped sending invoices to their members.

Thus the long time UCC members did not and do not have to join GS1-US again.  They are members by right of their previous membership in the UCC.  GS1-US cannot rescind the prefixes previously issued.

As for selling individual UPCs – That is a practice that has gone on for decades.  I recall there were a number of other who did as well.  The prefix I bought is 8 digits long, so theoretically I could sell 10,000 UPCs (each 12 digits long), or even more fun I could go with GTINs at 14 digits and sell a million of them.

This is nothing new.

My advice to any potential purchaser would be caution – as long as this outfit does what is promises and does not reissue a number, then you are pretty much safe.  GS1 membership does have some advantages, in that they keep you updated on changes and how to implement their system.  At one time you could not get the General Specification without paying for it.  New GS1-US members got it free and the old UCC members were told to pay to for it.  Now it is free and available online without charge or restriction.  If you are inclined to read the GENSPEC and follow the changes then GS1-US membership for the really small manufacturers does indeed make no sense.

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This activity is legal and dates back to the early 2000’s. Basically those organizations who purchased barcode numbers prior to August 28, 2002 owned these barcode for life…they became part of the organization’s assets. The company could keep them or sell them. These folks were grandfathered into the current way GS1 US is conducting business. If you were to purchase the barcodes today, you would pay an annual licensing fee to GS1 US. Basically the numbers being sold on Speedy Barcodes are probably those that organization bought because the original purchaser wasn’t doing anything with the.  

 

Details:  https://www.barcodestalk.com/ucc-settlement

 

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Essentially they are hocking GTIN's (not UPCA's) using a GS1 US company prefix's that they have licensed.  This practice is not approved and is not recommended.

Many new companies are unaware that they need to obtain a Company Prefix directly from GS1 US.  There are online firms offering individual UPC’s. Many of these UPC barcode resellers are preying on the lack of understanding by many small new businesses. Common claims are “Our UPC’s originate with the GS1”, “Official UPC codes”, or “Authentic and Unique UPC barcodes”. Before you take a chance with your company’s future, we encourage you become educated on the actual requirements and processes required to properly mark your items and shipments. This alternative might work for your situation, but you should be fully informed of potential limitations.

 

The barcodes being sold from Speedy do not meet GS1 US standards and depending on their purpose they may be unusable.  For instance, you could not mark food with them and sell the food to Krogers.  You could probably mark food and sell it through a small store operation.  It is not recommended and we at AIM Global should not encourage this practice.  

[CalwiseSpirits]

I purchased my barcodes off of Speedycodes. If I recall correctly they do something to try and ensure that the codes they give you aren't being used anymore. I've has my spirits on the market for about two years now, selling through chains, with no issues. 

[BarCodesTalk]

On 12/6/2017 at 10:59 AM, Thatch said:

In any event, I would imagine that GS1 would not be too thrilled with Speedy Bar Code. 

Since GS1 sold barcodes outright prior to 2002, they have no say, legal or otherwise, regarding these barcodes or what their owners do with them. You are right that GS1 is not happy that their monopoly was thwarted by legal barcode-prefix owners coming together to defend their rights in that class action lawsuit. 

On 12/6/2017 at 10:59 AM, Thatch said:

 

As for selling individual UPCs – That is a practice that has gone on for decades.  I recall there were a number of other who did as well.  The prefix I bought is 8 digits long, so theoretically I could sell 10,000 UPCs (each 12 digits long), or even more fun I could go with GTINs at 14 digits and sell a million of them.

The only prefixes that were issued and thus could legally be owned prior to 2002 were full prefixes, 6 digit prefixes to be exact. If a prefix was subdivided (more then 6 digits) it was issued post August 28th 2002 and being licensed,  property of GS1 and must be renewed annually. 

On 12/6/2017 at 10:59 AM, Thatch said:

Essentially they are hocking GTIN's (not UPCA's) using a GS1 US company prefix's that they have licensed.  This practice is not approved and is not recommended.

If a company tried to "re-license" a prefix that they themselves were licensing from GS1 (post 2002) this is a violation of their contract and opens them up to legal damages. The only GTINs on earth that can be legally owned are the "legacy" pre-2002 barcodes from The GS1-USA/UCC class action suit.

There are many bad actors out there playing on newcomers ignorance, they will all disappear and we will keep on helping new businesses get the barcodes they need, year after year. 

On 12/6/2017 at 10:59 AM, Thatch said:

The barcodes being sold from Speedy do not meet GS1 US standards and depending on their purpose they may be unusable.  For instance, you could not mark food with them and sell the food to Krogers.  You could probably mark food and sell it through a small store operation.  It is not recommended and we at AIM Global should not encourage this practice.  

While we cannot speak for every aspect of speedy, the premise of what they advertise (selling only pre 2002 GTINs) is valid and correct. This is the only way one can own a GTIN, it must be from GS1-USA prior to 2002, anything less is illegal and fraud. 

As for the statement about Kroger, this is an incorrect premise, Kroger helped found GS1 and still runs GS1 to this day. Because of this close connection/symbiosis you cannot sell in Kroger without renting your GTINs, despite the class action suit/settlement. This is an internal rule of theres due to their decades of growing GS1 into what it is today. 

While Kroger is not alone, they are by far the exception to the rule. Almost all stores globally accept GS1 GTINs and do not care whether or not you own them or are renting them. We have an updated list of stores, like Kroger, that either sit on the board of, or help govern GS1 here: https://support.barcodestalk.com/en/support/solutions/articles/16000020092-will-my-bar-code-work-in-every-store- 

Hopefully this information helps, our goal is to educate and clear the myths surrounding GTINs and ownership.

 

Bar Codes Talk Team