The rule is simple and it surprises people: every version of a product that a shopper can buy separately needs its own GTIN. Counting this correctly before you buy saves money in both directions, because buying too few means going back, and buying a prefix you do not need costs an annual fee.
Count every version separately
Multiply out everything that makes two items different on a shelf.
- A t-shirt in three sizes and three colors is 9.
- Add three styles and it is 27.
- Add a three-pack as well as a single and it is 54.
- The same honey in 8 oz (227 g) and 12 oz (340 g) jars is 2, not 1.
A different flavor, a different size, a different count in the pack, a different color: each is its own product to a till, so each is its own number.
What does not need its own
- A new batch of the same product. That is a batch number, carried inside the code, not a new GTIN.
- A seasonal label change on an identical product.
- The same product sold through a different shop.
Tip. If a shopper could put both versions in the same basket and expect to be charged differently, they need different GTINs.
Then what
Buy a single GTIN if you have one or two products, because there is no renewal fee. Buy a company prefix when you have enough products that the per-number price works out cheaper, and bear in mind a prefix renews every year.
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