Product UPC

Overview

A Universal Product Code (UPC) is a 1-dimensional barcode displayed as a series of black bars and white spaces corresponding to a 12-digit number. Each digit in the UPC number is represented by a unique pattern of bars and spaces. UPCs are printed on retail packaging to simplify scanning, identifying, and tracking products.

While UPCs are prevalent in the US, Canada, and many other countries, some regions may use slightly different barcode standards, like the European Article Number (EAN) system, which is an extension of the UPC and is used internationally. 

Some sales channels require products to have a UPC. For example, Amazon needs barcodes to be in UPC or EAN format. UPCs are often used in Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), allowing seamless communication. 

With Sellercloud, you can:

• Add a single UPC for your SKUs to use across multiple channels
• Set different UPCs per channel for specific channels
• Validate your UPCs’ accuracy and prevent duplicates
• Use UPCs when posting or printing Product Labels

UPC Validation

With UPC validation enabled, when you assign a UPC to a product, Sellercloud will verify that it:

• Is between 12-15 characters.
• Is not assigned to a product in the same Company. You can assign existing UPCs to products under other companies.
• Is valid by checking the last digit, known as the “check digit”, confirming the UPC’s accuracy with a special algorithm.

To enable the UPC validation workflow:

1. Go to Client Settings.
2. Toggle the Advanced button.
3. Search for UPC.
4. Select Security.
5. Check Enable UPC Validation.
6. To allow duplicate UPCs for Independent Kit parents, check Enable UPC Validation – Individual Kit Override. This is necessary because Independent Kit parents are recognized as separate products from their components, while they physically consist of the same products with the same UPCs.
7. Click Save.

Manage UPCs

You can assign UPCs manually per product or in bulk.

Assign Individually

To assign a UPC to product:

1. Go to a Product Details Page.
2. Click Edit.
3. In the Identifiers panel, update the UPC field.
   
4. Click Save.

Assign In Bulk

To bulk-upload UPCs:

1. Go to Catalog > Tools > Import Product Info.
2. With Bulk Product Update selected, click Generate Template on the right.
   
3. Select Create New Template and click Next.
4. Choose a Format and click Next.
5. In the Add Columns To Template menu, select UPC and click Next.
   
6. Optionally, check Save Template and give it a Name.
7. Click Download.
8. Update the template file with your products’ SKUs and UPCs and save it.
9. Click File to select the updated file from your device.
10. Click Upload.

Assign UPC per Channel

Your products can have different UPCs per channel for the following channels: 

• Amazon
• eBay
• Newegg
• Sears
• Walmart Marketplace

Learn how to Use Different UPCs for Channels.

Unassign in Bulk

To unassign UPCs in bulk: 

1. Go to Client Settings and disable Do not remove UPC in Bulk Update process.
2. Follow the steps in the Assign in Bulk section above, but when you update the template:
   1. Leave the cells under the UPC header blank.
   2. Format the blank UPC cells as Numbers.

Client Settings

To update UPC-related settings:

1. Go to Client Settings.
2. Toggle the Advanced button.
3. Search for UPC.

Refer to the table below for setting descriptions.