Frequently Asked Questions about Buying Barcodes in Africa
How do barcodes work?
A barcode is basically a unique number that is represented in the form of vertical bars of different widths. This barcode number is linked to a specific product on a computer system that contains all the information about the product - price, name, size, colour, type of product etc. The vertical bars on the barcode can be read by a barcode scanner that decodes the bars back into the numbers that they represent. Once a barcode has been scanned, the information pertaining to the product linked to that particular barcode number can be processed. This system of being able to scan a barcode and then instantly being able to access the product information is what allows the modern supermarket to be so efficient and fast. Point of sale systems allow baskets full of items to be tallied up on a cashier in a fraction of the time.
Barcodes are also used in many other industries in a variety of ways - including things like stocktaking, asset management, in hospitals and even for tracking of wild animals. The barcodes that are sold by Barcodes Africa are primarily used for retail purposes.
Where is your head office?
Our head office is based in Cape Town, South Africa. No matter where in Africa your business might be we are able to provide barcodes that will meet your needs. After you purchase barcodes from us online, we will send you a "barcode package" via email that contains all your GS1-registered barcodes that you will be able to use immediately.
What types of products are supported by your barcodes?
Our barcodes work for practically all retail products including everything from cooldrinks, baked goods, grains, nuts and seeds, bottled water, toys, electronics, cds, dvds and virtually anything else you can think of. The only products that require a different type of barcode are books (ISBN barcodes) and magazines (ISSN barcodes).
In which countries will your barcodes work?
The barcodes that we sell work in every country in the world that uses barcoding technology. Barcodes were created as a universal system so that there wouldn't be problems with products being imported or exported from different countries and then consequently having the barcode scanning technology not being able to read a particular barcode.
How many barcodes do I need?
You will need a unique barcode for each different size, colour, flavour and variation of your product. An example is if you were to start a bakery and sell different kinds of bread - white and brown bread in large and small loaves. In this case you would require 4 barcodes in total, broken up as follows:
We currently have a few barcode packages on special offering differing amounts of barcodes. Fortunately at Barcodes Africa the more barcodes you buy the cheaper the price per barcode becomes.
What types of barcodes do you sell?
The barcode packages that we sell include both versions of retail barcodes - EAN and UPC. UPC barcodes are used in the USA and Canada while EAN barcodes are used throughout the rest of the world, including Africa, Europe, South America, Australia and Asia. The barcode packages that we sell allow you to distribute your products worldwide because our barcodes work every country in the world that uses barcoding technology.
Should I use an EAN or UPC barcode on my product?
If you are planning on exporting your product(s) to the USA or Canada it's generally advised to use UPC barcodes. If your product(s) will primarily be used in Africa and the rest of the world then it's probably a better idea to use EAN barcodes. In reality it doesn't really matter because modern barcode scanners and technology are always equipped to deal with both EAN and UPC barcodes. This is the reason why the point of sale systems at modern supermarket can read barcodes from products from all around the world without any hassles. When you buy barcodes from us we will provide you with both EAN and UPC barcodes so that you can choose which will be better suited for your product(s).
What is contained in the Barcode Packages that you sell?
Our barcode packages include the following:
Barcode packages are sent via email anywhere in the world within one hour of receipt of payment during office hours. As our head office is based in Cape Town, South Africa the time zone that we use is GMT + 2 and our office hours are from 8am to 5pm.
Why should I buy barcodes from you?
We are Africa's leading barcode reseller, with the most efficient and affordable service available. Having sold barcodes to 1000's of customers across Africa for a variety of reasons we can say with confidence that "we understand barcodes". Our company motto is to help you get your product into store as soon as possible. Once you have purchased barcodes from us, we will guide you every step of the way and ensure that you have your barcode as soon as possible (usually one hour or less) without the hassle of having to fill out mountains of paperwork.
Why do I need barcodes?
Most retailers and supermarkets around the world have adopted the barcoding system at their point of sale tills for the ease of use and efficiency that barcoding provides. This means that any product that appears in a retailer will require a unique barcode number that is different to the barcode number of any other product - so that there is no clash when ringing up items. This is where we come in. We are able to provide unique barcode numbers
How do barcodes work?
A barcode is basically a unique number that is represented in the form of vertical bars of different widths. This barcode number is linked to a specific product on a computer system that contains all the information about the product - price, name, size, colour, type of product etc. The vertical bars on the barcode can be read by a barcode scanner that decodes the bars back into the numbers that they represent. Once a barcode has been scanned, the information pertaining to the product linked to that particular barcode number can be processed. This system of being able to scan a barcode and then instantly being able to access the product information is what allows the modern supermarket to be so efficient and fast. Point of sale systems allow baskets full of items to be tallied up on a cashier in a fraction of the time.
Barcodes are also used in many other industries in a variety of ways - including things like stocktaking, asset management, in hospitals and even for the tracking of wild animals. The barcodes that are sold by Barcodes Africa are primarily used for retail purposes.
Do you charge annual fees?
We do not charge annual renewal fees unlike some other barcode providers. Barcodes purchased from us are active for life and you will never need to pay us another cent if you choose.
What is the difference between Barcodes Africa and GS1?
GS1 is the international body where all retail barcodes originate from, while Barcodes Africa is a barcode reseller. This means that we sell preowned barcodes that have never been used and are completely unique. Buying barcodes from Barcodes Africa is much like buying a "second-hand" iPhone from someone who hasn't even opened the box yet. The iPhone is unused, preowned and in perfect condition and yet more affordable and less hassle than buying it straight from the retailer.
How much do your barcodes cost?
Our prices listed are in South African Rand (ZAR) and United States Dollars (USD)
1 Barcode - R275 or $30
5 Barcodes - R999 or $110
10 Barcodes - R1799 or $195
For more than 10 barcode please contact us for a quote. The more barcodes you buy the more affordable they become (cost per barcode).
Why are your barcodes so affordable?
In the 1990's and decades leading up to it, barcodes were more affordable than they are now and did not have annual renewal fees. In the early 2000's the way barcodes were purchased changed, with, among other changes the addition of annual renewal fees. Luckily, due to a court case that took place in August 2002, all barcodes sold prior to that time were not subject to the same laws. They could be resold to other people or business entities and were not subject to annual renewal fees.
We buy our barcodes in bulk from companies that have a large excess of unused barcodes that were purchased prior to 2002. This allows us to resell our barcodes at a fraction of the normal price, without annual renewal fees.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept international bank transfer and Paypal. If you choose to pay with international bank transfer the currency that will be used is South African Rand while if you want to pay with credit card using Paypal, your payment will be converted into US dollars. Our banking details for international bank transfers is as follows:
Bank: FNB
Account holder: SA Barcodes
Account number: 62360097440
Branch Code: 204209
Account type: Cheque
Branch: Vineyard
Swift code: FIRNZAJJ
Do you sell barcode labels?
We design and sell a variety of barcode labels at very reasonable rates, and do ship internationally. Please contact us for a quote.
Once I've received my barcodes what do I do next?
Once you have received your barcodes the next step is to attach the barcode to your product in one of two ways. Either you can print or get barcode labels printed and stick them on to your product or you can include the barcode you want linked to your product as part of your product packaging that will then get printed out. Be sure to follow our barcode sizing guidelines (put link here). The high quality barcode images that we provide in the barcode packages that we send out can be used in your packaging design or to print labels.
Once you have a version of your product with your barcode attached it's time to head off to the retailer that you want to stock your product. There they will input the barcode number linked to your product and input all the information about that product into their system including information like price, name, size, colour, flavour etc. From that point on whenever that barcode is scanned at a till, your product will automatically appear on their system for that transaction. This helps speed up the selling process and helps the retailer to keep track of stock. Just remember, that you need to use a different barcode for every variation of your product.
Other questions:
If you have any further queries at all, please don't hesitate to contact us.
A barcode is basically a unique number that is represented in the form of vertical bars of different widths. This barcode number is linked to a specific product on a computer system that contains all the information about the product - price, name, size, colour, type of product etc. The vertical bars on the barcode can be read by a barcode scanner that decodes the bars back into the numbers that they represent. Once a barcode has been scanned, the information pertaining to the product linked to that particular barcode number can be processed. This system of being able to scan a barcode and then instantly being able to access the product information is what allows the modern supermarket to be so efficient and fast. Point of sale systems allow baskets full of items to be tallied up on a cashier in a fraction of the time.
Barcodes are also used in many other industries in a variety of ways - including things like stocktaking, asset management, in hospitals and even for tracking of wild animals. The barcodes that are sold by Barcodes Africa are primarily used for retail purposes.
Where is your head office?
Our head office is based in Cape Town, South Africa. No matter where in Africa your business might be we are able to provide barcodes that will meet your needs. After you purchase barcodes from us online, we will send you a "barcode package" via email that contains all your GS1-registered barcodes that you will be able to use immediately.
What types of products are supported by your barcodes?
Our barcodes work for practically all retail products including everything from cooldrinks, baked goods, grains, nuts and seeds, bottled water, toys, electronics, cds, dvds and virtually anything else you can think of. The only products that require a different type of barcode are books (ISBN barcodes) and magazines (ISSN barcodes).
In which countries will your barcodes work?
The barcodes that we sell work in every country in the world that uses barcoding technology. Barcodes were created as a universal system so that there wouldn't be problems with products being imported or exported from different countries and then consequently having the barcode scanning technology not being able to read a particular barcode.
How many barcodes do I need?
You will need a unique barcode for each different size, colour, flavour and variation of your product. An example is if you were to start a bakery and sell different kinds of bread - white and brown bread in large and small loaves. In this case you would require 4 barcodes in total, broken up as follows:
- Large loaf white bread
- Small loaf white bread
- Large loaf brown bread
- Small loaf brown bread
We currently have a few barcode packages on special offering differing amounts of barcodes. Fortunately at Barcodes Africa the more barcodes you buy the cheaper the price per barcode becomes.
What types of barcodes do you sell?
The barcode packages that we sell include both versions of retail barcodes - EAN and UPC. UPC barcodes are used in the USA and Canada while EAN barcodes are used throughout the rest of the world, including Africa, Europe, South America, Australia and Asia. The barcode packages that we sell allow you to distribute your products worldwide because our barcodes work every country in the world that uses barcoding technology.
Should I use an EAN or UPC barcode on my product?
If you are planning on exporting your product(s) to the USA or Canada it's generally advised to use UPC barcodes. If your product(s) will primarily be used in Africa and the rest of the world then it's probably a better idea to use EAN barcodes. In reality it doesn't really matter because modern barcode scanners and technology are always equipped to deal with both EAN and UPC barcodes. This is the reason why the point of sale systems at modern supermarket can read barcodes from products from all around the world without any hassles. When you buy barcodes from us we will provide you with both EAN and UPC barcodes so that you can choose which will be better suited for your product(s).
What is contained in the Barcode Packages that you sell?
Our barcode packages include the following:
- PDF file listing your barcode number(s) for both UPC and EAN versions
- Excel spreadsheet listing your barcode number(s) for both UPC and EAN versions
- Certificate of ownership (your legal document verifying ownership of your particular barcode number(s)
- High quality images of your barcodes for both UPC and EAN versions in JPEG, TIFF and EPS file formats
- Barcode Sizing template
Barcode packages are sent via email anywhere in the world within one hour of receipt of payment during office hours. As our head office is based in Cape Town, South Africa the time zone that we use is GMT + 2 and our office hours are from 8am to 5pm.
Why should I buy barcodes from you?
We are Africa's leading barcode reseller, with the most efficient and affordable service available. Having sold barcodes to 1000's of customers across Africa for a variety of reasons we can say with confidence that "we understand barcodes". Our company motto is to help you get your product into store as soon as possible. Once you have purchased barcodes from us, we will guide you every step of the way and ensure that you have your barcode as soon as possible (usually one hour or less) without the hassle of having to fill out mountains of paperwork.
Why do I need barcodes?
Most retailers and supermarkets around the world have adopted the barcoding system at their point of sale tills for the ease of use and efficiency that barcoding provides. This means that any product that appears in a retailer will require a unique barcode number that is different to the barcode number of any other product - so that there is no clash when ringing up items. This is where we come in. We are able to provide unique barcode numbers
How do barcodes work?
A barcode is basically a unique number that is represented in the form of vertical bars of different widths. This barcode number is linked to a specific product on a computer system that contains all the information about the product - price, name, size, colour, type of product etc. The vertical bars on the barcode can be read by a barcode scanner that decodes the bars back into the numbers that they represent. Once a barcode has been scanned, the information pertaining to the product linked to that particular barcode number can be processed. This system of being able to scan a barcode and then instantly being able to access the product information is what allows the modern supermarket to be so efficient and fast. Point of sale systems allow baskets full of items to be tallied up on a cashier in a fraction of the time.
Barcodes are also used in many other industries in a variety of ways - including things like stocktaking, asset management, in hospitals and even for the tracking of wild animals. The barcodes that are sold by Barcodes Africa are primarily used for retail purposes.
Do you charge annual fees?
We do not charge annual renewal fees unlike some other barcode providers. Barcodes purchased from us are active for life and you will never need to pay us another cent if you choose.
What is the difference between Barcodes Africa and GS1?
GS1 is the international body where all retail barcodes originate from, while Barcodes Africa is a barcode reseller. This means that we sell preowned barcodes that have never been used and are completely unique. Buying barcodes from Barcodes Africa is much like buying a "second-hand" iPhone from someone who hasn't even opened the box yet. The iPhone is unused, preowned and in perfect condition and yet more affordable and less hassle than buying it straight from the retailer.
How much do your barcodes cost?
Our prices listed are in South African Rand (ZAR) and United States Dollars (USD)
1 Barcode - R275 or $30
5 Barcodes - R999 or $110
10 Barcodes - R1799 or $195
For more than 10 barcode please contact us for a quote. The more barcodes you buy the more affordable they become (cost per barcode).
Why are your barcodes so affordable?
In the 1990's and decades leading up to it, barcodes were more affordable than they are now and did not have annual renewal fees. In the early 2000's the way barcodes were purchased changed, with, among other changes the addition of annual renewal fees. Luckily, due to a court case that took place in August 2002, all barcodes sold prior to that time were not subject to the same laws. They could be resold to other people or business entities and were not subject to annual renewal fees.
We buy our barcodes in bulk from companies that have a large excess of unused barcodes that were purchased prior to 2002. This allows us to resell our barcodes at a fraction of the normal price, without annual renewal fees.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept international bank transfer and Paypal. If you choose to pay with international bank transfer the currency that will be used is South African Rand while if you want to pay with credit card using Paypal, your payment will be converted into US dollars. Our banking details for international bank transfers is as follows:
Bank: FNB
Account holder: SA Barcodes
Account number: 62360097440
Branch Code: 204209
Account type: Cheque
Branch: Vineyard
Swift code: FIRNZAJJ
Do you sell barcode labels?
We design and sell a variety of barcode labels at very reasonable rates, and do ship internationally. Please contact us for a quote.
Once I've received my barcodes what do I do next?
Once you have received your barcodes the next step is to attach the barcode to your product in one of two ways. Either you can print or get barcode labels printed and stick them on to your product or you can include the barcode you want linked to your product as part of your product packaging that will then get printed out. Be sure to follow our barcode sizing guidelines (put link here). The high quality barcode images that we provide in the barcode packages that we send out can be used in your packaging design or to print labels.
Once you have a version of your product with your barcode attached it's time to head off to the retailer that you want to stock your product. There they will input the barcode number linked to your product and input all the information about that product into their system including information like price, name, size, colour, flavour etc. From that point on whenever that barcode is scanned at a till, your product will automatically appear on their system for that transaction. This helps speed up the selling process and helps the retailer to keep track of stock. Just remember, that you need to use a different barcode for every variation of your product.
Other questions:
If you have any further queries at all, please don't hesitate to contact us.