GS1 Barcodes for Faire: Wholesale Barcode Requirements
Faire has become the go-to wholesale marketplace for independent brands and retailers. If you sell on Faire, or plan to, you will need barcodes on your products. Retailers expect them for inventory and point-of-sale, and Faire's catalog system uses them to identify products across its platform.
Here is everything you need to know about barcode requirements on Faire, how to get the right barcodes, and what is coming next with the industry's shift to QR codes.
Does Faire require barcodes?
Faire does not strictly require a UPC or EAN to list products. You can create listings without one. But in practice, most successful Faire brands include them because the retailers buying on Faire expect barcodes on the products they stock.
Retailers need UPCs and EANs (both types of GTINs) to receive shipments, manage stock, and ring up sales at the register. A product without a barcode creates extra work for every retailer who carries it.
Adding a barcode to your Faire listings makes your products easier for retailers to work with. That translates directly into reorders.
Why retailers need your products to have barcodes
When a retailer places a wholesale order through Faire, those products end up in a physical store with a POS system. Barcodes are how the entire chain works.
Point-of-sale scanning. Every product on a retail shelf needs a scannable barcode. Without one, cashiers have to manually enter prices, which slows checkout and introduces errors.
Inventory management. Retailers track what is in stock, what is selling, and what needs reordering by scanning barcodes. A product without a barcode is invisible to their inventory system.
Receiving and warehousing. When a shipment arrives, staff scan each item to confirm the order and log it into inventory. Products without barcodes require manual counts and handwritten records.
Product identification. A GTIN is globally unique. It tells the retailer's system exactly which product, in which size and variant, they are looking at. No confusion between your 8oz and 16oz versions.
How to get a GS1 barcode for Faire
The right way to get barcodes is through GS1, the nonprofit organization that manages the global barcode system. Here is the process.
1. Register for a GS1 Company Prefix
A GS1 Company Prefix is the base number that identifies your company. All of your product barcodes start with this prefix. You register through your country's GS1 office.
In the United States, go to gs1us.org and select "Get a barcode." Registration takes about 15 minutes and costs $250 for up to 10 GTINs, with a $50 annual renewal.
For a full walkthrough of the registration process, pricing tiers, and how to assign GTINs to your products, see our GS1 Company Prefix guide.
2. Assign GTINs to each product
Once you have your prefix, you assign a unique item reference number to each product. Every variation counts as a separate product: different sizes, colors, scents, and pack counts each need their own GTIN.
GS1 US provides an online tool called Data Hub to manage your assignments and calculate check digits automatically. You can verify your GTINs anytime with our GTIN validator.
3. Generate your barcodes
With GTINs assigned, you generate the actual barcode images for your packaging. GS1 Data Hub includes a basic barcode generator, or you can use design software that supports UPC-A and EAN-13 symbologies.
For products sold in North America, UPC-A (12-digit) is standard. For international markets, EAN-13 (13-digit) is the norm. Both encode a GTIN.
Adding barcodes to your Faire listings
In Faire's brand portal, each product listing has a field for the barcode number. Here is where to enter it.
- Log into your Faire brand dashboard
- Navigate to the product you want to update (or create a new listing)
- In the product details section, find the "UPC/EAN/Barcode" field
- Enter your 12-digit UPC or 13-digit EAN (the full number, including the check digit)
- Save the listing
If you sell variants (multiple sizes or colors under one listing), each variant should have its own barcode number. Faire's variant system supports per-variant GTINs.
Make sure the barcode number in Faire matches what is printed on your physical packaging. Mismatches cause problems when retailers try to receive your shipment into their inventory system.
Avoid resold or shared barcodes
You may find websites selling individual barcodes for $5 to $30 each. These are typically resold numbers from someone else's GS1 Company Prefix. This approach creates real problems.
Retailer rejection. Major retailers and increasingly Faire itself verify that barcodes come from the brand's own GS1 prefix. Resold barcodes often fail these checks.
Conflicts with other products. Shared prefixes mean your barcode number might also be assigned to a completely different product by another seller. POS systems cannot handle two products with the same GTIN.
No control over your numbers. If the original prefix holder stops paying their GS1 renewal, your barcodes stop working. You have no recourse because the prefix was never yours.
Marketplace compliance. Faire, Amazon, Walmart, and other marketplaces increasingly require GTINs registered to the actual brand owner. Resold barcodes may get your listings flagged or removed.
The $250 GS1 registration fee (plus $50 annual renewal) gives you legitimate, globally recognized barcodes. It is one of the most straightforward investments in your wholesale business.
Beyond the barcode: GS1 Digital Link QR codes
The barcode system that has worked for fifty years is about to get a major upgrade. The global retail industry is transitioning from traditional 1D barcodes to 2D codes, specifically GS1 Digital Link QR codes, as part of Sunrise 2027.
A traditional barcode holds just a number. A GS1 Digital Link QR code holds a URL that contains your GTIN and connects to product information, traceability data, and more. Retailers can scan it at the register just like a barcode, and consumers can scan it with their phone to access product details.
This matters for Faire sellers because the retailers you supply are preparing for this transition. Brands that are ready with GS1 Digital Link QR codes will have an advantage as retail POS systems begin accepting 2D codes.
The good news: if you already have GTINs from GS1, you are halfway there. Your existing GTINs are the foundation for GS1 Digital Link QR codes. You just need a resolver service to host the digital destinations behind each code.
Get started
If you are selling on Faire today, getting your barcodes right is one of the simplest ways to make your products easier for retailers to stock and reorder. Start with a GS1 Company Prefix, assign GTINs to your catalog, and enter them in your Faire listings.
When you are ready to move beyond barcodes and into GS1 Digital Link QR codes, SunriseQR makes it simple. Enter your GTINs, configure your link destinations, and download print-ready QR codes for your packaging.