Frequently asked questions

Each code comes with its high-definition image in PNG and SVG. From your customer account (or via the personal link sent to you by email), you download the image, then print it or place it directly on your product’s label or packaging. The PNG is suitable for everyday printing; the SVG stays perfectly sharp at any size.

Yes, this is perfectly valid. An EAN-13 starting with 0 corresponds exactly to the North American UPC-A format, which is accepted everywhere. If your stock management software or your scanner does not recognise it, this is usually because the scanner strips the leading zero and transmits only 12 digits: enable the ‘transmit leading zero’ (or ‘UPC-A to EAN-13’) option on your scanner, or enter the item as 12 digits.

Consumer scanning apps query community databases fed by the sellers themselves, not an official register. Until you have published your product in your own shop, on a marketplace or in a register, the app has no listing to display. This is normal and has no bearing on the validity of the code.

Yes. Yuka reads EAN-13 and UPC-A barcodes, so our codes are scannable by the app, which sets no condition on the prefix, on where the code comes from or on membership of any official body. Bear in mind, however, that having a code is not the same as being listed: your product also needs an entry in Yuka's database. Two free routes are open to you: Yuka's brand portal, where you send brands@yuka.io a spreadsheet (barcode, brand and, for cosmetics, the INCI list) together with a photo of the packaging named after the barcode number — allow one to two weeks; or adding the product in the app itself, which any user can do by scanning it and photographing the packaging and the ingredient list. Either way, the brand and composition displayed are the ones you declare.

No. Each code identifies a single product and stays associated with it for life. Any new product reference — including a simple size, colour or format variant — requires a new code. Reusing the code of a discontinued product is not advisable, as data relating to it may still be held by resellers.

The 12-digit UPC is the original North American format; the 13-digit EAN-13 is the international standard used in Europe and worldwide. Both are based on the same system — an EAN-13 starting with 0 is in fact exactly a UPC-A. To sell in Europe and internationally, EAN-13 is the format to choose.

No — this is a very common misconception. The prefix identifies the organisation that originally issued the series of numbers, not the country where the product is manufactured, nor the nationality of your company. A company from any country can use a code whatever its prefix.

Yes. A valid EAN-13 is recognised worldwide, whatever the country you sell in. The same code can be used in your own shop and on international marketplaces alike, with no additional formalities.

Each code is unique and has never been assigned to a product before you. You have exclusive use of it, and it is yours for life, with no expiry date and no renewal fees.

Delivery is automatic, by email, in under 5 minutes after payment, 24/7. You receive your codes, their images and your certificate, all available at any time from your customer account.

You need one code per distinct product, and one code per variant: each size, colour or format counts as a product reference in its own right. For example, a T-shirt available in 3 sizes and 2 colours requires 6 codes.

We will replace free of charge any code that is refused by a standard marketplace or that does not work. Simply write to us quoting your order number, and we will resolve it quickly.

Card payments, Apple Pay and Google Pay, as well as local payment methods depending on your country (for example Satispay in Italy or MB WAY in Portugal). Bank transfer is available for volume orders.

Yes. An invoice with VAT is generated automatically when you place your order and remains downloadable from your customer account. If you are an EU business with a valid intra-Community VAT number, the reverse charge applies and your invoice is issued excluding VAT.

We replace it free of charge within 90 days of purchase. From your delivery page (the link received by email), click the code concerned, then 'Was this code refused by a marketplace?': indicate the marketplace and the exact refusal message, and a new code immediately replaces the old one, which is permanently revoked. One request per code. Replacements are capped at a reasonable volume per order (at least three). Special case: if the refusal stems from the requirement to register in your brand's name with the official body (for example Amazon for a registered trademark), a new code would not change anything — your request is then reviewed by our team within 24-48 hours with the appropriate solutions (attachment to an existing listing, GTIN exemption).

No registration is required to sell on standard marketplaces or in your own shop. If you wish, you can publish your codes in our public register to make them verifiable: this is extra reassurance for your buyers.

Standard marketplaces — eBay, Cdiscount, Fnac, Rakuten, Etsy, Google Shopping, as well as Shopify, WooCommerce and PrestaShop shops — accept a valid EAN-13 without requiring registration in your name. Only the Amazon Brand Registry programme, reserved for registered trademarks, requires codes obtained directly in your name from an official issuing body: in that specific case, our codes are not suitable, and we prefer to tell you so plainly.