UPC
Also known as: Universal Product Code, UPC-A
A UPC (Universal Product Code) is the 12-digit barcode standard used in North America to identify retail products, required as a product identifier when creating most Amazon listings.
The UPC (Universal Product Code), specifically UPC-A, is the 12-digit barcode you see on retail packaging in the US and Canada. It is a GTIN format issued through GS1, and each code traces to a company prefix licensed to a specific brand owner. A UPC-A is equivalent to an EAN-13 with a leading zero, so the two are interchangeable on Amazon.
When you create a brand-new listing on Amazon, you supply a UPC (or EAN) as the external product identifier, and Amazon generates its own internal ASIN for the catalog. Amazon validates UPCs against the GS1 database and rejects codes that are invalid, recycled, or registered to a different company than your brand — buying cheap third-party UPCs is a common cause of listing suppression.
Brand owners that genuinely lack manufacturer barcodes (handmade goods, bundles, multipacks) can apply for a GTIN exemption to list without a UPC. For FBA, the unit is ultimately tracked by its FNSKU label, not the UPC.
A seller creating a new listing enters the GS1-issued UPC "012345678905." Amazon validates it against the GS1 registry, accepts it, and assigns the product an ASIN like B0XXXXXXXX.