Barcodes feel like something only big stores need. But there are really two kinds, and confusing them is why makers either skip barcodes they'd benefit from or chase ones they don't need yet.
Two kinds of barcodes
- Your own scan codes: a barcode that simply encodes your SKU, for *your* use (counting stock, picking orders, and updating inventory by scan). You can make these yourself, for free, today.
- Retail barcodes (UPC/GTIN): official, purchased codes a store's checkout recognizes. You only need these if a retailer or marketplace requires one.
When you don't need barcodes
If you sell your own products through your own shop or at markets, you don't need official retail UPCs at all. Nothing about selling direct requires them.
When your own scan codes start to pay off
This is the kind worth adopting early. The moment counting stock or fulfilling orders by hand starts eating real time, scanning your own SKU barcodes is a huge speed-up: scan an item in when you make it, scan it out when it sells, and your counts stay right without typing.
You don't need a retailer's permission to scan your own stock, just your own SKUs and a phone.
When you do need a retail UPC
If a brick-and-mortar store wants to stock you, or a marketplace requires a GTIN to list, that's when you buy official barcodes (from the global standards body that issues them). It's a wholesale/retail-placement step, not a starting-out one.
Start by scanning what you already have
You don't need to buy anything to get the biggest benefit. Keepsel prints labels with your SKUs, and from the Maker plan you can scan stock in and out with your phone's camera, so the speed of barcodes is yours long before any retailer asks for an official one. To make codes now, try the free SKU and barcode generator.