Written by Marcus Rivera — former Amazon warehouse manager. More about me →
When I started on the Amazon inbound dock, I thought UPC and EAN were the same thing with different names. A senior receiver corrected me on day three: "UPC is North America only. EAN works everywhere. If the barcode starts with a zero, it is probably a UPC disguised as an EAN." I never forgot that.
If you sell only in the US and Canada, use UPC-A. If you sell anywhere else — or might someday — use EAN-13. EAN-13 scans everywhere, including North America. UPC-A only scans reliably in North America.
| Digits | 12 | 13 |
| Where used | USA, Canada | Worldwide |
| GS1 prefix | Yes | Yes (includes country code) |
| Check digit | 1 (modulo-10) | 1 (modulo-10) |
| On Amazon | Required for FBA | Accepted globally |
Here is the thing most guides do not mention: a UPC-A is technically just an EAN-13 with a leading zero. If your UPC-A is "012345678905", the equivalent EAN-13 is "0012345678905" — same bars, different number printed underneath. This is why EAN-13 scanners read UPC-A without issues, but not always the other way around.
Amazon.com requires a GS1-issued UPC-A. Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.co.jp and every other marketplace accept EAN-13. If you ever plan to sell on multiple Amazon marketplaces, go with EAN-13 from the start. It saves you from re-barcoding your entire product line later. Generate your barcode now using our UPC-A or EAN-13 generator.
Written by Marcus Rivera — former Amazon warehouse manager. More about me →