Sourcing glossary
GS1 barcode
Also known as: GTIN, UPC, EAN, GS1 Company Prefix, GS1 바코드
A retail barcode that encodes a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) built from a GS1 Company Prefix licensed to the brand owner, such as a 12-digit UPC or 13-digit EAN.
The GS1 Company Prefix identifies your company as the owner of the product numbers, so for a private-label product the brand owner, not the Chinese factory, should license it. From it you create a GTIN for each product variant (GTIN-12/UPC mostly in North America, GTIN-13/EAN elsewhere) and GTIN-14 codes for outer cartons.
Send the factory final barcode artwork and check print size and scannability on the pre-production sample. Reusing a supplier's own barcodes, or cheap resold numbers, can leave your listings tied to someone else's company. See custom packaging from China.
Related terms
Guides that use this term
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What to put in a request for quotation so a Chinese supplier can price it: the fields, the specs by category, a copy-paste template and a WhatsApp first message.
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Buying Branded Goods from China: Counterfeits, Trademarks and Customs
Why Chinese sellers offer 1:1 replicas, what customs does with counterfeit imports in the US, EU and South Africa, and the legal ways to sell branded or own-brand goods.
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QC
Factory Audit in China: What It Checks, What It Costs and When to Order One
Factory audits in China: audit vs inspection, the five audit types, what the auditor checks on site, published cost per man-day, how to order one and read the report.
Updated 2026-10-14 · 7 min read
Suppliers
China's Biggest Wholesale Markets: What Each Sells and Which One to Visit
The wholesale markets that matter for importers, by product: Yiwu International Trade City, Guangzhou's clothing, bag and toy districts, Huaqiangbei, Keqiao and Guzhen.
Updated 2026-10-14 · 6 min read
Suppliers
Which City in China Makes What: Product-by-Product Sourcing Index
An A-to-Z index of 60 product categories and the Chinese city or town that specialises in each, with links to the cluster page and wholesale market to start from.
Updated 2026-10-14 · 6 min read
Compliance
Importing from China to Peru: SUNAT Duties, IGV, Thresholds and the FTA
How a Peruvian importer clears goods from China: the US$200 and US$2,000 thresholds, ad valorem 0/6/11%, IGV and IPM, IGV perception, customs agents and the China FTA.
Updated 2026-10-14 · 6 min read
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