Códigos Mercado vs GS1
The barcode itself is the same. What changes is how you buy it: a membership based on your revenue, or one payment and you download it now.
What's the difference?
If you sell on Mercado Libre, Amazon, or in a store, they will ask for a code. UPC and EAN are that number, drawn as bars. GS1 is one way to get it. It is not the only way, and it is not a government agency.
What is GS1?
GS1 is a private organization. It sells a membership in your company name. The price depends on your revenue and how many products you declare. They ask for company data, review the billing, then issue the account. In many countries there is an initial fee and an annual renewal: the larger the block, the higher the renewal.
Does the symbol look different?
No. The UPC and EAN we give you use the same format: 12 and 13 digits, bars a scanner can read. The difference is not the label. It is the paperwork, the price, and whether your company appears in GS1's registry.
GS1
Membership, and often a renewal
GS1 charges by company revenue and product count. Without company paperwork, you do not start. It is not a pack. It is an account.
Códigos Mercado
One payment. You have it now
1, 10, 25, 50, or 100 codes. $5 to $45. No annual fee. Excel, certificate, and labels in your account.
Side by side
Both leave you a UPC and an EAN. The path and the cost do not look alike.
| What you compare | GS1 | Códigos Mercado |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | A membership. The amount follows your revenue and how many products you declare. Renewal is common. | $5 to $45. One payment. 1, 10, 25, 50, or 100 codes. |
| What they ask | Company data and a revenue review. Without that, there is no account. | Your brand name. You pay and download. |
| When you get it | Days or weeks. You wait for approval. You cannot list in the meantime. | Now. Excel, certificate, and labels in your account. |
| The number | A block in your company name, searchable in their registry. | The full UPC and EAN, assigned to your order. Certificate in your brand name. |
| If they require GS1 | Then yes. Brand Registry or a chain that wants the membership in your name. | If they want the EAN on the listing, the pack is enough. Start here. |
We are not GS1. The certificate assigns the codes to your brand. It is not a GS1 membership. If the channel wants the membership in your name, that purchase is at GS1.
Who requires buying from GS1?
Almost everyone asks for a unique code. Very few ask for the membership in your name.
The pack is enough
- Mercado Libre: paste the EAN-13 on the listing
- Amazon: the field is GTIN. One code per variation
- Shopify, eBay, and your store
- Your register and your warehouse
Then you need GS1
- Amazon Brand Registry, if they want the membership in your name
- Some large chains, if their current policy requires it
- If a contract says you must appear in the GS1 registry
Check the channel's policy before you send files to print. We are not GS1.
How you use it
You pay. You download the Excel, the certificate, and the artwork. You paste the EAN-13 on Mercado Libre. On Amazon the field is GTIN. You publish.
The history of barcodes
From four lines in the sand to the number Mercado Libre asks for today. The UPC was born to make checkout faster. The EAN is the same system in 13 digits.