Barcode Blog

Welcome to the Barcodes South Africa blog, where we share practical advice about retail barcodes, carton codes, pallet labels and QR codes. Explore our guides to choosing, buying and using barcodes for your business.

Barcode Topics:

Barcode Scanning

Learn how barcode scanners read product codes, why print quality matters and how to avoid common scanning problems at retail checkouts.

600 and 601 Barcode Numbers

Discover what South Africa’s 600 and 601 barcode prefixes mean and why a barcode prefix does not necessarily identify a product’s country of manufacture.

Avoid Membership Fees

Understand the difference between buying barcodes outright and joining GS1, including ongoing fees and retailer requirements.

Barcode Reseller

Find out how independent barcode resellers operate and what to check before purchasing barcode numbers for your products.

Buy EAN Barcode

Explore how to buy EAN-13 barcodes for retail products, choose the right quantity and prepare barcode images for packaging.

Cheap Barcodes

Compare affordable barcode options and learn why legitimate, unused numbers matter more than simply choosing the lowest price.

Choosing International Barcodes

Learn how to select internationally recognised barcode numbers for selling products in South Africa and overseas markets.

Free Barcode Generator

Discover what barcode generators do, when they are useful and why generating an image does not give you a unique barcode number.

South African Barcodes

Read practical guidance for South African manufacturers, entrepreneurs and retailers on product identification and barcode acceptance.

The Barcode Shop

Learn what to expect from a barcode supplier, including barcode files, support, registration options and delivery times.

Barcode Number Search

Find out how to look up barcode numbers, check available product information and understand what barcode databases can reveal.

Products on Amazon

Explore barcode requirements for selling on Amazon, including GTIN verification and situations where Amazon requires GS1-issued numbers.