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Locating Product Identifiers
Every product sold on Amazon’s website has several digits that are associated with it – these numbers and letters are known as the product identifiers. The main identifiers used specifically and only on the Amazon site is the ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number). Other product identifiers, called GTIN (Global Trade Item Numbers), are used as universal identifiers within a given industry.
ASIN
ASINs are 10-digits long and include letters and numbers. Used for every product sold on Amazon and its affiliates internationally, they are found on every Amazon product page in the Amazon catalog and in the URL of that product page. Look in the product’s URL in the address bar of your browser to find the ASIN of your chosen item (it will appear after the item name and “dp”). For example, the ASIN for the Kindle is B00ZV9PXP2.
Amazon uses ASINs to track inventory, to index catalog pages for search, and to reference the product catalogue page.
GTIN
GTINs (Global Trade Item Numbers) are used to create product pages in the Amazon catalog, as they are specific to the particular item. Sellers are required to use GTINs to match the industry’s standards. They are used universally, and are therefore critical in matching Amazon products to their product pages internationally.
Common GTINs are:
- Universal Product Codes (UPC) – 12 digits
- International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN) – 10 or 13 digits
- European Article Numbers (EAN) – 13 digits
- Japanese Article Numbers (JAN) – 13 digits
- Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN-14) – 14 digits
You will find the product’s GTIN above or below the bar code on the packaging or cover of the item.
Obtaining a Product Identifier
A seller should make sure to request GTINs for his products from the manufacturer. Those who manufacture the products they sell should see the GS1 standards website. Book publishers should see the website of the U.S. ISBN Agency.
Defining Products
Every “sellable unit” sold on Amazon must have a unique trade item number. A sellable unit may be a package of multiple quantities of a single sellable item. Both the single item and the multi-pack require distinct GTINs, with the correct number of items in the package specified on the Amazon product page. This requirement is also true for “bundles” – unique sellable units that combine more than one distinct product. Consult Amazon’s bundle guidelines. Note that “case packs” – used primarily by manufacturers shipping in bulk to retailers – require GTIN-14s specifically identifying which case packs may be considered products for sale as a unit. The individual item’s GTIN should not be used for a case pack.