Frequently asked questions

Any questions not specified below can be answered by filling out a contact form or 
calling us directly on +234 (0) 906 127 23 99

ORDERING

You need a barcode for each unique product that differs in characteristics including colour, flavour, shape, size and texture. As an example, you would need 4 barcodes if you were selling chocolate bars, with two sizes, 25g and 100g and two types, milk and dark chocolate:
– 25g milk chocolate bar
– 100g milk chocolate bar
– 25g dark chocolate bar
– 100g dark chocolate bar

No, your purchase is once off. When using the standard GS1-process you are required to pay an annual subscription fee, and wait days or weeks for the eventual completion of the barcode purchasing processing to be complete. Because we buy in bulk and forgo the company prefix, we are able to offer you a single once-off fee that covers the lifetime of your barcode.

No. Simply provide your barcode number along with the corresponding product to the retailer when registering the product. 

As part of our commitment to maintain authenticity and integrity, we regret that we are unable to offer a refund on purchases made. Barcodes are categorised as web-based digital images, once issued, they are removed from the batch of available barcodes to ensure no duplicate copies are made.

We need a completed registration form along with proof of payment to issue your barcodes.  For most online transfers, the transaction occurs immediately so the proof of payment is not necessary. We check the banking transaction with the company information in the registration form to make sure the barcodes are sent correctly.  We still need your personal contact, company and product information, so please make sure you send this to us to avoid delays.

PRODUCT

A barcode, also referred to as a UPC or EAN, is a scannable strip of black bars and white spaces, sitting above a unique numbered-code (12 or 13 digits in length) that are assigned to each product for sale at a retail outlet.

When you sell your product through a retailer, they use barcodes for the tracking and monitoring of that product within their digital inventories. Initially, they manually enter your product information onto their system with the corresponding unique EAN-code into their inventory. Following this, every time that your barcode gets scanned at the teller, your personal- or business account will be credited with a sale.

Yes, all individual Nigeria retail products (other than magazines and books) require the use of EAN or UPC barcodes. This means that all products from CD’s, chocolate, honey to prints, wine and vodka, all fall under the EAN and UPC system and, therefore require barcodes. Exceptions to this rule are books and magazines, which operate on a separate system called ISBN and ISSN, and are issued by the National Library of your country. 

Yes, except for a minor selection of retailers. Contact us to inquire whether the particular store does not use the standard barcode system.

Yes, our barcodes work anywhere in the world.

ach numerical digit has a corresponding visual component made of black bars and white spacing. If, for any reason, the scanner doesn’t pick up the barcode when the item is swiped, the cashier can enter in the barcode manually. 

he US and Canada use a twelve digit barcode system called UPC-A. Everywhere else in the world, including Nigeria, uses a system called EAN-13. The two systems differ by one digit; with the UPC-A using 12 and the EAN using 13. We supply both versions with your order so that you may use your barcodes anywhere in the world. Modern barcode scanners read both EAN and UPC barcode numbers, so it’s really up to you and the stores you will be supplying as to which version you want to use.

STORE SPECIFICATIONS

Absolutely, as long as the barcode is printed at a quality of 300dpi or above and uses the correct dimensions. This is important when you have your labels/product packaging (if it includes your barcode images) or cd-covers printed. We supply you with a template that helps you choose the correct dimensions for your code.

The barcode images we send you, printed at a resolution of at least 300dpi, can be scanned without any alterations necessary. However, for those that want to customize the images please note the following: The standard EAN-13 and UPC barcode image that works in Nigeria is 37.3mm wide x 25.9mm high. The smallest recommended size is 80% of that standard size (30mm wide). The largest recommended size is 200% of the standard size (74.6mm wide). Width is more important than height because barcode scanners need to be able to easily distinguish between the vertical bars on the image.

OWNERSHIP

Yes, when you buy barcodes from Lite Barcodes, your barcode numbers are fully registered with GS1 and are guaranteed to be unique worldwide. Upon the purchase of your barcode, you are the only person in the world legally able to make use of that barcode. As we are a barcode reseller, the barcodes will reflect a company in the USA when using GS1’s search engine, however you will be the complete, legal owner of the barcodes bought. The reason this happens is that GS1 does not update their search engine to reflect the current, legal owners of “pre-owned” barcodes. We guarantee that our barcode numbers have never been used before and are completely unique to you. 

No. When you buy barcodes from us, the barcode is yours for life and no one will ever be able to register that same barcode number for another product without your permission.

Any questions not specified above can be answered by filling out a contact form or
calling us directly on +234 (0) 906 127 23 99