Why Am I Seeing Amazon’s GTIN Warning Message?

  • Amazon displays an automated GTIN warning unless you click “Don’t show this again.”
  • This message reflects Amazon’s preference for GS1-rented barcodes, not an actual platform-wide enforcement mechanism.
  • Your legally owned pre-2002 GS1-USA GTINs remain fully valid and usable on Amazon.
  • Amazon joined GS1’s board in 2016, which explains their public-facing preference for GS1-rented identifiers.

Amazon’s automated system shows a general warning message unless you select “Don’t show this again,” as demonstrated below:

Amazon Warning Screenshot

Amazon’s public-facing position is not new — they have always recommended renting barcodes directly from GS1. Remember, GS1 is a private organization, not a government agency, and Amazon joined GS1’s Board of Directors in 2016, which explains the alignment.

No. This automated message does not prevent you from using your legally owned GTINs on Amazon. Due to GS1-USA’s class-action lawsuit and settlement, all pre-August 2002 GTINs are legally ownable and permanently valid.

You can read more about the settlement here: Learn about the GS1/UCC Settlement

Amazon currently does not have a platform-wide enforcement mechanism preventing the use of legally owned GTINs. However, Amazon is a private company and may manually scrutinize or restrict individual accounts at their discretion — even when the seller is in full legal compliance.

Need more context?

If you’re new to this topic or want to understand the difference between renting GTINs from GS1 and owning them from Bar Codes Talk, review this article:

Will My Barcode Work with Amazon, eBay, Google?

We’re always here to help you navigate Amazon-specific GTIN concerns — contact us anytime.