GTIN Exemption

Most marketplaces require a GTIN to create a listing because it lets them match products and prevent duplicates. But some genuine products have no barcode: handmade and bespoke items, multi-product bundles you assemble yourself, replacement parts the manufacturer never assigned a GTIN, and certain private-label goods whose owner has not licensed GS1 numbers. For these, a GTIN exemption is the legitimate route to listing.

On Amazon, the exemption is requested through the "Apply for a GTIN exemption" workflow in Seller Central. You select the brand (or "Generic" for unbranded goods) and the relevant product category, and Amazon checks eligibility. Approval is specific to that brand-and-category combination, so a separate request may be needed for different brands or categories you sell in.

During the application, marketplaces often ask for supporting evidence that you genuinely own or are authorised to sell the brand, such as product images showing the brand name on the item and packaging, or a letter of authorisation from the brand owner. The aim is to confirm the product really lacks a barcode rather than letting sellers bypass GTIN rules to avoid buying GS1 numbers.

An exemption does not lower the bar on listing quality. You still provide a full title, images, description, and required attributes. And the trade-off is real: products listed under an exemption can be harder to match to existing catalogue pages and may be more exposed to listing hijacking, since there is no universal identifier anchoring the product. For brands planning to scale, buying genuine GTINs is often the more durable choice.