What Costco requires from suppliers
Costco's vendor program requires GS1 GTINs for all products. This includes standard retail barcodes (UPC/EAN) for shelf-level scanning and, for some categories, case and pallet-level codes (ITF-14, GS1-128) for logistics. Their EDI systems expect codes that trace to a registered GS1 company prefix.
Costco's product acceptance process
Getting products into Costco is competitive and slow. Buyers are approached through trade shows, distributor relationships, or direct pitches. Compliance documentation — including GS1 barcodes, product liability insurance, and factory audits — comes after a buyer expresses interest. The barcode requirement isn't the hard part of getting into Costco; the buyer relationship is.
Case pack and pallet code requirements
Beyond the unit-level UPC, Costco typically requires a case code (ITF-14, which is a 14-digit GTIN) and sometimes pallet codes for EDI shipments. These higher-level codes are also GS1-sourced and are structured from the same company prefix as your unit-level GTIN. If you're getting GS1 for Costco, make sure your prefix tier covers all the code formats you'll need.
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