My products don't have a GTIN or barcode. What should I do on Shopify?

Updated 2026-10-21. Checked against Shopify's own documentation; links are under Sources.

The answer depends on the kind of product. Handmade, custom and one-of-a-kind goods don't have GTINs, so tell Google the product has no identifiers rather than inventing one. Products you make and want to sell through retailers or marketplaces need GTINs licensed from GS1 in your brand's name. If you resell another company's branded product, the GTIN already exists and you get it from the packaging or the supplier.

First: which situation are you in?

• Handmade, custom or one-of-a-kind. Google's own examples are "custom T-shirts, art, or handmade goods". You don't need a GTIN.
• Your own brand, sold only on your store. A GTIN is optional for Google, but you need one if a retailer, marketplace or wholesaler asks for it.
• Another brand's product that you resell. The manufacturer has already assigned a GTIN. Copy it from the barcode on the packaging or ask your supplier, and don't create your own.

Handmade or custom: tell Google there is no identifier

Google Merchant Center has an attribute called identifier_exists. Setting it to "no" or "false" is "recommended for products that don't have a GTIN, MPN, or brand". Google adds a caution: use it only "if you're certain that your product doesn't have any assigned unique product identifiers".

In Shopify, the product CSV template includes a column called Google Shopping / Custom product, and the Google & YouTube channel has its own product settings. We haven't been able to confirm from Shopify's documentation exactly how the channel maps these settings to identifier_exists. So after you change them, open the product in Merchant Center and check what Google received. If you edit the column in a CSV, it takes a true/false value. Look at an exported row to see the exact format your store uses.

Also remove any value from the barcode field that isn't a real GTIN. A SKU-style or generated code sent as a GTIN leads to "Invalid GTIN" errors (see the fix).

Products with a brand and part number but no barcode

For products without barcodes, Shopify's Google help says to "add the brand name and Manufacturer Part Number (MPN)" in the Google & YouTube channel. Shopify's CSV template also has a Google Shopping / Manufacturer part number (MPN) column. Only use the manufacturer's real part number here, not your SKU.

Your own brand: getting real GTINs

GTINs come from GS1, the standards body that runs the numbering system. GS1 US currently offers a single GTIN for $30 with no annual renewal fee, and sells company prefixes for brands that need many numbers. Prices and options vary by country, so check the GS1 office where your business is based.

Be careful with cheap barcodes sold by resellers. A number bought that way is usually registered to whoever originally licensed it, not to you. GS1 US warns that such barcodes are unlikely to show you as the brand owner, and marketplaces and Google check the brand owner. Never make up a number that only has a valid check digit. Google says: "Don't guess or make up a value."

When you have your GTINs, add each one to its variant in Products › [product] › [variant] in the barcode field. Every size and colour needs its own number. Before you import a batch, paste them into the GTIN validator to catch typos.

Barcodes for your own shelves and till

You don't need a GTIN to scan items in your own shop or warehouse. An internal code works, such as your SKU encoded as Code 128. Since September 2026 Shopify lets each variant hold up to 20 barcodes, each with a type, and values that "follow no standard" use the Custom type. Give internal codes the Custom type so they aren't mistaken for GTINs. Channels read the first barcode on a variant, so if a product has a real GTIN as well, put the GTIN first.

Shopify's Retail Barcode Labels app can generate barcodes for you. Its help page notes that these are Code 128 codes based on variant IDs, aren't suitable for Google Shopping, and overwrite barcodes you entered by hand. Keep that in mind before you generate them for products that already have GTINs.

Finding the products that need attention

Export your products from Products › Export and run the file through the product CSV checker. It lists shippable variants with no barcode and barcodes that fail the check digit, so you can sort them into the three groups above.